Intake of artificial sweeteners by children in the Netherlands

The intake of artificial sweeteners by young Dutch children has been estimated and checked against the acceptable daily intake (ADI). An ADI is the quantity of a  food additive, expressed in milligrams per kilogram body weight, that can be ingested daily over a whole life span without causing additional health risks. 
 
We studied most sweeteners in use, including acesulfame K (E950), aspartame (E951), cyclamate (E952), saccharin (E954) and  sucralose (E955). In the Netherlands almost all children aged between two to six are exposed to artificial sweeteners. The assessment shows that for the sweeteners tested the ADIs were not exceeded. In the light of the increasing trend to add sweeteners to foods and drinks, it is important that the intake of artificial sweeteners is regularly monitored. Children are often simultaneously exposed to a number of different sweeteners, and interaction cannot then be ruled out. Safeguards provided by individual ADIs are then not necessarily valid when combinations of sweeteners are involved. Further study is required into the effects of combinations of artificial sweeteners.