Arévalo Paola, Rebolledo Natalia, Reyes Marcela
Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology (INTA), University of Chile, Santiago, Chile.
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Pediatr Obes. 2025 Jul 13:e70036. doi: 10.1111/ijpo.70036.
Non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) are used as sugar alternatives in foods and beverages. However, their intake and dietary sources in toddlers and their association with total sugars intake have been scarcely explored. We aimed to characterise NNS intake (sucralose, acesulfame-K, aspartame, steviol glycosides, saccharin and cyclamate) and their individual association with dietary total sugars in a sample of Chilean toddlers. Participants of the Chilean Infant Nutrition Randomised Controlled Trial (N = 450, 50% girls) were assessed at 3 years of age with sociodemographic information from their families, anthropometry of the participants and their mothers and dietary intake (via a single 24-h recall). For reported packaged foods, we obtained the energy, nutrients and NNS information from nutrition facts panels (NFP). We estimated the dietary intake (total energy, macronutrients, total sugars and NNS intake) and NNS dietary sources for each participant. We used linear regression models to study crude and adjusted associations. Mean total energy intake was 1006 ± 351 kcal/day, with 27% of those calories coming from total sugars. Seventy-six percent of the toddlers consumed at least one NNS: 63% sucralose, 35% acesulfame-K, 32% aspartame, 27% steviol, < 1% saccharin and < 1% cyclamate. Beverages were the top contributors to NNS intake. NNS intake was not significantly associated with total sugars intake. In conclusion, we found a high prevalence of NNS intake among 3-year-old children, with sucralose being the most frequently consumed. NNS intake was not associated with lower sugars consumption. These results support new recommendations discouraging NNS intake among healthy populations, which can be even more relevant in young children.
非营养性甜味剂（NNS）被用作食品和饮料中的糖替代品。然而，幼儿对其的摄入量、膳食来源以及与总糖摄入量之间的关联鲜有研究。我们旨在描述智利幼儿样本中NNS（三氯蔗糖、乙酰磺胺酸钾、阿斯巴甜、甜菊糖苷、糖精和环己基氨基磺酸钠）的摄入量及其与膳食总糖的个体关联。智利婴儿营养随机对照试验的参与者（N = 450，50%为女孩）在3岁时接受评估，收集其家庭的社会人口学信息、参与者及其母亲的人体测量数据以及膳食摄入量（通过单次24小时回忆法）。对于报告的包装食品，我们从营养成分表（NFP）中获取能量、营养素和NNS信息。我们估算了每位参与者的膳食摄入量（总能量、宏量营养素、总糖和NNS摄入量）以及NNS的膳食来源。我们使用线性回归模型研究粗关联和调整后的关联。平均总能量摄入量为1006±351千卡/天，其中27%的热量来自总糖。76%的幼儿至少摄入一种NNS：63%摄入三氯蔗糖，35%摄入乙酰磺胺酸钾，32%摄入阿斯巴甜，27%摄入甜菊糖苷，<1%摄入糖精，<1%摄入环己基氨基磺酸钠。饮料是NNS摄入的主要来源。NNS摄入量与总糖摄入量无显著关联。总之，我们发现3岁儿童中NNS摄入的患病率较高，三氯蔗糖是最常摄入的。NNS摄入与较低的糖消费量无关。这些结果支持了新的建议，即不鼓励健康人群摄入NNS，这在幼儿中可能更为重要。
