Ibero⁻American Consensus on Low- and No-Calorie Sweeteners: Safety, Nutritional Aspects and Benefits in Food and Beverages.

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.

THAO-CHILD HEALTH PROGRAMME: COMMUNITY BASED INTERVENTION FOR HEALTHY LIFESTYLES PROMOTION TO CHILDREN AND FAMILIES: RESULTS OF A COHORT STUDY.

INTRODUCTION: childhood obesity is one of the main public health concerns. The multifactorial and multilevel causes require complex interventions such the community based interventions (CBI). Thao-Child Health Programme is a CBI implemented in Spain since 2007. GOAL: show the Thao methodology and the latest cross-sectional and longitudinal results. METHODS: longitudinal cohort study (4 years of follow- up) and cross sectional study. RESULTS: the longitudinal study found an increase of 1% in the overweight prevalence after a follow-up of 4 years of Thao-Programme implementation in 10 municipalities with 6 697 children involved. The cross-sectional study carried out with 20 636 children from 22 municipalities found a childhood overweight prevalence of 26.6%. DISCUSSION: currently a brake in the increase of childhood overweight prevalence is considered a success due to the high prevalence worldwide. More studies well methodologically performed are needed to know the efficacy of the CBI's in this field.

Introducción: la obesidad infantil es una de las principales preocupaciones de salud pública. La etiología multifactorial y multinivel requiere de intervenciones complejas como las intervenciones de base comunitaria (CBI). El Programa Thao-Salud Infantil es una CBI implementada en España desde 2007. Objetivo: mostrar la metodología Thao y los últimos resultados transversales y longitudinales. Métodos: estudio de cohortes longitudinal (4 años de seguimiento) y estudio transversal. Resultados: el estudio longitudinal encontró un incremento del 1% en la prevalencia de exceso de peso tras 4 años de implementación del Programa Thao en 10 municipios con 6.697 niños y niñas involucrados. El estudio transversal llevado a cabo con 20.636 niños y niñas de 22 municipios encontró una prevalencia de exceso de peso infantil del 26,6%. Discusión: actualmente un freno en el incremento de la prevalencia de exceso de peso infantil es considerado como un éxito debido a la alta prevalencia a nivel mundial. Son necesarios más estudios metodológicamente bien realizados para conocer la eficacia de las CBI en este campo.