16 % of kids' calories from sugar

U.S. boys get an average of 16.3 percent of their calories from added sugars and girls an average of 15.5 percent, officials say. A report from the National Center for Health Statistics, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, found preschool-age boys consume 13.5 percent of their calories in the form of added sugars -- white sugar, brown sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, maple syrup, molasses and other sweeteners in processed food and sugary drinks. Boys 6-11 eat 16.6 percent of their calories from added sugars and boys ages 12-19 get 17.5 percent of their calories from added sugars. Preschool-age girls consume 13.1 percent of their calories from added sugars. For girls ages 6-11 it is 15.7 percent of their calories from added sugars and girls ages 12-19 the portion of their calories from added sugars is 16.6 percent. The researchers used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2005 to 2008. There were no significant differences in the percent of total calories from added sugars based on poverty income ratios, the report said. About 60 percent of added sugars came from processed food and about 40 percent from sugary drinks. About 65 percent of the total calories children and adolescents consumed were consumed at home, the rest were consumed outside of the home, the report said.