Graduate Program in Collective Health, School of Medical Sciences, University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil.
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
J Acad Nutr Diet. 2022 Jul;122(7):1296-1304. doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2021.12.009. Epub 2021 Dec 22.
Low-calorie sweeteners (LCSs) are increasingly being used worldwide, including in foods and beverages commonly consumed by children.
To examine the prevalence of LCSs in packaged foods and beverages sold in Brazil, whether LCSs are added to products with advertising directed to children, and whether foods and beverages with LCSs include front-of-package (FoP) LCS-related health and nutrition claims.
Cross-sectional study.
A sample (n = 11,434) of packaged foods and beverages sold by the top 5 largest Brazilian food retailers was examined to identify LCSs and added sugars, and a subsample (n = 3491) was examined to determine the presence of advertising directed to children and FoP LCS-related claims in foods and beverages with LCSs.
The prevalence of foods and beverages with different types of LCSs in the Brazilian food supply, among ultra-processed foods and beverages and among foods and beverages with added sugars, were measured. Foods and beverages with advertising directed to children were checked to see if these products had LCSs and how many products with LCSs had FoP labels with LCS-related claims.
Mean and 95% CIs were used to determine the overall prevalence of foods and beverages with LCSs and in the different assessed stratifications.
The prevalence of LCSs was 9.3% (95% CI 8.8-9.9) in Brazilian packaged foods and beverages, 14.6% (95% CI 13.8-15.4) in ultra-processed products alone, and 5.7% (95% CI 4.2-7.7) in foods and beverages with advertising directed to children. About 83% of food and beverage with LCSs were also sweetened with added sugars. LCSs were most frequently added to nonalcoholic sweetened beverages, breakfast cereals, and granola bars. Forty percent of foods and beverages with LCS did not present any FoP LCS-related claim.
This study shows that LCSs are present in 15% of ultra-processed foods and beverages in Brazil, largely used in combination with added sugars, and are found in foods and beverages with advertising directed to children. Clearer FoP information regarding the presence of LCSs, in particular in products with advertising directed to children, can help consumers make more informed choices regarding LCS consumption.
低热量甜味剂（LCS）在全球范围内的使用越来越广泛，包括儿童经常食用的食品和饮料。
检查巴西销售的包装食品和饮料中 LCS 的流行情况，LCS 是否添加到针对儿童的产品中，以及是否含有 LCS 的食品和饮料在包装正面（FoP）有 LCS 相关的健康和营养声明。
横断面研究。
检查了巴西最大的 5 家食品零售商销售的样本（n=11434）中 LCS 和添加糖的含量，一个子样本（n=3491）用于确定含有 LCS 的食品和饮料是否有针对儿童的广告以及 FoP 与 LCS 相关的声明。
测量了巴西食品供应中不同类型 LCS 的食品和饮料的流行情况，以及超加工食品和饮料以及含有添加糖的食品和饮料中 LCS 的流行情况。检查了有针对儿童广告的食品和饮料，以确定这些产品是否含有 LCS，以及有多少含有 LCS 的产品在 FoP 标签上有 LCS 相关的声明。
使用平均值和 95%置信区间来确定含有 LCS 的食品和饮料的总体流行率以及在不同评估分层中的流行率。
巴西包装食品和饮料中 LCS 的流行率为 9.3%（95%CI 8.8-9.9），超加工产品单独的流行率为 14.6%（95%CI 13.8-15.4），针对儿童的广告产品的流行率为 5.7%（95%CI 4.2-7.7）。大约 83%的含有 LCS 的食品和饮料也添加了添加糖。LCS 最常添加到非酒精甜味饮料、早餐麦片和格兰诺拉麦片棒中。40%的含有 LCS 的食品和饮料没有 FoP 与 LCS 相关的声明。
本研究表明，LCS 存在于巴西 15%的超加工食品和饮料中，主要与添加糖一起使用，并存在于针对儿童的广告产品中。在 FoP 上更清楚地说明 LCS 的存在，特别是在针对儿童的广告产品中，可以帮助消费者在 LCS 消费方面做出更明智的选择。
