Sources of Added Sugars Intake Among the U.S. Population: Analysis by Selected Sociodemographic Factors Using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011-18

Laurie Ricciuto; Victor L Fulgoni 3rd; P Courtney Gaine; Maria O Scott; Loretta DiFrancesco

doi:10.3389/fnut.2021.687643

Sources of Added Sugars Intake Among the U.S. Population: Analysis by Selected Sociodemographic Factors Using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011-18

Front Nutr. 2021 Jun 17:8:687643. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2021.687643. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Laurie Ricciuto¹, Victor L Fulgoni 3rd², P Courtney Gaine³, Maria O Scott³, Loretta DiFrancesco⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
² Nutrition Impact, LLC, Battle Creek, MI, United States.
³ The Sugar Association, Inc., Washington, DC, United States.
⁴ Source! Nutrition, Toronto, ON, Canada.

Abstract

Recent estimates of added sugars intake among the U.S. population show intakes are above recommended levels. Knowledge about the sources of added sugars contributing to intakes is required to inform dietary guidance, and understanding how those sources vary across sociodemographic subgroups could also help to target guidance. The purpose of this study was to provide a comprehensive update on sources of added sugars among the U.S. population, and to examine variations in sources according to sociodemographic factors. Regression analyses on intake data from NHANES 2011-18 were used to examine sources of added sugars intake among the full sample (N = 30,678) and among subsamples stratified by age, gender, ethnicity, and income. Results showed the majority of added sugars in the diet (61-66%) came from a few sources, and the top two sources were sweetened beverages and sweet bakery products, regardless of age, ethnicity, or income. Sweetened beverages, including soft drinks and fruit drinks, as well as tea, were the largest contributors to added sugars intake. There were some age-, ethnic-, and income-related differences in the relative contributions of added sugars sources, highlighting the need to consider sociodemographic contexts when developing dietary guidance or other supports for healthy eating.

Keywords: NHANES; US; added sugars; food sources; sociodemographics.