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Earlier HD Onset, Caffeinated Soda Associated

Mov Disord; ePub 2018 Jan 3; Tanner, Marder, et al

Publish date:: January 15, 2018

In Huntington disease (HD), 60% of the variance in onset age is not explained by the huntingtin gene mutation, and a recent study found that HD onset was earlier among consumers of caffeinated soda, but not other caffeinated beverages. The objective of this study was to assess the relationship of lifestyle factors with motor phenoconversion among persons at risk for HD. The associations of motor phenoconversion and exposure to selected lifestyle and health factors were examined using Cox proportional hazards analyses adjusted for age, gender, and repeat length. Researchers found:

Of 247 participants, 36 (14.6%) phenoconverted; mean follow-up was 4.2 years.
Greater caffeinated soda use was associated with an increased hazard of phenoconversion: moderate use hazard ratio, 2.26, high use hazard ratio, 4.05.

Citation:

Tanner C, Marder K, Eberly S, Biglan K, Oakes D, Shoulson I, on behalf of the Huntington Study Group Prospective Huntington At-Risk Observational Study Investigators. [Published online ahead of print January 3, 2018]. Mov Disord. doi: 10.1002/mds.27239.

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