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By Shereen Jegtvig, About.com Guide to Nutrition since 2004

Sucralose

Wednesday April 16, 2008
splendaOne common way to cut calories is to use artificial sweeteners. When I was a kid most diet sodas had saccharin (of course they also had little tabs that we pulled completely off the can). I thought saccharin tasted just terrible. Then aspartame came along and pretty much replaced saccharin.

Today, aspartame is being nudged over by Splenda, which is made from sucralose. A lot of people think sucralose has a better flavor than either saccharin or aspartame. Learn more about sucralose.

Poll:Do you use artificial sweeteners?

Daily Nutrition Tip

Photo © Mario Tama/Getty Images

Comments

April 21, 2008 at 10:28 pm
(1) nate says:

Uh… you need to read the latest research on artificial sweeteners and calorie consumption. This article is bogus.

April 28, 2008 at 8:38 pm
(2) Sterling Harris says:

Bogus credentials?

May 25, 2008 at 1:36 am
(3) psilas says:

Shereen has NO evidence that this ’sucralose’ product is not toxic to the body other than FDA approval.

She should NOT be trusted as the FDA are criminals looking to poison people in order to make more money from medicine and low I.Q. levels! This article is a sham!

July 9, 2008 at 2:21 pm
(4) Adam says:

Psilias, do you have proof that sucralose IS toxic to the body? Do you realize that the FDA is filled with government employees? For one, it is extremely hard to prove something ISN’T toxic. Prove it is. For two, federal employees are salary and regular people just like you and I. They are not out to “get us” so we don’t get social security. They do not make more money as an individual by trying to kill us sooner. So why would they?

I have two words for all of you “All-natural crusaders” – WITCH HUNT

July 21, 2008 at 7:58 pm
(5) peter tarsio says:

If anyone has the intelligence, patience and time just go and google sucralose and read up on it. Yes it is dangerous and toxic the people who described clinically what happened to them aster ingesting this garbage. The FDA and the well paid staff of so called experts have one thing in mind and it isn’t in your best interest as they are interested in the profits for all these corporations who want to market a product and tell you that it safe since the FDA approved it. Its a blatant lie
and the scientific research they are doing is flawed and not leveling with the public is a crime which they get away with all the time/
Witness the drug and pharmaceutical industry and the doctors who are more that happy to tell you it is all in your head, so lets play
Russian roulette take the drugs I am giving you and hope for the best. Then if there are adverse effects don’t blame the doctor or the FDA they are experts and they are in authority and know what they are doing.
Sucralose is a derivative of sugar, but if you read the literature and know anything about chemistry, you have to understand that if it didn’t come from a real plant, I would be very cautious or not even allow this toxin in my body if I can help it.
Just read folks and if you want to know how it effects you, try an experiment and drink and eat this till it comes out your ears, if you get any symptoms i.e. aching joints, pain in the legs , blurred vision, migraine, muscle weakness, insomnia,diarrhea,shaking,bloating , gas, trembling, seizures, and there is more in that the body does metabolize this the kidneys and the liver are effect as well and what comes out in your urine is the residue of what is left and then it goes into the water system,
that is into environment. Oh did they study the effects of that process as well?
Did they do an environmental study? I think not. They are interested in on thing and its money and big profits. To hell with your health and well being.
Peter Tarsio

September 5, 2008 at 4:12 pm
(6) JC says:

Just curious – since everyone thinks that adding a chloride molecule makes this thing as dangerous as swalling ten gallons of pool water…
Isn’t salt just NaCl? Isn’t potassium integrated with Cl groups? Why does adding a chloride here make this so toxic?

September 21, 2008 at 12:40 am
(7) Glenn says:

Its all about education. Until people move away from the mainstream media, marketing and toxic “convenience” products and simplify what they put into their body-they will only realize it is actually bad after they have consumed it for a while–with harmful effects. People need to always do their research on “new” products–be especially careful with any of the big companies–they are the worst ones because they spend so much on advertising and lack any sort of ethical conscience. It is what it is–but people do not have to follow them–purchase healthy and responsibly–support good business not toxic ones.

January 29, 2009 at 4:13 pm
(8) MC says:

I don’t know what you’re talking about, Glenn. I have consumed Sucralose for years with NO negative side effects. Just saying that there are negative side effects, even if it’s true for you, doesn’t make it true for everyone.

Some people are lactose intolerant. Are you going to recommend no dairy products for everyone just because of that? From the leaning of the belief systems demonstrated here, you probably would agree with that, too, now that I think about it.

February 23, 2009 at 5:01 pm
(9) RS says:

Well MC,

Since you put it that way. The FDA approved Aspartame back in 1974, then Sucralose “MUST” be safe.

And to use your exaple of lactose intolerance, I know of people who smoke but have not yet died of cancer, or have died of other not smoking related death (car acccident) then smoking must also be safe for some poeple, just not the poeple that they “may” effect.

March 15, 2009 at 3:28 pm
(10) Loey says:

I know 3 people who would excessively drink diet soda (you’d hardly ever see one of them without one). All 3 came down with brain tumors and all three have since died. I also know lots of folks who drink diet soda but have not had any ill affects, yet. Small sample, I know. But you can count on me never drinking ANYthing diet or the rest of my family. Why put artificial anything into your body?

June 18, 2009 at 11:19 pm
(11) Robert says:

Although I am skeptical about artificial sweeteners and have no great love of corporate America, I am trying to keep an open mind and approach the information with even handedness. What strikes me most is the weight given to completely baseless and unverified “testimonials”. There are scores of factors that could have caused these maladies and yet they are unchallenged and held up as fact when in most cases, they would not stand up to any serious scientific scrutiny. Drawing the conclusion that diet soda caused someone’s brain tumor just because they drank alot of them is naive. Throw out any testimonials and study the scientific reports. On EITHER side, look who paid for the report or who their parent company is, look for double-blind tests with control groups, look at test group size and breadth, look at quantities and exposure rates…the tests that satisfy all of those things are probably pretty darn reliable.

October 9, 2009 at 7:37 pm
(12) Michael says:

Robert: Nice to hear a little logic enter the conversation…

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