Day 102- Sucralose

"Made from Sugar, So it Tastes like Sugar."

Splenda, which is made up of a compound called sucralose, claims, that it is basically a sugar product without any calories. So what exactly is this sweetener that is making its way into drinks, baked goods, gum, and many other products we find on the shelves?

Well, part of their slogan is true, sucralose does first start out as a sugar molecule (sucrose), but what happens after, in the factory, changes this molecule so that it is unrecognizable by the body. Three chlorine molecules are added to sucrose to make sucralose. The sucrose molecule is a disaccharide that contains two single sugars bound together; glucose and fructose, when chloride is added it is converted to a fructo-galactose molecule. This unique molecule is not found in nature and so the body does not possess the ability to properly metabolize it. This is where they make the claim that Splenda contains no calories - our body just can't digest or metabolize the molecule making it have zero calories.

The manufactures of Splenda were very smart in choosing the name "sucralose." As consumers we are more likely to relate the ending "-ose" to a natural sugar, just like glucose and sucrose,instead of a altered unrecognizable sugar molecule. But now that we have learned how sucralose is created we know that it definitely is not the same as the other natural -ose sugars. In fact grocery stores such as, Whole foods, will not sell Splenda or any product that contains it, because it is not a "real food," which is their code of ethics.

So is this unnatural molecule safe for humans? Technically, who really knows? Most of the studies have been done on animals, with only around 6 published human trials. What's even worse is that when the FDA approved sucralose for human consumption, only 2 of the 6 trials had been completed, which included a total of 36 human subjects. Then to top that off, out of the 36 people in the studies, only 23 were actually given sucralose for testing, with the longest trial only lasting 3 months.

According to an article in Mercola:

"Splenda is not a drug and is only a food additive. As such the number of studies required to receive FDA approval is substantially less than drug. Vioxx had an order of magnitude of more comprehensive clinical trials than Splenda ever did, and despite the rigorous approval process it still killed 55,000 people."

So what have been some of the findings on sucralose? According to a study from Duke University:

"Splenda suppresses beneficial bacteria and directly affects the expression of the transporter P-gp and cytochrome P-450 isozymes that are known to interfere with the bioavailability of the drugs and nutrients. Furthermore, these effects occur at Splenda doses that contain sucralose levels that are approved by the FDA for use in the food supply."

Splenda is an organochlorine, which is a chemical that is a carbon and hydrogen molecule with attached chlorine atoms, and is the only organochlorine ever used for human consumption. Examples of other organochlorines out there are: DDT, Mustard gas, Chloroform, PCBs, as well as other insecticides, pesticides, and solvents. In fact, Splenda was discovered by accident when researchers were creating a new insecticide! Organochlorines are also fat-soluble and can tend to accumulate in body tissues that are high in fat, such as your brain. Although, the amount of sucralose that is absorbed and stored in the body varies for each person, research shows that 11 - 27% of ingested sucralose is absorbed by the human body. In one human study that Mercola talks about in his article, one of the eight participants did not excrete any sucralose even after three days.

So since there are not very many published research papers out there on the effects of sucralose, it's up to you to decide to consume it or not. But let me remind you that it is not a natural sugar like the name sounds, and that the research on the effects of sucralose are not very extensive on humans, and not taken into consideration for a long duration of time. For me, I choose to stick with the natural stuff, but again that's just me.

While writing this blog I also came across another great blog on 14 reasons why you should not eat Sucralose, click here to read it.

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP