I have made it known that I am no friend to fake sugar. I check labels for high fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated oils, and artificial sweeteners, before buying any food item. If a food contains any of the three, a combination or frightfully all three, I put it back on the shelf. I cannot sit idly by while I or my family eats what I consider to be poison. There are times when I or even my kids consume yogurt. I made exception for some brands of yogurt that contained fake sugar because it was a source of calcium, it is a low fat snack, and since I cut out artificial sugars everywhere else I figured a small amount would not hurt. After coming across more information on surcalose, popularly known as Splenda, yogurt will no longer be an exception.
Splenda is not accepted in many European countries because it is considered untested. In the United States, Splenda is a public health experiment which I refuse to off my family as guinea pigs. The FDA stated that sucralose is produced from sugar. This is the cause for all the ads claiming it is “natural”. Natural is not always a positive term, think of arsenic. It is true that surcalose is produced from sucrose (natural sugar) except three chlorine atoms have taken the place of three hydroxyl groups in the molecule. This makes sucralose a characteristic of a chlorocarbon. Pesticides are chlorocarbons. In fact, surcalose was discovered in 1976 by British scientists who were seeking a new pesticide formulation.
Is sucralose safe? That is the million dollar question that still has no answer. Not one study has been done on humans lasting more than three months. Studies on rats showed damage to the kidneys, liver and thymus glands. Since the studies were on rats the FDA dismissed. Humans and rats metabolize sweeteners in a similar fashion. It was that fact that allowed sucralose to hit the market yet the safety concerns were overlooked. Confused? Bottom line, sucralose has not be properly tested or proven safe in humans.
The affects of artificial sweeteners is be based on your individual biochemistry. Some will absorb more and get sick while others will absorb less and have no adverse reaction. How can you know which you are? Quite simply you don’t.
Dr. Janet Starr Hull summed it up nicely in the December 2003 issue of The Healthy Newsletter:
“In a simple sentence, you would just as soon have a pesticide in your food as sucralose because sucralose (Splenda) is a chlorocarbon. The chlorocarbons have long been known for causing organ, genetic, and reproductive damage.”
In the end you will have to make your own decision. There is just as much research and articles written saying that Splenda is perfectly safe. My cynical nature makes me question anything too good to be true, such as a sugar your body does not metabolize or absorb leave with no side effects. I also choose to play it safe and stay away from anything developed first as pesticide and now marketed as a sweetener. The scientist who tasted it did so by accident. Some of our greatest discoveries have been by accident. So, again it is up to you to do your own research and decide if Splenda is sweet or a devil in disguise.