Abstract
International scientific experts in food, nutrition, dietetics, endocrinology, physical activity, paediatrics, nursing, toxicology and public health met in Lisbon on 2-4 July 2017 to develop a Consensus on the use of low- and no-calorie sweeteners (LNCS) as substitutes for sugars and other caloric sweeteners. LNCS are food additives that are broadly used as sugar substitutes to sweeten foods and beverages with the addition of fewer or no calories. They are also used in medicines, health-care products, such as toothpaste, and food supplements. The goal of this Consensus was to provide a useful, evidence-based, point of reference to assist in efforts to reduce free sugars consumption in line with current international public health recommendations. Participating experts in the Lisbon Consensus analysed and evaluated the evidence in relation to the role of LNCS in food safety, their regulation and the nutritional and dietary aspects of their use in foods and beverages. The conclusions of this Consensus were: (1) LNCS are some of the most extensively evaluated dietary constituents, and their safety has been reviewed and confirmed by regulatory bodies globally including the World Health Organisation, the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Food Safety Authority; (2) Consumer education, which is based on the most robust scientific evidence and regulatory processes, on the use of products containing LNCS should be strengthened in a comprehensive and objective way; (3) The use of LNCS in weight reduction programmes that involve replacing caloric sweeteners with LNCS in the context of structured diet plans may favour sustainable weight reduction. Furthermore, their use in diabetes management programmes may contribute to a better glycaemic control in patients, albeit with modest results. LNCS also provide dental health benefits when used in place of free sugars; (4) It is proposed that foods and beverages with LNCS could be included in dietary guidelines as alternative options to products sweetened with free sugars; (5) Continued education of health professionals is required, since they are a key source of information on issues related to food and health for both the general population and patients. With this in mind, the publication of position statements and consensus documents in the academic literature are extremely desirable.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 818 |
| Journal | Nutrients |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue number | 7 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jul 2018 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Funding: This Consensus is the results of the Ibero–American Consensus Meeting on Low-and No-Calorie Sweeteners held in Lisbon, Portugal, 2–4 July 2017, that was supported with funding from the Nutrition Research Foundation (FIN).
Funding Information:
The different organizations and institutions that participated and supported this Consensus are greatly acknowledged. The institutions are: Institutions participating or/and endorsing the Ibero American Consensus on LNCS: Food, Nutrition and Dietetic Societies and Foundations: Academia Española de Nutrición y Ciencias de la Alimentación (AEN), Agencia Española de Protección de la Salud en el Deporte (AEPSAD), Colegio de Nutricionistas Universitarios de Chile A G, Fundación Dieta Atlántica, Federación Española de Sociedades de Nutrición,Alimentación yDietética (FESNAD), Fundación para la InvestigaciónNutricional (FIN), Fundación Española de la Nutrición (FEN), Fundación Iberoamericana de Nutrición (FINUT), International Sweeteners Association (ISA), International Society for Immunonutrition (ISIN), Grupo Latinoamericano de Nutrición Comunitaria (GLANC), Sociedad Andaluza de Endocrinología, Diabetes y Nutrición (SAEDYN), Sociedad Española de Nutrición Comunitaria (SENC), Sociedad Española de Nutrición Parenteral y Enteral (SEMPE), Sociedad Latinoamérica de Gastroenterología, Hepatología y Nutrición Pediátrica (SLAGHNP), Sociedad Peruana de Nutrición (SOPENUT). Medical Societies: Ciencia y Humanismo (ADIPER), Colegio de Medicina Interna de Mexico, Sociedad Mexicana de Cardiología, SociedadMexicana de Nutrición y Endocrinología (SMNE), SociedadMexicana de Pediatría, Sociedad Española de Gastroenterología Hepatología y Nutrición Pediátrica (SEGHNP). Universities: Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Universidad de León, Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, Instituto Universitario de Investigaciones Biomédicas y Sanitarias (IUIBS), Universidad de las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), Hospital Universitario La Paz, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Ulster University, University ofWashington, Center for Public Health Nutrition (UWCPHN). Research Centers Associação Lusófona para o Desenvolvimiento do Ensino e Investigação em Ciências da Saúde (ALIES). Research Center for Biosciences and Health Technologies (CBIOS). Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red, Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBER OBN). Consiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l’analisi dell’economia agraria (CREA). Escola de Ciências e Tecnologias da Saúde (ECTS). Instituto de Investigación hospital Universitario La Paz (IdiPAZ). Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria, Santiago de Compostela (IDIS). Grupo de Investigación en Nutrición, Ejercicio y Estilo de Vida Saludable (imFINE), UPM. Instituto Mexicano de Investigaciones Nefrológicas (IMIN). Scientific consultancy (Intertek). Grupo de investigación en Nutrición y Alimentos Funcionales (Nutrinvest) - Idi-PAZ.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
Keywords
- Added sugars
- Cancer
- Diabetes
- Ibero-American
- Low-calorie sweeteners
- Non-nutritive sweeteners
- Obesity
- Regulation
- Safety
- Sweeteners