The mail goal of the research Macronutrients contribution from beverages according to sex and age: findings from the ANIBES Study in Spain is to evaluate the contribution to beverages macronutrients intake accurately, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, in a representative sample among the Spanish population.

The ANIBES Study represents the first survey of this type, which includes the consumption and variety of beverages in Spain. Also, it is important to stress that leftovers were also taken into account, a key factor for beverages where traditionally whole portions (glass, wineglass, can, etc.) are approached.

According to the data from other research included in the ANIBES Study, non-alcoholic beverages accounted for 2.9 % of total energy intake. As for alcoholic beverages, this figure was 2.3 %, showing a lower contribution to energy intake in both cases. Within the non-alcoholic beverages group, the subgroup composed of sugared soft drinks contributed 2.0 % to total energy intake (36 kcal/day out of 1,810 kcal/day), followed by juices and nectars, which contributed 1.3 %.

The results from the ANIBES Study show that total carbohydrates and sugars are the two macronutrients mainly contributed by beverages. As for non-alcoholic beverages, though no differences between sexes were found overall, some differences were observed in certain age groups. Therefore, carbohydrates contribution was much higher in younger populations than in seniors, and mainly as sugared soft drinks and juices and nectars. Furthermore, a lower contribution of this macronutrient to this food group was observed in the elderly populations.

In terms of age, the highest contribution from the non-alcoholic beverages to carbohydrates intake was observed in adolescents, where the percentage of total carbohydrates intake from beverages was 11.97 ± 11.26 % for men and 13.77 ± 10.55 % for women.

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