A high-sugar diet is seen as a risk factor for obesity and chronic illness. University of Bonn researchers have analyzed data on sugar intake among children and adolescents in a long-term study, finding that intake has been declining steadily since 2010—but is still above the level recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). The results are in the .
"Our study concerns the intake of free sugars," explains Dr. Ines Perrar, who is a research associate at the University of Bonn Institute of Nutritional and Food Science (IEL) and lead author of the study. "There is debate on whether sugar, like salt and fats, is linked to the development of chronic diseases.
" The WHO defines "free" sugar as any form of sugar, including honey, syrup and fruit juice concentrates, added by a manufacturer or when preparing food and beverages at home. Free sugar also includes sugar naturally occurring in juices. For their project, IEL researchers analyzed data from the "Dortmund Nutritional and Anthropometric Longitudinally Designed" cohort study (DONALD).
The DONALD study has been ongoing since 1985, gathering detailed data on nutrition, metabolism, growth and health of children and adolescents. "Study participants weigh and document everything they eat and drink on three consecutive days every year," says Dr. Ute Nöthlings, Professor of Nutritional Epidemiology at the IEL.
"Referring to our Institute's in-house nutrient database, we are able to estimate intake of certain nutrients, inclu.