Abstract The effects of non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) on the gut microbiota are an area of increasing research interest due to their potential influence on weight gain, insulin resistance, and inflammation. Studies have shown that mice and rats fed saccharin develop weight gain and metabolic alterations, possibly related to changes in gut microbiota. Here, we hypothesized that chronic exposure to a commercial NNS would change the gut microbiota composition in Wistar rats when compared to sucrose exposure. To test this hypothesis, Wistar rats were fed either NNS- or sucrose-supplemented yogurt for 17 weeks alongside standard chow (ad libitum). The gut microbiome was assessed by 16S rDNA deep sequencing. Assembly and quantification were conducted using the Brazilian Microbiome Project pipeline for Ion Torrent data with modifications. Statistical analyses were performed in the R software environment. We found that chronic feeding of a commercial NNS-sweetened yogurt to Wistar rats, within the recommended dose range, did not significantly modify gut microbiota composition in comparison to sucrose-sweetened yogurt. Our findings do not support the hypothesis that moderate exposure to NNS is associated with changes in gut microbiota pattern compared to sucrose, at least in this experimental model.

INTRODUÇÃO: A nutrição desempenha papel fundamental nas doenças renais. A recomendação nutricional deve ofertar uma dieta hiperproteica, adequada em energia e fósforo segundo o Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (K/DOQI). É necessário controlar e/ou prevenir as complicações da Doença Renal Crônica (DRC), pois ela impõe desafios clínicos diretamente ligados ao estado nutricional. OBJETIVO: Investigar as associações entre a ingestão energética, proteica e de fósforo em pacientes em hemodiálise (HD). PACIENTES E MÉTODOS: Estudo observacional envolvendo 72 pacientes em HD, em dois hospitais de Porto Alegre/RS/Brasil. Foram coletados dados referentes ao perfil antropométrico (peso, altura e índice de massa corporal - IMC) e do registro alimentar de três dias (ingestão de energia, proteína e fósforo). O teste de correlação de Spearman foi utilizado para avaliar as associações entre as variáveis do registro alimentar (p < 0,05). RESULTADOS: A ingestão energética, proteica e de fósforo foi, respectivamente, de: 28 ± 10,0 kcal/kg, 1,1 ± 0,4 g ptn/kg, 958 ± 374 mg/dia, estando os níveis de energia e proteína abaixo das recomendações do K/DOQI. Observou-se correlação positiva forte entre as variáveis. DISCUSSÃO: O perfil no tratamento nutricional é fundamental, pois houve correlações entre os nutrientes. É importante salientar que as recomendações do K/DOQI não conseguem ser atingidas pelos pacientes. CONCLUSÃO: Há associação positiva entre a ingestão de energia, proteína e fósforo na alimentação de pacientes em HD. O controle desses nutrientes na dieta é essencial, pois auxilia no controle das complicações relacionadas com a DRC. Assim, a avaliação nutricional é importante nas unidades de diálise para definir o perfil dietético dos pacientes e que seja feito o ajuste de suas prescrições.

INTRODUCTION: Nutrition plays an important role in kidney disease. The nutritional recommendation is to offer a high-protein diet, adequate in energy and phosphorus according to the Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (K/DOQI) guidelines. Control and/or prevention of the complications of chronic kidney disease (CKD) are essential, because CKD poses clinical challenges directly related to the nutritional status. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the possible associations between energy, protein, and phosphorus intakes in hemodialysis (HD) patients. METHODS: Observational study involving 72 HD patients from two hospitals in the city of Porto Alegre, Brazil. Anthropometric data [weight, height, body mass index (IMB)] were collected and three-day food intake (daily energy, protein, and phosphorus intakes) was recorded. Spearman correlation was used to evaluate associations between food intake variables (p < 0.05). RESULTS: The energy, protein, and phosphorus intakes were 28 ± 10 kcal/kg/day, 1,1 ± 0.4 g protein/kg, and 958 ± 374 mg/day, respectively, and the first two were below the K/DOQUI recommendations. A strong positive correlation was observed between the variables. DISCUSSION: Assessing the nutritional profile is essential, because correlations between nutrients occur. It is worth emphasizing that the K/DOQI guidelines are not met by the patients. CONCLUSION: A positive association between the intakes of energy, protein, and phosphorus is observed in the diet of HD patients. The dietary control of these nutrients is essential to manage CKD complications. Therefore, nutritional evaluation in dialysis units is crucial to define the dietary profile of patients and to adjust their prescriptions.