Review of the nutritional benefits and risks related to intense sweeteners.

BACKGROUND: The intense sweeteners currently authorised in Europe comprise ten compounds of various chemical natures. Their overall use has sharply risen in the last 20 years. These compounds are mainly used to formulate reduced-calorie products while maintaining sweetness. METHODS: This extensive analysis of the literature reviews the data currently available on the potential nutritional benefits and risks related to the consumption of products containing intense sweeteners. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Regarding nutritional benefits, the available studies, while numerous, do not provide proof that the consumption of artificial sweeteners as sugar substitutes is beneficial in terms of weight management, blood glucose regulation in diabetic subjects or the incidence of type 2 diabetes. Regarding nutritional risks (incidence of type 2 diabetes, habituation to sweetness in adults, cancers, etc.), it is not possible based on the available data to establish a link between the occurrence of these risks and the consumption of artificial sweeteners. However, some studies underline the need to improve knowledge of the links between intense sweeteners consumption and certain risks

Review of the nutritional benefits and risks related to intense sweeteners

Unfortunately, the original version of this article [1] contained an error. The author’s names were included incorrectly, the surnames were presented before the forename: Bruyère Olivier, Ahmed H. Serge, Atlan Catherine, Belegaud Jacques, Bortolotti Murielle, Canivenc-Lavier Marie-Chantal, Charrière Sybil, Girardet Jean-Philippe, Houdart Sabine, Kalonji Esther, Nadaud Perrine, Rajas Fabienne, Slama Gérard and Margaritis Irène The author list has been corrected in the original article and is also included correctly below: Olivier Bruyère, Serge H. Ahmed, Catherine Atlan, Jacques Belegaud, Murielle Bortolotti, Marie-Chantal Canivenc-Lavier, Sybil Charrière, Jean-Philippe Girardet, Sabine Houdart, Esther Kalonji, Perrine Nadaud, Fabienne Rajas, Gérard Slama, Irène Margaritis (NB: erratum 1 p. doi: in volume 73, 49, published 23 October 2015, (eCollection 2015, PMID: 26500771, PMCID: PMC4619575))International audienceBackground : The intense sweeteners currently authorised in Europe comprise ten compounds of various chemical natures. Their overall use has sharply risen in the last 20 years. These compounds are mainly used to formulate reduced-calorie products while maintaining sweetness.Methods : This extensive analysis of the literature reviews the data currently available on the potential nutritional benefits and risks related to the consumption of products containing intense sweeteners.Results and Conclusions : Regarding nutritional benefits, the available studies, while numerous, do not provide proof that the consumption of artificial sweeteners as sugar substitutes is beneficial in terms of weight management, blood glucose regulation in diabetic subjects or the incidence of type 2 diabetes. Regarding nutritional risks (incidence of type 2 diabetes, habituation to sweetness in adults, cancers, etc.), it is not possible based on the available data to establish a link between the occurrence of these risks and the consumption of artificial sweeteners. However, some studies underline the need to improve knowledge of the links between intense sweeteners consumption and certain risks

Bluetongue in Belgium, 2006

Bluetongue has emerged recently in Belgium. A bluetongue virus strain was isolated and characterized as serotype 8. Two new real-time reverse transcription–quantitative PCRs (RT-qPCRs) that amplified 2 different segments of bluetongue virus detected this exotic strain. These 2 RT-qPCRs detected infection earlier than a competitive ELISA for antibody detection

Coexistence et confrontation des modèles agricoles et alimentaires

De nouveaux modèles agricoles et alimentaires se déploient dans les territoires en réponse aux critiques des formes anciennes et pour faire face à de nouveaux enjeux. Ils incarnent des archétypes de la diversité observée, des projets d’acteurs ou bien de nouvelles normes. Les auteurs analysent ici des situations de coexistence et de confrontation de modèles agricoles et alimentaires selon quatre dimensions majeures du développement territorial : la tension entre spécialisation et diversification, l’innovation, l’adaptation et la transition alimentaire. Une série de travaux conceptuels et d’études de cas en France et de par le monde permet de comprendre les interactions entre ces modèles (confrontation, complémentarité, coévolution, hybridation, etc.), au-delà de la caractérisation de leur diversité et de l’évaluation de leurs performances relatives. La coexistence et la confrontation de ces modèles renforcent leur capacité de changement radical. L’ouvrage souligne les questions originales du cadre d’analyse, ses défis méthodologiques et les conséquences attendues pour l’accompagnement du développement agricole et alimentaire dans les territoires ruraux et urbains. Il est destiné aux chercheurs, enseignants, étudiants et professionnels intéressés par le développement territorial

