Implicações toxicológicas do consumo demasiado de corantes e edulcorantes alimentares: uma revisão integrativa

Abstract

Food additives are widely used by the food industry, in the production of various foods, and among these additives are the coloring agents and sweeteners used to intensify or give the color and sweet taste to foods. The excessive intake of some of these additives has some toxicological implications, which depends on the ingested dose and the time of exposure to the substance. Given these exposed, the present work aimed to identify the toxicological implications arising from the excessive consumption of artificial colors and sweeteners. This research is an integrative literature review and used publications from the last 8 years (2013 to 2021) and for the search of articles (n=94) the descriptors were used, in combination, "food additives", “sweetening agents” and “toxicological risks” in the academic Google, Scielo and Capes journals databases. After applying the screening and inclusion and exclusion criteria, eight papers were eligible. The dyes involved in toxicological implications were: Tartrazine, amaranth and caramel IV that triggerallergenic reactions and, in the long term, mutagenesis. The artificial sweeteners involved were: sodium cyclamate and aspartame, which were reported in the scientific literature as being more involved in toxic reactions such as kidney problems, hypertension and phenylketonuria. Given the evidence that the consumption of artificial coloring and sweeteners can be harmful to health, they should be consumed in moderation and for short periods, and it is also important to include natural foods in the diet to avoid further damage to the consumer's health.