Abstract
Data are lacking on whether non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) can be used as a strategy to support decreases in sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption. The purpose of this secondary analysis of a 6-month SSB-reduction intervention was to explore changes in NNS consumption patterns in Talking Health participants within the SIPsmartER (n = 101) intervention. Additionally, participant characteristics were compared for three SSB-NNS change groups (decrease SSB/increase NNS; decrease SSB/no increase in NNS; increase/no change in SSB/regardless of NNS). There was a significant increase in aspartame and total NNS intake for participants (mean daily mg increases of 37.2 ± 13.9 and 63.7 ± 18.5, respectively). With the exception of sex, no differences in participant characteristics were found between the three SSB-NNS change groups. Furthermore, no significant changes in weight or body mass index (BMI) were demonstrated between SSB-NNS change groups over time. Diet soda was the most commonly consumed source of NNS; however, other dietary sources of NNS also contributed to intake. At 6 months, intake of sucralose and saccharin were primarily from dietary sources other than diet sodas (94% and 100%, respectively). These findings suggest that NNS may be a feasible strategy to help reduce SSB consumption. This study supports the need to consistently quantify and identify NNS intake, beyond using diet soda intake as a proxy for NNS intake and grouping all NNS types into one variable, to more accurately address the potential health effects of NNS.
Highlights
The overconsumption of added sugars in the United States is widespread, with only 42% of Americans, 2 years of age and older, meeting the recommendation of less than 10% of daily calories from added sugars set by the 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans [1]
These results show that many other dietary sources of nutritive sweeteners (NNS), in addition to diet sodas, are being consumed
Products sweetened with NNS are a potential alternative, but research on the effects of NNS on humans is limited
Summary
The overconsumption of added sugars in the United States is widespread, with only 42% of Americans, 2 years of age and older, meeting the recommendation of less than 10% of daily calories from added sugars set by the 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans [1]. In addition to its relationship with obesity, excessive consumption of added sugars is linked to multiple health outcomes such as diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and some forms of cancer [2]. Due to the adverse effects of added sugars on health and their widespread consumption, public health advocates have searched for methods to reduce consumption. One suggested method is the replacement of added sugars in food and beverage products with non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS), more commonly known as artificial sweeteners. Half (40−50%) of added sugars in the American diet can be attributed to the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) [3]. NNS are commonly used in diet sodas as Nutrients 2020, 12, 3428; doi:10.3390/nu12113428 www.mdpi.com/journal/nutrients
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