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- Examining the relationship between sugar content, packaging features, and food claims of breakfast cerealsPublication . Prada, Marília; Saraiva, Magda; Viegas, Cláudia; Cavalheiro, Bernardo; Garrido, MargaridaExcessive free-sugar intake has become highly prevalent in numerous countries, and Portugal is not the exception. One product category that contributes to the daily intake of free sugars is breakfast cereals. In the current work, we identified 289 exemplars from two major retailers in Portugal and collected information on their nutritional profile (e.g., sugar, salt, fiber per 100 g), price, packaging features, type of food claims present (e.g., statements about the composition, sensory features, the origin of the product), and ingredients list. Overall, the sugar content of breakfast cereals was high (Mean = 19.9 g), and less than 10% of the products complied with the current national guidelines (i.e., 5 g of sugar per 100 g of product). Sugar (or other sugar sources) was listed in the top three ingredients for over 85% of the products. On average, each product included about four claims (Mean = 3.9), and sugar content was lower when the claims were related to the product composition. Critically, the sugar content was particularly high for children-oriented products (Mean = 26.4 g). Correlation analysis showed that breakfast cereals with higher sugar content also were cheaper and had lower quantities of fiber, proteins, and salt. Our findings suggest the need to implement strategies to reduce sugar in this product category (e.g., incentivize manufacturers to reformulate products). Also, our results may inform strategies aimed at promoting consumers' awareness about the sugar content in breakfast cereals and other processed foods, facilitating healthier decision-making.
- Total sugar intake significantly associated with systolic blood pressure in small sample populationPublication . Pessoa, L.; Viegas, Cláudia; Rodrigues, P. O.; Bandarra, N. M.; Bispo, P.Background: Hypertension contributes to 45% of all deaths from heart disease and up to 51% of deaths from strokes. Dietary factors, such as sodium (Naþ) and potassium (Kþ) can play a role, but recent studies have also highlighted the importance of sugar intake on blood pressure. Very few studies have evaluated the impact of these factors and their ratio on cardiometabolic biomarkers. This study aims to assess the impact of dietary sugar intake, Naþ, Kþ, and NAþ/Kþ ratio on hypertension, and cardiometabolic biomarkers. Methods: Fasting venous blood was collected to measure glucose, triacylglycerols (TAG), total cholesterol, HDL-c, ApoA1, ApoB, or hs-CRP, with enzymatic and turbidimetric techniques, and oxidized LDL by ELISA, and IL-6 and TNFa by Luminex system, the latter’s in a subset sample. Blood pressure (SBP, DBP, and HR) was measured at least twice with an automatic recorder. Dietary intake was obtained using semi-quantitative FFQ, comprising 82 items, and reported to the previous year. Data was analysed using R software through descriptive analysis and partial correlations adjusted to the participant’s BMI. A significant level of 0.05 was used. Results: 78 participants, aged from 19 to 80 years old (M¼48,5±13,5) were evaluated, with 47% taking hypertensive medication. BMI ranged from 19,7 to 41,1 Kg/m2 (M¼29,2±5,4). The average intake of Naþ, Kþ, and NAþ/Kþ ratio were 3805±1397 mg, 3980±1300 mg, and 1.65±0,38, respectively. Total mean sugar intake (% energy) represents 21,4%. No significant correlation was found between Naþ or Kþ with SBP, HR, and the cardiometabolic biomarkers (p>0.05). A positive correlation was found between % sugar intake and SBP (rs¼0,29, p<0,05), which remains significant after adjusting for BMI, and a positive correlation, in the borderline of significance, with TAG (rs¼0,23, p¼0,0561). Conclusions: Nþ, Kþ and their ratio do not associate with SBP, HR and cardiometabolic biomarkers. However, % of sugar intake is positively associated with SBP.
- Relationship between objective and perceived sugar content on consumers perceptions about breakfast cerealsPublication . Prada, Marília; Saraiva, Magda; Viegas, Cláudia; Cavalheiro, Bernardo P.; Garrido, Margarida VazIn Portugal, about one-fourth of the adult population exceeds the recommended daily amount of free sugars intake. This excessive consumption may be due to a lack of awareness of the sugar content of commonly available processed products. In two studies, we explored this assumption by asking participants (convenient samples) to evaluate the sugar content of breakfast cereals based on the front-of-packaging images and analyzed the correspondence between subjective and objective sugar content. In Study 1 (n = 90), all the exemplars were high in sugar, whereas in Study 2 (n = 85), exemplars contained low, moderate, or high sugar content. Study 1 revealed that participants accurately perceived all exemplars as containing high sugar. Study 2 showed that participants were able to distinguish between different levels of sugar content, which impacted how they evaluated the products in other dimensions. Specifically, besides being rated as having more sugar, products with objective high (vs. moderate or low) sugar content were perceived as tastier, as having more fat and calories, but also as less healthful. Notably, participants who perceived the exemplars as containing more sugar also reported using nutritional information more often and consuming these products less frequently. These findings suggest that awareness of products' sugar content may not be sufficient to address the problem of excessive sugar intake. Intervention should also focus on building up consumers' knowledge about sugar intake guidelines and its negative health outcomes.