{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,23]],"date-time":"2026-07-23T16:48:23Z","timestamp":1784825303964,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":33,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"17","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,22]],"date-time":"2025-08-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1755820800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nutrients"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Breakfast habits in Mediterranean countries often include processed products with hidden sugars, which may compromise children\u2019s oral and general health. Objectives: This study assessed the sugar content of breakfast foods commonly consumed by children using \u00b0Brix refractometry and examined its implications for dental caries and obesity. Methods: Forty-nine breakfast food samples (processed products, homemade alternatives, and fresh fruits) were analysed using a digital \u00b0Brix refractometer to quantify soluble sugar concentrations. Comparative statistical analyses were performed to evaluate differences among food categories. Results: Processed foods consistently exhibited significantly higher \u00b0Brix values (mean \u00b1 SD: 14.1 \u00b1 4.9), reflecting greater levels of extrinsic sugars, compared with homemade preparations (10.9 \u00b1 1.1) and fresh fruits (10.7 \u00b1 5.2) (p &lt; 0.01). Processed items contained on average 25% more sugar than the other categories. Fresh fruits and homemade options demonstrated moderate \u00b0Brix levels, with no added sugars, whereas processed products\u2014despite some being marketed as \u201cno added sugars\u201d\u2014frequently contained substantial sugar content. Conclusions: The findings highlight the urgent need for educational strategies and clearer labelling to reduce sugar intake during childhood breakfasts. Promoting natural and homemade alternatives could be a key preventive approach to lowering the risk of dental caries, obesity, and other diet-related conditions.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nu17172717","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,22]],"date-time":"2025-08-22T07:41:45Z","timestamp":1755848505000},"page":"2717","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Sugar Content of Children\u2019s Breakfast Foods in Mediterranean Diet Patterns"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"17","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8841-7975","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Clara","family":"Guinot-Barona","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Dentistry Department, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Catholic University of Valencia San Vicente Ma\u0301rtir, 46001 Valencia, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Giorgia","family":"Tumino","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Dentistry Department, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Catholic University of Valencia San Vicente Ma\u0301rtir, 46001 Valencia, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Marta","family":"Ibor-Miguel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Dentistry Department, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Catholic University of Valencia San Vicente Ma\u0301rtir, 46001 Valencia, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9356-4416","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Carla","family":"Borrell-Garc\u00eda","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Dentistry Department, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Catholic University of Valencia San Vicente Ma\u0301rtir, 46001 Valencia, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Juan-Ignacio","family":"Aura-Tormos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8864-3702","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Esther","family":"Garc\u00eda-Miralles","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Dentistry Department, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Catholic University of Valencia San Vicente Ma\u0301rtir, 46001 Valencia, Spain"},{"name":"Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5722-0547","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Laura","family":"Marqu\u00e9s-Mart\u00ednez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Dentistry Department, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Catholic University of Valencia San Vicente Ma\u0301rtir, 46001 Valencia, Spain"},{"name":"Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"8843","DOI":"10.12659\/MSM.920459","article-title":"Effect of Eating Breakfast on Cognitive Development of Elementary and Middle School Students: An Empirical Study Using Large-Scale Provincial Survey Data","volume":"25","author":"Yao","year":"2019","journal-title":"Med. 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