High fructose corn syrup soft drinks and chronic bronchitis in US adults
What it found
In a national survey of US adults aged 20 to 55, those who drank non-diet soft drinks 5 or more times a week were nearly twice as likely to report chronic bronchitis as those who drank them 1 to 3 times a month or less.
What they found
Studies in people
Overall chronic bronchitis rate
Among the 2,801 adults, 6.1% reported chronic bronchitis or a history of it.
More soda, more bronchitis
Chronic bronchitis was reported by 8.0% of those who drank non-diet soft drinks 5 or more times a week, compared with 4.9% of those who drank them 1 to 3 times a month or less.
Adjusted odds
After adjusting for age, sex, race, BMI, total energy intake, smoking, in-home smoking, pre-diabetes and diabetes, adults who drank non-diet soft drinks 5 or more times a week had nearly twice the odds of chronic bronchitis as those who drank them 1 to 3 times a month or less. Adding income, education and fruit and vegetable intake to the adjustments lowered the figure slightly but the link remained.
Not explained by smoking
The link between non-diet soft drink intake and chronic bronchitis held even after accounting for smoking and exposure to smoking at home.
Not explained by diabetes
The link also held after accounting for pre-diabetes and diabetes, which the authors say suggests it is separate from the blood sugar effects seen in diabetes.
Other findings
Possible mechanism
The authors suggest that unabsorbed fructose in the gut may react with dietary proteins to form compounds called enFruAGEs, which could travel to the lungs and contribute to inflammation. They say this idea needs more research to confirm.
What the authors conclude
“HFCS sweetened soft drink intake is correlated with chronic bronchitis in US adults aged 20-55 y, after adjusting for covariates, including smoking.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that high fructose corn syrup sweetened soft drink intake is correlated with chronic bronchitis in US adults aged 20 to 55, after adjusting for factors including smoking.
- They say their results support the hypothesis that fructose malabsorption and fructose reactivity in the gut may contribute to chronic bronchitis, possibly through enFruAGEs formed in the gut that may contribute to lung disease.
- They call for longitudinal and biochemical research to confirm and clarify the mechanisms involved.
How it was done
Earlier research linked high fructose corn syrup sweetened soft drinks and other drinks high in excess free fructose to asthma in children and teenagers. The authors wanted to test whether the same pattern appears for chronic bronchitis in adults.
They looked at survey data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003-2006, covering 2,801 US adults aged 20 to 55. They compared how often people reported drinking non-diet soft drinks with whether they reported current or past chronic bronchitis, adjusting for factors including age, sex, race, BMI, smoking, diabetes and income.
What it can’t tell you
- This was a cross-sectional study, so it looked at soda intake and chronic bronchitis at the same time and cannot show which came first.
- Chronic bronchitis was self-reported, so some people may have misreported their diagnosis.
- The study could not account for other possible factors such as outdoor air quality.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- NY Medical College, USA; the Icahn School of Medicine, USA; University of Massachusetts, USA
The paper
- Title
- Intake of high fructose corn syrup sweetened soft drinks is associated with prevalent chronic bronchitis in U.S. Adults, ages 20-55 y
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- DeChristopher LR, Uribarri J, Tucker KL (2015). Intake of high fructose corn syrup sweetened soft drinks is associated with prevalent chronic bronchitis in U.S. Adults, ages 20-55 y. Nutrition journal. doi:10.1186/s12937-015-0097-xFree full textPubMed 26474970DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error