POTENTIAL INTAKE OF INTENSE SWEETENERS IN BRAZIL

A survey of intense sweetener intakes was carried out in the winter of 1990 and summer of 1991 in Brazil. Data on the potential intake of th e intense sweeteners aspartame, cyclamate and saccharin were generated , based on a representative sample of 673 individuals who completed a questionnaire designed to collect information on demographic details a nd habitual usage of sweetener-containing food and drinks. The respond ents were randomly chosen among intense sweetener consumers living in the cities of Campinas, Sao Paulo and Curitiba, Parana. Potential dail y intakes by individuals were calculated for each sweetener by combini ng each person's consumption of sweetener-containing food and beverage s with information generated by the determination of the concentration s of the sweeteners used in these products. The data showed that 72% o f the studied population consumed saccharin, 67% cyclamate and 40% asp artame. The main reasons alleged for the use of intense sweeteners wer e weight-control diet (36%), diabetes (35%) and weight loss (23%). Tab le-top sweeteners were the major source of sweeteners, followed by sof t drinks. The median daily intake of aspartame, cyclamate and sacchari n represented approximately 2.9, 15.5, and 16.4% of the corresponding ADI, respectively. Diabetics in general had a much higher intake withi n the studied population.