Background: Consumption of low-calorie sweeteners (LCS) has increased in the US and is associated with cardiometabolic risk. No data exist on LCS consumption in South Asians.
Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of LCS use across socio-demographic characteristics, chronic disease status, and cardiometabolic risk factors.
Methods: Cross-sectional analyses were conducted using data from the Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America study (N = 892; 47% women; mean age = 55 (standard deviation = 9.4) y). Chi-squared and ANOVA tests were used to compare LCS consumption across socio-demographic characteristics and cardiometabolic risk factors.
Results: Twenty-two percent of participants reported LCS use, with higher consumption among men and those with longer residency in the US. LCS use was associated with adiposity and higher odds of hypertension, high cholesterol, and diabetes.
Conclusions: LCS use is prevalent among South Asians, emphasizing the need for long-term, prospective studies to investigate its role in incident cardiometabolic risk in an already metabolically vulnerable population.
Keywords: Low-calorie sweetener; South Asian; adiposity; metabolic risk; non-nutritive sweetener.