# Health effects of substituting sugar-sweetened beverages with non-caloric beverages in adults with overweight and obesity

> **NIH NIH R01** · BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL · 2020 · $772,515

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
This is a new application proposing to conduct the SUBstituting with Preferred OPtions (SUB-POP) trial, a
parallel-arm RCT to test the effects of substituting SSBs with non-caloric options on body weight and markers
of T2D and cardiometabolic health. Eligible adult participants will be randomized to 1 of 4 beverage groups
(N=135 per group) at the baseline in-person visit and all will receive at-home monthly deliveries of beverages
via Amazon for 6 months. In-person clinic visits will be conducted at baseline, 6, and 12 months. After the 6
months of assigned beverage substitution and delivery, all participants will be instructed to substitute SSBs
with water only for a final 6 month observational period. In-person clinic visits will collect technician-measured
anthropometrics, blood pressure, biospecimen samples (blood, urine, stool [subset n=50 per group]), and
questionnaires (physical activity, beverage frequency), and taste preference test. The SUB-POP app-based
assessments and online diet recall will ascertain repeated measures of beverage adherence, diet, physical
activity, and appetite in the interim, every 3 months. A subset (n=60 per group) will receive at home Wi-Fi
digital scales to measure body weight approximately daily for novel energy balance and caloric compensation
modeling. Our proposal will leverage the many strengths and state-of-the-art clinical trial infrastructure of the
Division of Preventive Medicine at BWH. The highly collaborative investigator team is comprised of experts in
nutritional and obesity epidemiology, clinical trial design, implementation and analysis, energy balance and
weight loss, and interpretation for public health dietary guidelines. SUB-POP is a novel RCT that will enroll
adult regular SSB consumers with overweight or obesity to evaluate the effectiveness of substituting SSBs with
non-caloric options in a real-world, un-blinded setting. Our trial will leverage modern recruitment methods,
achieve ≥30% non-White participants, implement innovative intervention delivery, adherence, and data
collection tools, and partition the two most common artificial sweetener types to explore potential
heterogeneity. It is unknown whether ASBs, which are largely free of calories and sugar, provide a healthful
interim strategy to transition to water among habitual SSB consumers. Thus, by addressing this large gap in
our understanding of how to address a highly prevalent and concerning dietary exposure, we will inform dietary
guidelines and clinical recommendations for the prevention of obesity, T2D, and cardiometabolic disease risks.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10028809
- **Project number:** 1R01DK125803-01
- **Recipient organization:** BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** Deirdre Kay Tobias
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $772,515
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-09-01 → 2024-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10028809

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10028809, Health effects of substituting sugar-sweetened beverages with non-caloric beverages in adults with overweight and obesity (1R01DK125803-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10028809. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*