ABSTRACT
Introduction: Hispanic men have one of the highest consumptions of sugar-sweetened beverages in the United States. Frequent sugar-sweetened beverage consumption has been associated with higher incidence of cardiovascular disease through altered vascular function. Cardiovascular disease is the second leading cause of death in the Hispanic population. The purpose of this study is to assess the difference in vascular function between Hispanic men and non-Hispanic men and whether this difference is attributed to ethnic predisposition (i.e. ethnicity) or other risk factors, such as sugar-sweetened beverage consumption. Method: Reactive hyperemia forearm blood flow of 11 Hispanic males and 11 non-Hispanic males was measured via venous occlusion plethysmography. Interview-administered questionnaires gathered anthropometric, medical, dietary, and physical activity data for participants. Results: No significant differences were found in peak or total reactive hyperemia forearm blood flow between matched pairs (p = 0.924). Significant differences were also not observed in dietary factors, sugar-sweetened beverage consumption (p = 0.693), or physical activity (0.720). Conclusion: No statistical differences in body composition, dietary intake, physical activity, and vascular function were observed between Hispanic and non-Hispanic males. Environmental and lifestyle factors may play a larger role than ethnicity in the development of cardiovascular disease. Recruitment based on ethnicity alone yielded a population that was similar regarding SSB consumption and vascular function.