Lawsuits Put New Focus on Splenda

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Sweetener in the Spotlight: Is Splenda Safe?: Lawsuits Put New Focus on

Splenda and Other Artificial Sweeteners By Colette Bouchez

Feb. 16, 2005 -- Courtroom battles between the makers of Splenda and Equal

have many questioning the safety of artificial sweeteners.

Since early 2000 McNeil Nutritionals has been advertising that its product --

Splenda -- is " made from sugar so it tastes like sugar. " But the National Sugar

Association and Merisant Worldwide (maker of Equal brand sweetener) have

challenged that claim in a lawsuit.

McNeil Nutritionals shot back with a countersuit implying the case against

them was more about corporate sour grapes than truth in consumer

advertising.

But court battles and corporate backstabbing aside, the question on

consumers' minds is not so much whether advertising slogans are right or

wrong, but do they really make a difference -- at home, on the dinner table

where it really counts?

Dietitian Restuccia, MS, RD, says they most definitely do.

" Splenda is not sugar -- and to piggyback it on to the reputation of the

centuries' old profile of sugar is more than misleading, it could come back to

haunt us, perhaps sooner than we think, " says Restuccia, a nutritionist at the

Center for Obesity Surgery at New York Presbyterian/Columbia University

Medical Center in New York City.

Indeed, while there are currently only a handful of studies that question

Splenda's safety and more than 100 which attest to its safe use, Restuccia

says it simply hasn't been around long enough to amass any long-term data --

or even short-term data involving heavy consumption.

What Happens When Sweeteners Interact?

What Happens When Sweeteners Interact?

" Sugar may have its health drawbacks, but at least we know we're not in for

any major surprises -- and we just can't say that about Splenda yet -- so to

imply that it's got the same profile as sugar is misleading and that is

important

today, as well as in the long run, " she says.

Heller, MS, RD, agrees. " Saying Splenda is made from sugar is

like taking the round wheels off a car and putting on square wheels. Is it still

a

car? Yes. But can it still perform like a car? No -- and what's more we don't

know what's going to happen when people try to 'drive it' cross country, " says

Heller.

Indeed, while Splenda starts out as sugar, some serious scientific tinkering

goes on before it gets into your coffee. As Heller explains, this involves

removing three atoms found in sugar and replacing them with three atoms of

the chemical chlorine. Some say that form of chlorine is similar to what's found

in pesticides -- though in published reports the manufacturer has denied that

claim.

But while all that may not matter much to your taste buds, experts say it takes

on a new and more important meaning as plans roll out to include Splenda in

a wide variety of treats, including more diet sodas, baked goods, and even

processed foods.

" It's not like you're going to be using a teaspoon in your coffee once in a

while

-- it's going to be everywhere, in everything, which makes it even more

important for people to understand what they are and are not getting with this

product, " says Restuccia.

Also important to note: Experts say we have almost no data on the way in

which artificial sweeteners interact with each other -- particularly at high

amounts. And that, says Restuccia may come back to haunt us even more.

" As more and more products are being made with artificial sweeteners, there

is more likelihood that we will not only be consuming more of them but also

mixing different ones, sometimes in a single meal -- and we really have no

idea what that means health wise, in the short or the long run, " says

Restuccia.

What About Other Artificial Sweeteners?

What About Other Artificial Sweeteners?

The FDA has approved five artificial sweeteners:

* Acesulfame potassium (Sunett)

* Aspartame (NutraSweet or Equal)

* Sucralose (Splenda)

* D-Tagatose (Sugaree)

* Saccharin (Sweet 'N Low)

You may be surprised to see saccharin on that list. In the 1970s, the FDA was

going to ban saccharin based on the reports of a Canadian study that showed

that saccharin was causing bladder cancer in rats. A public outcry kept

saccharin on the shelves (there were no other sugar substitutes at that time),

but with a warning label that read, " Use of this product may be hazardous to

your health. This product contains saccharin which has been determined to

cause cancer in laboratory animals. "

That warning label is no longer needed, says Ruth Kava, PhD, RD, director of

nutrition for the American Council on Science and Health. Further research

has shown that male rats have a particular pH factor that predisposes them to

bladder cancer. " A lot of things that cause harm in animals don't always cause

harm in humans, " she says.

Like saccharin, aspartame is another artificial sweetener that -- though

thoroughly tested by the FDA and deemed safe for the general population --

has had its share of critics who blame the artificial sweetener for causing

everything from brain tumors to chronic fatigue syndrome.

Not so, says Kava.

The only people for whom aspartame is a medical problem are those with the

genetic condition known as phenylkenoturia (PKU), a disorder of amino acid

metabolism. Those with PKU need to keep the levels of phenylalanine in the

blood low to prevent mental retardation as well as neurological, behavioral,

and dermatological problems. Since phenylalanine is one of the two amino

acids in aspartame, people who suffer from PKU are advised not to use it.

Some people can be sensitive to artificial sweeteners and experience

symptoms such as headaches and upset stomach, but otherwise, there is no

credible information that aspartame -- or any other artificial sweetener --

causes brain tumors, or any other illness, says registered dietitian

Vida, with HealthPLACE, the health and wellness division of Highmark Blue

Cross Blue Shield in Pittsburgh.

Kava says that since artificial sweeteners are so much sweeter than sugar, a

very small amount is needed to achieve the same sweetness one gets from

sugar. " If used normally, the amounts you take in are so minuscule as to be of

no concern at all. "

Another sweetener receiving much publicity of late is stevia, an herbal

sweetening ingredient used in food and beverages by South American

natives for many centuries and in Japan since the mid-1970s.

According to Ray Sahelian, MD, author of The Stevia Cookbook, stevia has

shown no significant side effects after more than 20 years of use in Japan.

" There are no indications at this point from any source that stevia has shown

toxicity in humans, " says Sahelian, though he agrees that further research is

warranted.

Because stevia is not FDA-approved, it cannot be sold as an artificial

sweetener; however it can be -- and is -- sold as a dietary supplement.

Because these supplements are not regulated as well as those that have

received FDA approval, and therefore have no guarantee of purity, Kava is

leery about the use of stevia. " This is a product that's just asking for good

research studies, " she says. " We just don't know enough yet. "

With reporting by Carol Sorgen.

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SOURCES: Restuccia, MS, RD, Center for Obesity Surgery at NY

Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center in New York City;

Heller, MS, RD, senior clinical nutritionist at NYU Medical Center,

New York City; Americans Opt for Sweetness and Lite, FDA Consumer,

December, 2004; Use of Nutritive and Non-Nutritive Sweeteners, Position

Paper, American Dietetic Association. WebMD Feature Archive: " The Truth on

Artificial Sweeteners. "