Consumption of non-nutritive sweeteners and prevalence of systemic arterial hypertension in adults and older adults from a capital city in northeast Brazil

ABSTRACT Objective To characterize the consumption of Non-nutritive sweeteners and to verify the association between the intake of these additives and the prevalence of Systemic Arterial Hypertension in adults and the elderly in a Brazilian capital. Methods This was a cross-sectional household and population-based study carried out with 489 individuals aged 20 years and older residents of Teresina, Piauí, Brazil. Complex probabilistic cluster sampling was used. Sociodemographic, economic, lifestyle and diseases diagnosis, such as SAH diagnosis, data were obtained by self-report. Weight, height, waist circumference and blood pressure were measured. Data on food consumption and Non-nutritive sweeteners consumption were obtained using 24-hour dietary recall. The association between the consumption of Non-nutritive sweeteners and the prevalence of Systemic Arterial Hypertension was verified using Poisson regression. Results The most commonly consumed types of Non-nutritive sweeteners were cyclamate and saccharin and the main source of consumption was tabletop sweeteners. The consumption of Non-nutritive sweeteners was well below the Acceptable Daily Intake. Mean systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure were higher in women and men who consumed Non-nutritive sweeteners (p=0.04), respectively. Individuals who consumed Non-nutritive sweeteners had a 36% higher prevalence of Systemic Arterial Hypertension compared to non-consumers (p=0.04), after adjustments. Female consumers of Non-nutritive sweeteners had a 31% higher prevalence of Systemic Arterial Hypertension (No-BreakpNo-Break=0.04). Conclusion The consumption of Non-nutritive sweeteners was positively associated with the prevalence of Systemic Arterial Hypertension. It is therefore important to continue studies investigating the possible health consequences of consuming these substances. RESUMO Objetivo Caracterizar o consumo de adoçantes não nutritivos e verificar a associação entre a ingestão desses aditivos e a prevalência de Hipertensão Arterial Sistêmica em adultos e idosos de uma capital brasileira. Métodos Estudo transversal de base populacional e domiciliar realizado com 489 indivíduos com 20 anos ou mais residentes em Teresina, Piauí, Brasil. Foi utilizada amostragem probabilística complexa por conglomerados. Dados sociodemográficos, econômicos, de estilo de vida e de diagnóstico de doenças, como Hipertensão Arterial Sistêmica, foram autorrelatados. Foram aferidos o peso, a altura, a ci