Low-Calorie Sweeteners in Foods, Beverages, and Food and Beverage Additions: NHANES 2007–2012

BACKGROUND: Most publications about low-calorie sweeteners (LCSs) focus on person-level intake prevalence. OBJECTIVE: We assessed LCS distribution in foods, beverages, and food and beverage additions (FBAs), e.g., mayonnaise, in the US adult diet as reported in the NHANES (2007-2012). METHODS: Dietary items reported in the first 24-h recall were coded for LCS and/or nutritive sweeteners (NSs) with the use of USDA What We Eat in America food files. We calculated the number of times items were reported and LCS/NS content. RESULTS: Of reported items, 56.1% were foods, 29.1% were beverages, and 14.8% were FBAs. LCS was contained in 0.7% of foods, 8.1% of beverages, and 10.4% of FBAs. This food-level analysis identified FBAs as a significant source of LCSs in the US diet. CONCLUSION: Identifying the diversity of LCS and NS sources will enhance exposure classification for examining diet and health relations, including body weight management.