Assessing pesticide pollution risk: from field to watershed

Pesticides used for intensive agricultural production threaten the water resources of the French West Indies. For example, the pesticide chlordecone was used until the nineties in banana fields. Operational and simple tools are needed to assess the potential risk of pollution by pesticides. Here, we propose a method to assess the spatial variability of pollution risk on a watershed scale. This method proceeds in four steps: (1) surveying practices; (2) determining the pesticide load for each field in the watershed; (3) establishing an indicator of pollution contribution for each field based on the load of pesticide per year weighted by the toxicity and solubility of each molecule; and (4) spatializing the indicator. We applied this method to an agricultural watershed in the north of Martinique, French West Indies. The results showed detailed information of pesticide dose spread and the distribution of the pollution risk, highlighting risk areas. Specifically designed for the volcanic and tropical areas of the French West Indies, our method could be adapted by integrating other data on soil-climate conditions and the topography

Élevage et territoires : quelles interactions et quelles questions ?

Levers to consolidate sustainability deal with the following abilities: i) for the system to maintain its productive abilities and renew its related resources while responding to expectations from the economic sector: efficiency is thus the question; ii) for the activity to cope, beyond its own interests, with those concerns of other stakeholders surrounding it: at that time, interaction at the territory scale becomes central. By analyzing pluridisciplinary research performed in France and abroad, we have identified three main dimensions dealing with livestock and the territory: measuring the impact of livestock farming on landscape, analyzing diversity and dynamics of activities to connect local and global and, studying the interactions among actors at the territory scale to foster innovation that will strengthen territorial sustainability. Four case studies highlight challenges for research on relationships between livestock farming and territories. These studies are split on a gradient between the abilities to deliver objective measures for the impact of human activities and a comprehensive approach, including the subjectivities of actors which is critical for livestock farming in the future. The main stake is to be able to bridge these two research perspectives and to include them in a “territorial transition” research perspective that deals with theoretical frameworks and operating devices that accompany local actors in a changing process.Les leviers susceptibles de conforter la durabilité de l’élevage concernent i) la capacité du système considéré à se maintenir en conservant ses capacités productives et en renouvelant les ressources dont il dépend, en répondant aux enjeux économiques et de filières : l’efficience est alors au centre des évaluations ; ii) la capacité de l’activité d’élevage à intégrer au-delà de ses intérêts propres celle d’un ensemble des porteurs d’enjeux qui l’environnent : les interactions à l’échelle des territoires sont alors au centre des analyses. À partir de l’analyse transversale de travaux associant l’agronomie – zootechnie, la géographie et la sociologie sur des terrains français et étrangers nous identifions trois dimensions particulières pour les recherches concernant les interactions entre élevage et territoire : i) la mesure des impacts des activités sur des espaces continus, ii) l’analyse de la diversité des activités permettant de relier « local et global », et iii) l’étude des interactions entre acteurs d’un territoire pour favoriser l’émergence d’innovations renforçant la durabilité territoriale. Quatre études de cas illustrent ces défis actuels de la recherche sur les interactions entre élevage et territoire en ce que ces approches amènent aux débats sur le futur des recherches sur l’élevage. Les recherches conduites sur le territoire sont en tension sur un gradient tiré d’une part, vers des mesures d’objectivation de l’impact des activités humaines dans un contexte de changement global et, d’autre part, vers une compréhension, intégrant toute la subjectivité des acteurs de ce sur quoi l’élevage est attendu à l’avenir. Il ne s’agit pas pour nous d’opposer ces orientations de recherche, mais de faire jouer leurs complémentarités en les situant dans un nouveau courantde recherche qui s’intéresse aux « transitions territoriales », c’est à dire aux cadres théoriques et aux outillages qui permettent d’accompagner les acteurs d’un territoire dans un processus de changement

