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

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.