Obesity has become a major health burden in the US and worldwide. The increase in obesity is highly associated with modern lifestyle habits, including dietary intake, and their interactions with genetic predisposition. Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption is recognized as a major source of added sugar and energy in the US population and a key single dietary factor associated with the obesity epidemic as well other metabolic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Therefore, there is an urgent need to understand the mechanisms underlying the association between SSB consumption, obesity, and related diseases.
Metabolomics is a powerful tool to identify and measure a wide range of metabolites in biological samples, which can define metabolic profiles and link dietary intake and nutrient metabolism. Metabolomic profiles can also characterize metabolic states and interactions between diet and genes. Metabolites measured in plasma have been associated with obesity and other metabolic diseases. Hence, metabolites can be used as biomarkers for the prediction of the progression of metabolic diseases.
Among the most informative indicators of metabolic status are the phospholipids, which function as the most crucial lipid component of the cell membrane. Alteration in the ratio of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) in several tissues has been associated with metabolic disease . Plasma phospholipids measured by metabolomic analysis are recognized as metabolic signatures linked to obesity, insulin resistance, and inflammation . Impairment in lysophospholipid metabolism is correlated with obesity and desensitization to n − 3 polyunsaturated fatty acid intake . Decreased lysophospholipids are associated with obesity, whereas increased phospholipids indicate risk of metabolic disease .