Gestion de l’environnement et valorisation des produits de l’élevage de montagne au regard de la théorie des communs

International audienc

L’ancrage écologique dans les démarches de reterritorialisation des systèmes agroalimentaires liés à l’élevage : une analyse comparative d’initiatives (en France, au Maroc, Sénégal et Brésil)

International audienceAgro-food systems re-localization may be associated to re-embedding food products and/or re-creating local food chains. It is often considered as a vehicle for sustainable rural development. Two main forms of initiatives emerge from studies on food systems re-localization: (i) initiatives that use geographical origin to differentiate products by linking the products quality to the specific conditions of production in a territory; (ii) initiatives that aim at re-creating socio-spatial proximity between producers and consumers by developing short marketing chains. These initiatives often aim at strengthening farmers’ position in food chains and providing a better return to them. They may also be presented as ways to support more environmentally-sustainable agro-food systems (biodiversity protection, upkeep and protection of meadows and landscape …). However, depending on initiatives, environmental issues are considered and more or less put forward by stakeholders. Moreover, consideration regarding these environmental issues may evolve in time. This paper aims at analyzing the place that environmental issues may hold in re-localization initiatives for agro-food systems associated to livestock farming. Which are these environmental issues? To which geographic areas are they associated? Which weight do stakeholders give to them? How do they evolve regarding the different stages of the initiatives? We compared several collective initiatives developed in different countries (Brazil, France, Morocco and Senegal). They all aim at improving marketing of animal food products and ensure a better return to farmers by re-localization. This study shows how the roots of this kind of initiatives and the way they consider environmental issues may vary in different socio-economic contexts. This research focuses on collective initiatives which involve different types of stakeholders (farmers, processors, retailers, institutions). It allows observing how the different stakeholders may take up environmental issues. It allows discussing the part that some stakeholders, other than farmers, may take in promoting and supporting more ecological practices

Ecological embeddedness in animal food systems (re-)localisation: A comparative analysis of initiatives in France, Morocco and Senegal

International audienceLocalised animal food systems tend to be perceived as more environmentally sustainable than non-localised systems. However, these initiatives span a diverse array of projects, and the way ecological issues are considered may vary greatly depending on the actors and systems involved. With re-localisation of food chains considered a way of fostering sustainable development, this diversity should prompt a closer look at the real environmental dimension of sustainable development through livestock farming. In order to understand better how food system re-localisation trends can support environmentally sustainable development, this paper analyses the importance and place that the environmental issues may hold in localised animal food systems. We mobilize the concept of ‘ecological embeddedness’ to help consider how, why and to what extent natural environment influences development and shapes relationships between agents within food networks. We use the analytical framework developed by Morris and Kirwan (2011) to compare five initiatives designed to differentiate animal food products by linking their qualities to the place of production in three countries: France, Morocco, and Senegal. The comparison of the way food-systems stakeholders understand, realise, utilise, and negotiate the ecological dimensions of food production shows three different forms of ecological embeddedness depending on the way the ecological dimensions of production are linked with environmental protection issues. The first form corresponds to the Moissac case in which practices linked with ecology are very consciously highlighted as environmentally-friendly practices. The second form reflects cases in which environmentally-friendly practices and values associated to ecology exist and are highlighted through their impact on products quality, not as participating in environment protection. The third form concerns the Senegalese case in which food systems seem to be engaged in a process of ecological ‘dis-embeddedness’. Finally, the comparison of different cases underlines the non-systematic coexistence between Localised Food Systems and ecological embeddedness. The “broad” systemic approach adopted here also unlocks insight into the ecological embeddedness of food systems. This analysis of collective initiatives involving different stakeholders led to consider the roles they can play in shaping the ecological embeddedness of the livestock food systems