Free Sugars and Source-Resolved Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption in Geographically Diverse Young Adults at an English University (2015–2016): Associations with Adiposity and Body Composition
4 affiliations
- 1Area of Legal and Forensic Medicine, Department of Surgery, Medical and Social Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Alcalá, Ctra. Madrid-Barcelona, Km. 33.6, 28871 Alcalá de Henares, Spain
- 2Leicester School of Allied Health Sciences, De Montfort University, Leicester LE1 9BH, UK
- 3Scientific Computation Research Institute (SCRIUR), University of La Rioja, 26006 Logroño, Spain
- 4Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Alcalá, Crta. Madrid-Barcelona, Km. 33.6, 28871 Alcalá de Henares, Spain
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Free sugars and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) remain important public-health targets, yet source-specific exposure and its relationship with body composition are poorly characterised in young adults attending English universities. Methods: This historical cross-sectional study examined 111 students aged 18–22 years at De Montfort University, Leicester, in 2015–2016. Dietary intake over approximately four weeks was assessed using an adapted EPIC-Norfolk food-frequency questionnaire processed in Nutritics. Free sugars were obtained from the native Nutritics variable, while strict SSB intake was reconstructed from 441 FoodName-level records, excluding diet/no-sugar beverages and 100% fruit/vegetable juice. Associations with BMI, body-fat percentage and BIA-derived visceral-fat index were estimated using HC3 robust multivariable models; adjusted inference included 109 participants. Results: Median free-sugar intake was 43.2 g/day (8.20% of total energy), 33.3% of participants had intakes ≥10% of total energy, and 81.1% consumed strict SSBs. Regular soft drinks/cola contributed 62.3% of total strict SSB intake. No statistically significant association was detected for either primary exposure with any adiposity outcome. For example, each 5-percentage-point higher free-sugar contribution was associated with a +0.50 percentage-point difference in body fat (95% CI −0.68 to 1.68), while a 1-SD higher log-transformed strict SSB intake was associated with a +0.87 percentage-point difference (95% CI −1.14 to 2.88). Conclusions: These confidence intervals were not sufficiently narrow to exclude potentially meaningful effects. The findings represent historical 2015–2016 estimates rather than current prevalence and should not be interpreted as evidence of no association. Larger prospective studies with validated source-specific exposure assessment and repeated body-composition measurements are warranted.
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BibTeX
@article{penafernandez2026free,
title = {{Free Sugars and Source-Resolved Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption in Geographically Diverse Young Adults at an English University (2015–2016): Associations with Adiposity and Body Composition}},
author = {Antonio Peña-Fernández and Tomás Cámara-Pastor and M. Ángeles Peña Fernández},
journal = {Nutrients},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/nu18213552},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/18/21/3552},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Free Sugars and Source-Resolved Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption in Geographically Diverse Young Adults at an English University (2015–2016): Associations with Adiposity and Body Composition
AU - Antonio Peña-Fernández
AU - Tomás Cámara-Pastor
AU - M. Ángeles Peña Fernández
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/28
JO - Nutrients
DO - 10.3390/nu18213552
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/18/21/3552
AB - Background/Objectives: Free sugars and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) remain important public-health targets, yet source-specific exposure and its relationship with body composition are poorly characterised in young adults attending English universities. Methods: This historical cross-sectional study examined 111 students aged 18–22 years at De Montfort University, Leicester, in 2015–2016. Dietary intake over approximately four weeks was assessed using an adapted EPIC-Norfolk food-frequency questionnaire processed in Nutritics. Free sugars were obtained from the native Nutritics variable, while strict SSB intake was reconstructed from 441 FoodName-level records, excluding diet/no-sugar beverages and 100% fruit/vegetable juice. Associations with BMI, body-fat percentage and BIA-derived visceral-fat index were estimated using HC3 robust multivariable models; adjusted inference included 109 participants. Results: Median free-sugar intake was 43.2 g/day (8.20% of total energy), 33.3% of participants had intakes ≥10% of total energy, and 81.1% consumed strict SSBs. Regular soft drinks/cola contributed 62.3% of total strict SSB intake. No statistically significant association was detected for either primary exposure with any adiposity outcome. For example, each 5-percentage-point higher free-sugar contribution was associated with a +0.50 percentage-point difference in body fat (95% CI −0.68 to 1.68), while a 1-SD higher log-transformed strict SSB intake was associated with a +0.87 percentage-point difference (95% CI −1.14 to 2.88). Conclusions: These confidence intervals were not sufficiently narrow to exclude potentially meaningful effects. The findings represent historical 2015–2016 estimates rather than current prevalence and should not be interpreted as evidence of no association. Larger prospective studies with validated source-specific exposure assessment and repeated body-composition measurements are warranted.
SN - 2072-6643
ER -