Daily Intake of Soft Drinks and Moderate‐to‐Severe Acne Vulgaris in Chinese Adolescents

Objectives To investigate the association of soft drink consumption and the intake of sugar from soft drinks with the prevalence of acne in adolescents. Study design This was a university‐based epidemiologic investigation that included 8226 students who underwent health examinations and a questionnaire survey inquiring about the intake of soft drinks. Skin diseases were diagnosed by certificated dermatologists during the health examination. Two‐level logistic and generalized additive models were used to estimate the associations, and aORs were presented as the effect size. Results A total of 8197 student survey responses were analyzed. Frequent intake (≥7 times per week) of carbonated sodas (aOR 1.61, 95% CI 0.96‐2.72), sweetened tea drinks (aOR 2.52, 95% CI 1.43‐4.43), and fruit‐flavored drinks (aOR 1.90, 95% CI 1.18‐3.07) was associated with moderate‐to‐severe acne after adjustments for confounders. The occasional intake of fruit‐flavored drinks (1‐2 times per week) had a weak protective effect on acne (aOR 0.86, 95% CI 0.74‐0.99). The intake of sugar from any soft drinks showed a nonlinear association with acne (P < .01), and sugar intake ≥100 g/d was significantly associated with moderate‐to‐severe acne (aOR 3.12, 95% CI 1.80‐5.41). Conclusions Daily soft drink consumption significantly increases the risk of moderate‐to‐severe acne in adolescents, especially when the sugar intake from any type of soft drink exceeds 100 g per day.