Abstract
Trend analyses suggest that free sugar (FS) intake—while still exceeding 10%E—has decreased among German children and adolescents since 2005, yet that intakes may shift from sugars naturally occurring in foods to added sugars as children age. Thus, we analysed time and age trends in FS intake (%E) from food groups among 3–18 year-olds (1985–2016) using 10,761 3-day dietary records from 1312 DONALD participants (660 boys, 652 girls) by use of polynomial mixed-effects regression models. Among girls, FS from sugar & sweets decreased from 1985 to 2016 (linear trend p < 0.0001), but not among boys (p > 0.05). In the total sample, FS intake from juices increased until 2000 and decreased since 2005 (linear, quadratic trend p < 0.0001). FS from sugar sweetened beverages (SSB) decreased non-linearly from 1985 to 2016 (girls: linear, quadratic, cubic trend p < 0.0001; boys: linear, quadratic, cubic trend p < 0.02). Younger children consumed more FS from juices than older ones, who had a higher FS intake from SSB. FS intake from sugar & sweets increased until early adolescence and decreased afterwards. Since sugar & sweets represent the main source of FS intake and the source with the least pronounced decline in intake, public health measures should focus on these products.
Highlights
A high dietary sugar intake is thought to contribute to the development of several diseases such as dental caries [1], overweight and obesity [2,3,4,5], cardiovascular diseases [6,7,8] or metabolic syndrome [9]
The present study identified time and age trends in free sugar (FS) intake from sugar & sweets, dairy products, Among the total sample, FS intake from juices increased between 1985 and 2000, remained constant fruits & vegetables, juices and sugar sweetened beverages (SSB), which are relevant for the implementation of public health until 2005 and subsequently decreased until 2016, reaching intake levels comparable to those seen in measures to reduce FS intake among children and adolescents
Our study provides important insights into time and age trends in FS intake from different food groups relevant for future public health measures
Summary
A high dietary sugar intake is thought to contribute to the development of several diseases such as dental caries [1], overweight and obesity [2,3,4,5], cardiovascular diseases [6,7,8] or metabolic syndrome [9]. 10%E limit to a larger extent than among adults [29,30,31] Such a high sugar intake may be of particular relevance, as adolescence is suggested to be a “critical period” for the development of various diseases in later life [32,33,34,35] and dietary patterns have been shown to track into adulthood [36]. We analysed time and age trends in food group sources of FS from three decades (1985–2016) among children and adolescents aged 3–18 years, using data from 3-day weighed dietary records from the DONALD study
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