Sources of Calories from Added Sugars among the US Population, 2005–06

• Objective
• Methods
• Figure
• Tables
• Notes
• Suggested Citation

Objective

The purpose of this research was to identify the contributions of specific foods to intake of calories from added sugars in the US population age 2 and older.

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Methods

We used the 2003–04 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to determine the contribution of specific foods to intake of calories from added sugars. The dietary intake data collected in the survey were catalogued according to discrete food codes. For this analysis, food codes representing similar foods -- such as the various types of pasta dishes -- were combined to provide an indication of the contribution of distinct food items to intake of the dietary component being studied. That is, the food codes were sorted into 96 mutually exclusive food categories, termed specific foods.

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Figure

• Figure 1. List of specific foods: Result of grouping like foods

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Tables

There are separate tables for children/adolescents and the total population.

Children & Adolescents

• Tables 1a-4a. Mean Intakes of Added Sugars and Percentage Contribution of Various Foods
  • Table 1a. Among US Children and Adolescents, by Age
  • Table 2a. Among US Male Children and Adolescents, by Age
  • Table 3a. Among US Female Children and Adolescents, by Age
  • Table 4a. Among US Children and Adolescents, by Race/Ethnicity and Family Income
• Tables 1b-4b. Mean Intakes of Added Sugars and Mean Contribution (kcal) of Various Foods
  • Table 1b. Among US Children and Adolescents, by Age
  • Table 2b. Among US Male Children and Adolescents, by Age
  • Table 3b. Among US Female Children and Adolescents, by Age
  • Table 4b. Among US Children and Adolescents, by Race/Ethnicity and Family Income

US Population

• Tables 5a-8a. Mean Intakes of Added Sugars and Percentage Contribution of Various Foods
  • Table 5a. Among US Population, by Age
  • Table 6a. Among US Males, by Age
  • Table 7a. Among US Females, by Age
  • Table 8a. Among US Population, by Race/Ethnicity and Family Income
• Tables 5b-8b. Mean Intakes of Added Sugars and Mean Contribution (tsp) of Various Foods
  • Table 5b. Among US Population, by Age
  • Table 6b. Among US Males, by Age
  • Table 7b. Among US Females, by Age
  • Table 8b. Among US Population, by Race/Ethnicity and Family Income

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Notes

• Rankings depend in part on how ubiquitously the specific food is consumed. Foods that are the richest sources of added sugars are not necessarily the major contributors. Because some foods are commonly consumed in the population they result in a significant contribution to the total intake.
• The mean contribution (in teaspoons) represents the average per capita. For example, all persons age 2 and older consume an average of 7.5 teaspoons of added sugars from soda/energy/sports drinks per day. If the analysis was restricted to only those people who reported drinking such beverages on a given day, average added sugars intake from those beverages would be higher.

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Suggested Citation

Suggested citation for information contained on this page:

Sources of Calories from Added Sugars among the US Population, 2005–06. Risk Factor Monitoring and Methods Branch Web site. Applied Research Program. National Cancer Institute. http://riskfactor.cancer.gov/diet/foodsources/added_sugars/. Updated December 21, 2010. Accessed May 19, 2013.

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