What this study is
The goal of this clinical trial is to test whether replacing sugary sodas with unsweetened, flavored sparkling waters can reduce added sugar intake and improve health in Black/African American and Latine adolescents with obesity who prefer sweet-tasting beverages. The main questions it aims to answer are:
- Does replacing sugary sodas with water change liking for sugary drinks, and water?
- Do shifts in liking for sweetness lead to improved diet quality and cardiometabolic health?
Researchers will compare replacing sugary sodas with one of three alternative beverages: unsweetened sparkling water, plain water, and beverages with gradually reduced sugar to determine which strategy is most effective.
Participants will:
- Replace sugary sodas with study drinks for 4 weeks
- Complete taste tests to measure their liking for and sensory experience of sweetness over 8-weeks
- Provide dietary recalls, body measurements, and blood samples over 8-weeks
What's being tested
- Unsweetened Sparkling Water Replacement
Intervention · BEHAVIORAL
Participants replace all sugar-sweetened sodas with flavored, unsweetened sparkling waters for 4 weeks.
- Progressively Reduced Sugar Beverage Replacement
Intervention · BEHAVIORAL
Participants replace sugary sodas with beverages containing gradually decreasing sugar concentrations (weekly), ending with unsweetened sparkling water.
- Plain Water Replacement
Intervention · BEHAVIORAL
Participants replace all sugar-sweetened sodas with plain, still water for 4 weeks. This serves as a comparator to evaluate sensory and metabolic changes.
Study details
- Official title
- Trading Sugar for Sparkles in Adolescents, A Sensory Approach for Reducing Added Sugar From Sweetened Beverages
- Sponsor
- Nana Gletsu Miller
- Conditions
- Obesity, Adolescent · Dietary Sugars · Taste Perception · Insulin Resistance · Feeding Behavior
- Enrolling
- 63 people
- Starts
- 2025-07-25
- Est. completion
- 2027-06
- Design
- Open-label, randomized, parallel groups
- Record
- View on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
Who can join
Age 12 Years – 18 YearsSex ALLHealthy volunteers AcceptedYou may qualify if
- Adolescents ages 12 to 18 who display a "sweet-liker" pattern, characterized by a preference for higher concentrations of sugar in beverages, specifically identifying 0.3M (10.3% sucrose) or above as their most liked sample.
- Adolescents consumes sugar-sweetened soda greater than or equal to 2 times per week. Adolescents must also indicate a willingness to drink study beverages; not currently dieting/changing diet.
You can't join if
- Adolescent participant is pregnant, since pregnancy affects taste perception
- Participant is allergic or intolerant to the items we are testing.
- Adolescent with type 1 or type 2 diabetes (self-declared or detected at screening visit through fasting glucose)
- Use of GLP-1 receptor agonists intended for weight loss.
Sign in and we'll check these against your records.Full criteria on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Study locations (3)
3 openIndiana University School of Public Health - Bloomington
Bloomington, Indiana, United States
- Nana Gletsu Miller, PhD · Contact812-855-9110ngletsum@iu.edu
Not yet recruitingIndiana University Hospital
Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
- Nana Gletsu Miller, PhD · Contact812-855-7643ngletsum@iu.edu
RecruitingPurdue University
West Lafayette, Indiana, United States
- Cordelia Running, PhD · Contact765-494-2282crunning@purdue.edu
Recruiting
Study team
Sponsor
Nana Gletsu Miller
Study ID IRB#25860
Frequently asked questions
The sponsor hasn't published answers to common questions for this trial.