Nutrient intakes and body weights of persons consuming high and moderate levels of added sugars.

We classified a nationally representative sample of persons aged 4 years and older as high or moderate consumers of added sugars (ie, sugars added to foods by processors or consumers). Intake of added sugars was determined on the basis of grams consumed per kilogram of body weight (g/kg) and on the basis of percent of dietary energy from added sugars (% kcal). Regardless of the intake measure used, high consumers of added sugars had a significantly lower percentage of dietary energy from fat than did moderate consumers of added sugars. Persons defined by the % kcal measure as high consumers of added sugars took in lower percentages of the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for 11 vitamins and minerals; these high consumers had body weights similar to those of their moderate counterparts. Persons defined as high consumers by the g/kg measure consumed greater percentages of the RDAs than did their moderate counterparts; these high consumers more frequently selected foods from categories likely to contain sugar-rich foods but weighed significantly less than did moderate consumers. Thus, different approaches to defining intake of added sugars revealed two patterns of high consumption of added sugars with different levels of nutritional risk. Conditions of overweight were not associated with high intake of added sugars. Educational efforts, therefore, should focus on those consumers who tend to substitute foods rich in added sugars for more nutritionally desirable foods.