Edulcorantes

FROM THE ACADEMY
Position Paper

Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics:
Use of Nutritive and Nonnutritive Sweeteners
ABSTRACT
It is the position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics that consumers can safely
enjoy a range of nutritive sweeteners and nonnutritive sweeteners (NNS) when consumed within an eating plan that is guided by current federal nutritionrecommendations, such as the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the Dietary Reference Intakes, as
well as individual health goals and personal preference. A preference for sweet taste is
innate and sweeteners can increase the pleasure of eating. Nutritive sweeteners contain
carbohydrate and provide energy. They occur naturally in foods or may be added in food
processing or by consumers before consumption.Higher intake of added sugars is associated with higher energy intake and lower diet quality, which can increase the risk for
obesity, prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. On average, adults in
the United States consume 14.6% of energy from added sugars. Polyols (also referred to
as sugar alcohols) add sweetness with less energy and may reduce risk for dental caries.Foods containing polyols and/or no added sugars can, within food labeling guidelines, be
labeled as sugar-free. NNS are those that sweeten with minimal or no carbohydrate or
energy. They are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration as food additives or
generally recognized as safe. The Food and Drug Administration approval process includes determination of probable intake, cumulative effectfrom all uses, and toxicology
studies in animals. Seven NNS are approved for use in the United States: acesulfame K,
aspartame, luo han guo fruit extract, neotame, saccharin, stevia, and sucralose. They
have different functional properties that may affect perceived taste or use in different
food applications. All NNS approved for use in the United States are determined to be
safe.

POSITIONSTATEMENT
It is the position of the Academy of Nutrition
and Dietetics that consumers can safely enjoy a range of nutritive and nonnutritive
sweeteners when consumed within an eating plan that is guided by current federal
nutrition recommendations, such as the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the Dietary Reference Intakes, as well as individual
health goals and personal preference.

JAcad Nutr Diet. 2012;112:739-758.

S

WEETENERS CAN BE GROUPED IN
various ways. For the purpose of this article sweeteners will be grouped as
nutritive and nonnutritive. Nutritive
sweeteners contain carbohydrate and
provide energy; they may be further
classified into monosaccharides or disaccharides, which impart 4 kcal/g, or
sugar alcohols (polyols), which provide
an average of 2 kcal/g(1). Different
terms are used to refer to nutritive
sweeteners, including sugars, sugar, caloric sweeteners, and added sugars. Sugars occur naturally (intrinsic) in all
fruit, vegetables, and dairy foods or are
added (extrinsic) to foods during processing, or in preparation for consumption by an individual (2).
Sugars commonly found in foods include:
2212-2672/$36.00
doi:10.1016/j.jand.2012.03.009
© 2012 by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

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Glucose A monosaccharide and
the primary source of energy for
body cells.
Fructose A monosaccharide
found in fruit, honey, and some
vegetables. In nature, it is linked
with glucose as the disaccharide
sucrose. Fructose may be used as
a nutritive sweetener.
Galactose A monosaccharide
that occurs indairy products and
some plants.
Sucrose A disaccharide that occurs naturally in fruit and vegetables. It is composed of approximately equal parts glucose and
fructose and is used as a nutritive
sweetener and for its other functional properties.
Maltose A disaccharide composed of two glucose units; it is
found in molasses and is used for
fermentation.
Corn-based sweetener Refers to
many...