Research

Macro partitioning

European children consume significantly higher proportions of total and added sugars relative to energy intake compared to adults, with sweet products and beverages being the primary sources.

If you are tracking sugar intake for health or weight management, pay close attention to children's diets. They are consuming a disproportionately high amount of sugar, primarily from sweets and sugary drinks, compared to adults. To reduce this, prioritize whole fruits over juices and limit confectionery and sweetened beverages, which are the main drivers of added sugar intake in this demographic.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Relative intakes were higher in children than in adults: total sugars ranged between 15 and 21% of energy intake in adults and between 16 and 26% in children. Added sugars... contributed 7 to 11% of total energy intake in adults and represented a higher proportion of children’s energy intake (11 to 17%).
Véronique Azaïs‐Braesco et al. · Nutrition Journal · 2017

Why this rating

Based on a review of 11 representative national surveys, but cross-country comparisons are limited by methodological differences.

Source

A review of total & added sugar intakes and dietary sources in Europe

Véronique Azaïs‐Braesco et al. · Nutrition Journal · 2017

DOI 10.1186/s12937-016-0225-2

narrative_reviewCited 255×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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