Table 1 Population characteristics stratified by quartiles of free sugars consumption

Male (%)

53.9

60.3

65.0

68.6

< 0.001

Age (years)

57.4 ± 7.3

57.3 ± 7.5

57.2 ± 7.6

56.1 ± 8.0

0.001

White ethnicity (%)

96.4

96.2

96.3

95.1

< 0.001

Townsend deprivation index

−1.4 ± 2.9

−1.7 ± 2.8

−1.6 ± 2.9

−1.3 ± 3.0

< 0.001

College or university degree (%)

39.2

40.4

39.4

35.9

< 0.001

Household income (£)

< 0.001

 < 18,000

16.8

14.8

16.8

17.7

 18,000 to 30,999

23.1

23.4

23.2

24.1

 31,000 to 51,999

25.9

27.0

26.2

25.8

 52,000 to 100,000

19.8

20.7

20.4

19.2

 > 100,000

5.0

4.6

4.6

4.1

Sedentary behavior (%)

44.1

41.5

44.2

47.2

< 0.001

Smoking status (%)

< 0.001

 Never

52.0

55.2

55.7

55.8

 Previous

41.4

39.5

37.9

35.2

 Current

6.6

5.3

6.4

9.0

Alcohol consumption (%)

< 0.001

 Never or special occasions only

23.6

20.8

20.1

26.0

 1 to 3 times/month

16.7

14.7

15.3

16.7

 1 to 4 times/week

52.4

55.0

54.8

49.1

 Daily or almost daily

7.3

9.5

9.7

8.2

Body mass index (kg/m²)

32.2 ± 4.8

31.4 ± 4.5

31.2 ± 4.4

30.9 ± 4.4

< 0.001

Waist circumference (cm)

103.2 ± 10.4

102.2 ± 9.8

102.0 ± 9.6

102.0 ± 9.7

< 0.001

Hypertension (%)

70.7

68.1

67.8

66.7

< 0.001

Diabetes (%)

17.6

9.9

7.3

5.7

< 0.001

Alanine aminotransferase (U/L)

29.2 ± 16.8

29.1 ± 14.5

29.4 ± 15.7

30.0 ± 16.3

0.007

Gamma glutamyltransferase (U/L)

47.3 ± 44.7

46.6 ± 42.0

47.7 ± 44.4

49.0 ± 44.3

0.014

Triglycerides (mmol/L)

2.3 ± 1.1

2.4 ± 1.1

2.4 ± 1.2

2.5 ± 1.2

< 0.001

Total cholesterol (mmol/L)

5.6 ± 1.2

5.7 ± 1.2

5.7 ± 1.2

5.7 ± 1.2

0.004

Total energy intake (KJ)

8110.8 ± 2095.0

8719.5 ± 2191.7

9004.5 ± 2243.3

9086.1 ± 2377.6

< 0.001