The consumption of drinks and foods with sweeteners that are low in calories has risen by 200 percent between 1999 and 2012 in US children, a new study has found.

Highlights

• Consumption of beverages and foods with sweeteners that are low in calories
• It has been up by 200 percent between 1999 and 2012 among US children
• Published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

Consumption of food and drinks: Sugars containing low-calorie sweeteners have been up by 200 percent between 1999 and 2012 in US children, a new report has warned. About 41 percent of adults from the US also reported eating Food items and drinks and beverages that contain low-calorie sweeteners (LCS) representing an increase of 54 percent in adults between 1999 and 2012. “Just 8.7 per cent of kids reported consuming low-calorie sweeteners in 1999 and thirteen years later that number had risen to 25.1 per cent,” said Allison Sylvetsky, assistant professor at the George Washington University in the US. Powered By 

“Kids are not the only ones affected by this trend. A growing number of adults are drinking low-calorie sweeteners diet soft drinks, as well as in various foods and snack products,” said Sylvetsky. “The research findings are significant particularly for children since certain studies suggest a connection between sweeteners with low calories with diabetes, obesity and other health problems,” Sylvetsky added. Low-calorie sweeteners are frequently used instead of added sugars like sucrose or high-fructose sugars like corn syrup. This investigation is the first study to study the use of low-calorie sweeteners in food, drinks, and packets based on the most up-to-date data from the US population. It shows an astonishing rise in LCS consumption in the US Children and teens, said Sylvetsky. The researchers conducted a cross-sectional study using data from nearly 17,000 men, women, and children included in the US National Health and Nutrition Evaluation Survey (NHANES) from 2009 to 2012. They compared the findings to their prior analysis using data from 1999-2008. Researchers used the survey results from two dietary interviews where people recalled the foods they consumed or drank in the previous 24-hour. The study revealed that of the people who had reported drinking low-calorie sweeteners, 44 percent of adultsadults and 20 percent of children consumed them more than once per day. It was also discovered that 17 percent of adults drank a food or beverage sweetened by these sweeteners three times per day or more. The probability of using sweeteners that are low in calories increased with the adult body mass index (BMI), which is an indicator of obesity. The rate of increase was higher, scientists found. The number of people who were obese increased, researchers found. They discovered that 19 percent of people with obesity, as compared to 13 percent of normal-weight adults, utilized LCS products three times per day or more. About 70% of LCS consumption was at home, and the study suggests that even children, as young as two, drink or eat LCS sweetened beverages or beverages. The report was released in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. (This report has not been modified by NDTV staff, and it is generated automatically from an unsyndicated feed.)