Edulcorantes no nutritivos, riesgos, apetito y ganancia de peso / Non-nutritive sweeteners risks, appetite and weight gain

Artificial sweeteners are substances that provide energy and are added to foods to provide sweetness, increasing the pleasure of eating. The aim of the following review is to report on the current literature regarding artificial sweeteners, risks related to consumption, and possible effects on appetite and weight gain. Since the introduction of the artificial sweeteners, the media have reported the potential risks of cancer, which has undermined the sense of public safety. The role of sweeteners on cancer risk has been widely debated in recent decades. Recent studies indicate no adverse effects on the consumption of saccharin, aspartame, acesulfame k and other sweeteners. This includes data on cancers of the stomach, pancreas and endometrium. Today many artificial sweeteners are combined in current products, the carcinogenic risk of a single substance is difficult to assess. Consumption of sweet flavors in the absence of calories produced significantly different effects compared to the consumption of sweet flavors associated with calories, and over time these effects may contribute to a positive energy balance and increased body weight gain.

Los edulcorantes artificiales son sustancias que no aportan energía y que se agregan a los alimentos para proporcionarles un sabor dulce, incrementando el placer por comer. El objetivo fue revisar la literatura sobre el estado del arte de los edulcorantes artificiales, riesgos de su consumo, posibles efectos en el apetito y ganancia de peso. Desde su introducción, los medios de comunicación han informado sobre los riesgos potenciales de cáncer, lo que ha contribuido a socavar el sentido de la opinión pública de la seguridad. El papel de los edulcorantes en el riesgo de cáncer ha sido ampliamente debatido durante las últimas décadas. Recientes estudios no muestran efectos adversos sobre el consumo de sacarina, aspartame, acesulfamo k y otros edulcorantes, incluyendo datos sobre los cánceres de estómago, páncreas y endometrio. Actualmente muchos edulcorantes artificiales se combinan en los productos actuales, el riesgo cancerígeno de una sustancia única es difícil de evaluar. El consumo de los sabores dulces en la ausencia de calorías produce efectos significativamente diferentes en comparación con el consumo de los sabores dulces asociados con las calorías, y con el tiempo estos efectos pueden contribuir a un balance energético positivo y al aumento de aumento de peso corporal.

Niveles de ingesta diaria de edulcorantes no nutritivos en escolares de la región de Valparaíso / Daily consumption levels of non-nutritive sweeteners in school age children from the Valparaiso region

Introduction: Artificial sweeteners are substances that do not provide energy and are added to foods to provide a sweet taste. Sweeteners are used to replace sugar either in part or entirely. Objective: To determine the consumption of artificial sweeteners in school children 6 to 14 years of age in the Valparaiso Region of Chile and to compare consumption according to nutritional status. Methods: 281 students of both sexes underwent anthropometric assessment (weight and height) and completed a food survey on the consumption of sweeteners. Results: 100% of students consume foods or products containing artificial sweeteners, although no student consumed more than the maximum allowed. When comparing by nutritional status, obese children, compared to those with normal weight had a higher consumption of sucralose, aspartame, saccharin and acesulfame potassium (p <0.05). Conclusion: The intake of sweeteners is massive, but consumption does not exceed permitted levels in this study sample.

Introducción: Los edulcorantes artificiales son sustancias que no aportan energía y que se agregan a los alimentos para proporcionarles un sabor dulce. Se emplean para reemplazar total o parcialmente el azúcar. Objetivo: Determinar el consumo de edulcorantes artificiales en escolares de 6 a 14 años de la región de Valparaíso y comparar su consumo según su estado nutricional. Métodos: A 281 estudiantes de ambos sexos se les realizó una evaluación antropométrica (peso y talla) y una encuesta alimentaria sobre consumo de edulcorantes. Resultados: El 100% de los estudiantes consumió alimentos o productos con contenido de edulcorantes, aunque ninguno de ellos sobre la dosis máxima admitida. Al comparar por estado nutricional, los estudiantes con obesidad presentaron una mayor consumo de sucralosa, aspartamo, sacarina y acesulfamo de potasio (p<0.05). Conclusión: La ingesta de edulcorantes es masiva, pero su consumo no sobrepasa los niveles permitidos por el Reglamento Sanitario de los Alimentos en la muestra estudiada.

[Value of a clinical test for assessing physical activity in children]. / Valor de un test clínico para evaluar actividad física en niños.

BACKGROUND: An appropriate measurement of physical activity (PA) in children is useful, since inactivity is associated to obesity, cardiovascular and metabolic risk. AIM: To assess the reliability of the INTA questionnaire of PA, to compare the derived PA score with accelerometry and to assess its ability to identify excessively inactive children. MATERIAL AND METHODS: One hundred eighty children aged 8 to 13 years answered an interviewer-administered questionnaire about their usual PA, consisting in 5 items (recumbent, seated, walking, playing outdoor, sports). The answers were converted to a PA score with a 0-10 points scale. Reliability was tested in 87 children by test/retest conducted 3-5 days apart. The PA score was compared with 3-day accelerometry in 77 of 93 children (35 obese and 42 non obese). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to determine the optimal cut-point for identify an excessively sedentary child. RESULTS: The test/retest reliability of the questionnaire was 0.69 to 0.93 (Lin coefficient). Accelerometry was significantly associated with PA score (RHO: 0.60, p =0.008), outdoor plays (RHO: 0.37, p =0.0009) and practicing of sports (RHO: 0.33, p =0.003). Obese children were less active than non obese children, according both to PA score and to accelerometry. The optimal cut-point for classifying a child as too sedentary was a score of 5 (sensitivity =0.89). CONCLUSIONS: The INTA-test is a valuable instrument for measuring usual PA in clinical practice and is easy to administer.

Valor de un test clínico para evaluar actividad física en niños / Value of a clinical test for assessing physical activity in children

Background: An appropriate measurement of physical activity (PA) in children is useful, since inactivity is associated to obesity, cardiovascular and metabolic risk. Aim: To assess the reliability of the INTA questionnaire of PA, to compare the derived PA score with accelerometry and to assess its ability to identify excessively inactive children. Material and methods: One hundred eighty children aged 8 to 13 years answered an interviewer-administered questionnaire about their usual PA, consisting in 5 items (recumbent, seated, walking, playing outdoor, sports). The answers were converted to a PA score with a 0-10 points scale. Reliability was tested in 87 children by test/retest conducted 3-5 days apart. The PA score was compared with 3-day accelerometry in 77 of 93 children (35 obese and 42 non obese). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to determine the optimal cut-point for identify an excessively sedentary child. Results: The test/retest reliability of the questionnaire was 0.69 to 0.93 (Lin coefficient). Accelerometry was significantly associated with PA score (RHO: 0.60, p =0.008), outdoor plays (RHO: 0.37, p =0.0009) and practicing of sports (RHO: 0.33, p =0.003). Obese children were less active than non obese children, according both to PA score and to accelerometry. The optimal cut-point for classifying a child as too sedentary was a score of 5 (sensitivity =0.89). Conclusions: The INTA-test is a valuable instrument for measuring usual PA in clinical practice and is easy to administer.