New tool found for accurate measurement.

• Position: Sugar Consumption - Biomarkers - Brief article

A new tool that dramatically can improve the notoriously inaccurate surveys of what and how much an individual eats and drinks has been identified by scientists at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.

Conventional wisdom says that consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages such as soda and fruit juice is a significant contributor to obesity and chronic disease risk, but the science surrounding this issue is inconclusive. Part of the problem is that, in a typical diet survey, few people accurately and consistently recall what they consumed. The problem becomes exaggerated when individuals underreport foods they know are less healthy for them, like sugars.

"We were looking for an objective biomarker that could accurately measure long-term sugar intake from a single blood or hair sample," notes Diane O'Brien, project leader and biologist with the Center for Alaska Native Health Research at the Institute of Arctic Biology.

The biomarker O'Brien and her research group pilot-tested was the ratio of two different carbon atoms--heavy carbon 13 and light carbon 12 --which are...