RESUMO
Background: The consumption of artificial sweeteners has increased in many countries worldwide
In the Arab world, there is little data about consumption pattern of artificial sweeteners especially among university students for their own eating practices and behaviors
Objective[s]: This study aimed to identify the rate of artificial sweetener consumption among Alexandria University students, and to determine its levels in relation to acceptable daily intake [AD I] set by Food and Drug Administration [FDA]
Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out including 400 Alexandria University students of both sexes. The studied sample was equally allocated and randomly selected from four faculties
Data on demographic characteristics, medical history, dietary pattern, and pattern of artificial sweeteners usage were collected from each participant
Results: The consumption of artificial sweeteners was reported by 31% of Alexandria University students
The most commonly consumed types of artificial sweeteners were Sucralose [0.59+/-0.2 mg/kg body weight/day] followed by Aspartame [0.03+/-0.01 mg/kg body weight/day] Daily levels of consumed artificial sweeteners in relation to ADI levels were 11.86+/-4.2% for Sucralose and 0.05+/-0.02% for Aspartame
Conclusion: Daily level of consumed artificial sweeteners by Alexandria University students was less than ADI set by the FDA. Further follow up studies are needed to investigate possible side effects of long term artificial sweeteners usage. Furthermore, large epidemiological studies must be carried out to investigate artificial sweeteners consumption pattern among different age groups