Dietary Sugar Intake and Its Association with Obesity in Children and Adolescents
Sugar intake has been associated with increased prevalence of childhood overweight/obesity; however, results remain controversial. The aim of this study was to examine the probability of overweight/obesity with higher sugar intakes, accounting for other dietary intakes. Data from 1165 children and a...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-08-01
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| Series: | Children |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/8/8/676 |
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| author | Emmanuella Magriplis George Michas Evgenia Petridi George P. Chrousos Eleftheria Roma Vassiliki Benetou Nikos Cholopoulos Renata Micha Demosthenes Panagiotakos Antonis Zampelas |
| author_facet | Emmanuella Magriplis George Michas Evgenia Petridi George P. Chrousos Eleftheria Roma Vassiliki Benetou Nikos Cholopoulos Renata Micha Demosthenes Panagiotakos Antonis Zampelas |
| author_sort | Emmanuella Magriplis |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Sugar intake has been associated with increased prevalence of childhood overweight/obesity; however, results remain controversial. The aim of this study was to examine the probability of overweight/obesity with higher sugar intakes, accounting for other dietary intakes. Data from 1165 children and adolescents aged ≥2–18 years (66.8% males) enrolled in the Hellenic National Nutrition and Health Survey (HNNHS) were used; specifically, 781 children aged 2–11 years and 384 adolescents 12–18 years. Total and added sugar intake were assessed using two 24 h recalls (24 hR). Foods were categorized into specific food groups to evaluate the main foods contributing to intakes. A significant proportion of children (18.7%) and adolescents (24.5%) exceeded the recommended cut-off of 10% of total energy intake from added sugars. Sweets (29.8%) and processed/refined grains and cereals (19.1%) were the main sources of added sugars in both age groups, while in adolescents, the third main contributor was sugar-sweetened beverages (20.6%). Being overweight or obese was 2.57 (<i>p</i> = 0.002) and 1.77 (<i>p</i> = 0.047) times more likely for intakes ≥10% of total energy from added sugars compared to less <10%, when accounting for food groups and macronutrient intakes, respectively. The predicted probability of becoming obese was also significant with higher total and added-sugar consumption. We conclude that high consumption of added sugars increased the probability for overweight/obesity among youth, irrespectively of other dietary or macronutrient intakes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T08:54:58Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-db86100d64f547849949b055bc54a9d7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2227-9067 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T08:54:58Z |
| publishDate | 2021-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Children |
| spelling | doaj.art-db86100d64f547849949b055bc54a9d72023-11-22T07:14:18ZengMDPI AGChildren2227-90672021-08-018867610.3390/children8080676Dietary Sugar Intake and Its Association with Obesity in Children and AdolescentsEmmanuella Magriplis0George Michas1Evgenia Petridi2George P. Chrousos3Eleftheria Roma4Vassiliki Benetou5Nikos Cholopoulos6Renata Micha7Demosthenes Panagiotakos8Antonis Zampelas9Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 118 55 Athens, GreeceDepartment of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 118 55 Athens, GreeceDepartment of Life and Health Sciences, University of Nicosia, Makedonitisas Avenue, Nicosia CY1700, CyprusFirst Department of Pediatrics, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Mikras Asias 75, 115 27 Athens, GreeceFirst Department of Pediatrics, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Mikras Asias 75, 115 27 Athens, GreeceDepartment of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 115-27 Athens, GreeceDepartment of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University Campus, 54 124 Thessaloniki, GreeceDepartment of Food Science & Human Nutrition, University of Thessaly, 382 21 Volos, GreeceDepartment of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Science and Education, Harokopio University, Athens, Eleftheriou Venizelou 70, 176 76 Athens, GreeceDepartment of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 118 55 Athens, GreeceSugar intake has been associated with increased prevalence of childhood overweight/obesity; however, results remain controversial. The aim of this study was to examine the probability of overweight/obesity with higher sugar intakes, accounting for other dietary intakes. Data from 1165 children and adolescents aged ≥2–18 years (66.8% males) enrolled in the Hellenic National Nutrition and Health Survey (HNNHS) were used; specifically, 781 children aged 2–11 years and 384 adolescents 12–18 years. Total and added sugar intake were assessed using two 24 h recalls (24 hR). Foods were categorized into specific food groups to evaluate the main foods contributing to intakes. A significant proportion of children (18.7%) and adolescents (24.5%) exceeded the recommended cut-off of 10% of total energy intake from added sugars. Sweets (29.8%) and processed/refined grains and cereals (19.1%) were the main sources of added sugars in both age groups, while in adolescents, the third main contributor was sugar-sweetened beverages (20.6%). Being overweight or obese was 2.57 (<i>p</i> = 0.002) and 1.77 (<i>p</i> = 0.047) times more likely for intakes ≥10% of total energy from added sugars compared to less <10%, when accounting for food groups and macronutrient intakes, respectively. The predicted probability of becoming obese was also significant with higher total and added-sugar consumption. We conclude that high consumption of added sugars increased the probability for overweight/obesity among youth, irrespectively of other dietary or macronutrient intakes.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/8/8/676total sugarsadded sugarschildrenadolescentsoverweight and obesitydietary intake |
| spellingShingle | Emmanuella Magriplis George Michas Evgenia Petridi George P. Chrousos Eleftheria Roma Vassiliki Benetou Nikos Cholopoulos Renata Micha Demosthenes Panagiotakos Antonis Zampelas Dietary Sugar Intake and Its Association with Obesity in Children and Adolescents Children total sugars added sugars children adolescents overweight and obesity dietary intake |
| title | Dietary Sugar Intake and Its Association with Obesity in Children and Adolescents |
| title_full | Dietary Sugar Intake and Its Association with Obesity in Children and Adolescents |
| title_fullStr | Dietary Sugar Intake and Its Association with Obesity in Children and Adolescents |
| title_full_unstemmed | Dietary Sugar Intake and Its Association with Obesity in Children and Adolescents |
| title_short | Dietary Sugar Intake and Its Association with Obesity in Children and Adolescents |
| title_sort | dietary sugar intake and its association with obesity in children and adolescents |
| topic | total sugars added sugars children adolescents overweight and obesity dietary intake |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/8/8/676 |
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