A seminar titled "Sugar Substitutes: Understanding the Basics, Global Regulatory Approvals, Safety Assessment Protocols and Benefits" organised by the Nutrition Society of Malaysia was held on 1.5th Apri12015 for nutritionists and other health care professionals, to review and discuss the latest evidence on safety and efficacy of sugar substitutes. Highlights from lectures by local and international speakers about this topical subject are presented in this report. Sugar substitutes have been extensively evaluated for decades and regulatory agencies world-wide continue to review and confirm their safety. Furthermore, the effects of sugar substitutes on human health continue to be the subject of research studies. Many studies have shown that replacement of sugar with sugar substitutes may help in weight management, glucose control for people with diabetes, and in the prevention of tooth decay. It is important for health professionals to discern whether the available evidence is based on good science and adequate protocols in order to guide consumers with the responsible use of sugar substitutes following national and international dietary guidelines. The use of sugar substitutes for certain health outcomes was discussed, specifically in regard to appetite, energy balance, body weight and other cardio-metabolic risk factors. Overall, the seminar provided an understanding of the different types of commercially available sugar substitutes, their use in a range of food and beverages, and calorie contribution to the diet. The seminar also covered the approvals of different sugar substitutes and the protocols for assessing the safety of these sugar substitutes, especially in the case of children and pregnant women.
This paper will present the socioeconomic profile and nutritional status of children aged 1-6 years in the rubber smallholdings of Peninsula Malaysia. A total of 323 households were involved in this study. The sociodemographic data were obtained through interviews with heads of households using a set of questionnaires. Anthropometric measurements were taken from 506 children aged 1-6 years from these households. The weight and height of the children were compared with the reference values of the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) and the nutritional status was classified based on the recommendations of WHO. The average age of the fathers was 39.9+/-8.6 years and 34.4+/-7.0 years for the mothers. The mean household size was 6.67+/-2.27. The majority (49.7%) of the heads of households received 4-6 years of formal education and 7.9% received no formal education. Based on the monthly per capita income, 24.0% were found to be in the hardcore poor category, 38.3% fall into the poor category and 37.7% in the above poverty income group. The prevalence of stunting and underweight among children between the ages of 1-6 years were highest among children from the hardcore poor, followed by the poor category and above the poverty line income group. Wasting was present in all income groups, with a prevalence of 4.2% found among the hardcore poor, 9.4% among the poor group and 8.4% in the above poverty income group. The Pearson Product Moment Correlation showed significant relationships between household total income and height-for-age (r = 0.131, P = 0.05) and weight-for-age (r = 0.127, P = 0.05). There were also significant correlations between monthly per capita income with height-for-age (r = 0.16, P < 0.01) and weight-for-age (r = 0.13, P < 0.05). The acreage of land utilised was correlated with height-for-age (r = 0.11, P < 0.05), weight-for-age (r = 0.17, P < 0.05) and weight-for-height (r = 0.16, P < 0.05). However, stepwise multiple regression analysis indicated that the predictor of height-for-age was monthly per capita income (R2 = 0.03, P < 0.01) and acreage of land utilised was a predictor for weight-for-age (R2 = 0.03, P < 0.01) and weight-for-height (R2 = 0.01, P < 0.01). Because income and acreage of land utilised have been shown to be associated with nutritional status, it is recommended that intervention programs that focus on generation of income and diversification of land utilisation should be undertaken. A multidiscipline approach involving the family, community and government agencies should be applied to any type of intervention program.