Low- and No-Calorie Sweetener (LNCS) Consumption Patterns Amongst the Spanish Adult Population

Abstract

Low- and no-calorie sweeteners (LNCS) are a group of food additives characterized by their high sweetness intensity and virtually zero caloric content, attributes that make them potential substitutes for added sugars in processed foods and beverages. However, there is currently scarce information available about both the different LNCS used in food products available in Spain and their consumption patterns. Prompted by these reasons, the aim of this research work was to identify the presence and consumption of LNCS in food and beverages consumed by a representative sample of the Spanish adult population (n = 507). For this purpose, a Food Frequency Questionnaire was carried out. Overall, it was found that 4.5% of the foods and 22.3% of the beverages consumed by the surveyed population contained LNCS. The food groups that presented the highest percentage of daily servings containing LNCS were non-alcoholic beverages such as soft drinks and juices (36.1%); sugars and sweets such as chocolates, candies, or chewing gum (14.2%); milk and dairy products (7.0%); meat and derivative products (5.1%); cereals and derivatives (4.3%); appetizers (1.7%); and, finally, sauces and condiments such as ketchup or mustard (1.0%). The main LNCS consumed were acesulfame-K, sucralose, sorbitol, aspartame, and cyclamate, although their prevalence of use differs greatly among foods, beverages, or tabletop sweeteners. Our results show the great diversity of food groups that are currently including these compounds as ingredients. Consequently, there is a need for these food additives to be included in food composition databases, which should be regularly updated to include LNCS in order to facilitate their assessment and monitoring in dietary nutritional surveys.

Prevalence and Types of Non-Nutritive Sweeteners in the New Zealand Food Supply, 2013 and 2019

“…Similarly, the use of monk fruit extract, a naturally occurring sweetener, has also increased since 2013. In contrast, stevia was not the most prevalent NNS in a Spanish study, where acesulfame-potassium, sucralose and aspartame were the main NNS used [ 24 ]. The proportion of household purchases of aspartame-containing products declined in the US between 2002 and 2018, while stevia and sucralose-sweetened products increased although aspartame remained the most purchased by volume per capita [ 29 ].…”

“…Beverages, specifically carbonated soft drinks, were the main source of NNS in diets of adults and children in Australia [ 23 ]. Non-alcoholic beverages were also the major contributor of NNS in the Spanish diet (36%), followed by sugar and sweets (14.2%) and milk and dairy products (7%) [ 24 ].…”

Low- and No-Calorie Sweetener (LNCS) Presence and Consumption among the Portuguese Adult Population

“…Due to the reasons mentioned above, findings reported in the present manuscript will be compared with a recent study of similar methodology developed in a representative sample of the Spanish adult population [23], owing to the similarities between these two countries since their sociocultural and food patterns are part of the so-called Mediterranean diet and associated lifestyle. Results on the overall high consumption levels observed confirm the great level of acceptance of these types of additives among the Portuguese population; although in comparison with the Spanish scenario, a 10% lower prevalence of consumption was observed for the Portuguese population.…”

“…The presence of LNCS in the products consumed by the Portuguese sample population is also slightly lower, with 4.1% of the foods (vs. 4.5% in Spain) and especially in the case of beverages with 16.7% (vs. 22.3% in Spain). Specifically, sources of LNCS intake for the Spanish population were non-alcoholic beverages (36.1%); sugars and sweets (14.2%); milk and dairy products (7.0%); meat and derivatives (5.1%); cereals and derivatives (4.3%); appetizers such as chips (1.7%); and sauces and condiments (1.0%) [23]. After these results, it can be stated that the main source of LNCS for the Portuguese and Spanish population coincide in that they were non-alcoholic beverages, with a presence of LNCS greater than 30% for both countries.…”

“…The FFQ (Supplementary Material) registered the individual average consumption of 65 food and beverage items over the previous year in order to account for seasonal variation. It was specifically designed by the research team of the CEU San Pablo University to assess the consumption of foods that contain sweeteners in the Portuguese market, and it follows the same methodology that was used for the evaluation of LNCS consumption amongst the Spanish adult population [23]. For each processed product consumed, participants were also asked to specify, in detail, its "type" and "brand" so that the product label could be consulted to analyze and register the absence or presence-and type-of LNCS.…”