Research

Energy balance

Higher total sugar intake is positively associated with increased adiposity markers (body weight, BMI, waist circumference, hip circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio) in Chilean adults, even after adjusting for sociodemographic factors and physical activity.

In this population, eating more sugar is linked to carrying more weight and having a larger waistline. To manage weight, focus on reducing overall calories, particularly from added sugars in processed foods and sugary drinks, while maintaining physical activity.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Higher sugar intake was associated with a higher BMI, WC and HC but not with body fat %. One quartile increment in sugar intake was associated with 1.50 kg [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.49; 2.50] higher body weight, 0.34 kg/m2 [95% CI: 0.01; 0.69] higher BMI, 1.23 cm [95% CI: 0.11; 2.34] higher WC, 1.39 cm [95% CI: 0.28; 2.50] higher HC and 0.02 the waist-to-hip ratio [95% C: 0.01; 0.02].
Lorena Mardones et al. · Revista médica de Chile · 2020

Why this rating

Cross-sectional design limits causal inference; however, the sample size is moderate (n=396) and adjustments for confounders are robust.

Source

Consumo de azúcares totales y su asociación con obesidad en población chilena - Resultados del estudio GENADIO

Lorena Mardones et al. · Revista médica de Chile · 2020

DOI 10.4067/s0034-98872020000700906

cross_sectional · n=396Cited 1×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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