Total and Added Sugar Intake: Assessment in Eight Latin American Countries

Abstract

Non-communicable diseases are growing at an alarming rate in Latin America. We assessed total and added sugar intake in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela, to verify the adequacy of the World Health Organization’s recommendations, considering gender, socioeconomic level (SEL) and age. A total of 9218 non-institutionalized individuals living in urban areas (age range 15–65 years) were assessed in the Latin American Study of Nutrition and Health (ELANS), a multicenter household population-based cross-sectional survey. Socio-demographic data were collected. Total and added sugar intakes were measured using two non-consecutive 24-h dietary recalls. The prevalence of excessive sugar intake was estimated. A large proportion of individuals showed high consumption of total and added sugar intake, which reflected in the high prevalence of excessive sugar intake. With minimal differences across countries, in general, women, individuals with high SEL, and younger people had higher percentages of total energy intake from total and added sugar intake, and of contribution of carbohydrates from total and added sugars. Thus, there is high consumption of total and added sugar intake in the Latin American countries with some peculiarities considering socio-demographic variables, which should be considered in each country’s health intervention proposals.

Total and added sugars consumption in Argentina: Their contribution to daily energy intake. Results from Latin American Study of Nutrition and Health (ELANS)

“…In North America, this number increases to between 10 and 14% of the total calorie intake . Recently, the first data on dietary intake were published for eight countries in Latin America, showing that mean AS intake in these countries accounted for 13.2%TE consumption . In the present study, we confirmed that, in Argentina, the intake of AS exceeded the current recommendations, accounting for a mean of 15.9%TE intake, which is twice the amount consumed in countries such as Spain…”

“…Unlike in Spain, where only adolescents reach 10% of total daily calories from AS, in Argentina, all age groups exceeded this cut‐off point. In Latin America, a similar trend towards a decrease in AS intake (and %TE) with increasing age was found, with a mean of 13.9%TE intake of AS in adolescents, against 12.1% in older adults . Data from the USA has shown a linear decrease in calorie intake from AS with age, both in men and women.…”

“…The %TE from AS increased linearly with the SEL among the countries evaluated by ELANS, and only in Argentina was an inverse relationship observed . Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in the USA (2005–2010) also showed the same trend .…”

“…Recently, the Latin American Study of Nutrition and Health (ELANS) published the regional results for sugars intake in eight countries in the region, varying between 18.7 and 21.1%TE intake for TS and between 10.3 and 16.4%TE for AS. Sugars intake in Argentina was found to be the highest in the study …”

“…Sugars intake in Argentina was found to be the highest in the study. 6 The main aim of the present study was to determine, for the first time, the intake of TS and AS of the Argentine population based on the Argentinean data that are part of the ELANS study. Secondary aims were to: (i) stratify the sugar content of the Argentine diet by gender, age, region of the country and socioeconomic level and (ii) present, in a stratified manner, the percentages of the Argentinean population who meet the criteria for maximum FS intake recommended by the WHO.…”