HEALTH NEWS

Study Title:

Consumption of Added Sugar Among U.S. Children and Adolescents, 2005–2008.

Study Abstract

The consumption of added sugars, which are sweeteners added to processed and prepared foods, has been associated with measures of cardiovascular disease risk among adolescents, including adverse cholesterol concentrations (1). Although the percent of daily calories derived from added sugars declined between 1999–2000 and 2007–2008 (2), consumption of added sugars remains high in the diets of Americans. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines recommend limiting total intake of discretionary calories, which include added sugars and solid fats, to 5%–15% of daily caloric intake (3), yet many Americans continue to exceed these recommendations (2). This data brief presents results for added sugar consumption among U.S. children and adolescents for 2005–2008.