Amount and food sources of total sugar intake by children ages 5 to 12 years.

Average daily consumption of sugars by children 5 to 12 yr was investigated by analyses of 7-day food diaries of a cross-sectional sample of American children. The average daily total sugar consumption for the total sample was 134.3 g with the food group of milk contributing, on the average, the greatest number of grams of sugars. Other food groups making significant contributions to the children's total sugar consumption were cakes, cookies, pies, and other desserts; sweetened beverages; fruits; and fruit juices. Spline distributions of total sugar intake revealed a few children were consuming over 280 g of sugars per average day while some consumed less than 44 g of sugars. Spline distributions, also indicated that the food groups most likely to be consumed at levels resulting in excessive amounts of sugars intake by particular children were sweetened beverages; cakes, cookies, pies, and other desserts; and fruit juices.