Splenda is not Splendid

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GREETINGS --

The following article may be helpful

wambo1941

Splenda is not Splendid

Compiled by Ingri Cassel

Since we have been sharing about the dangers of diet products

containing aspartame and encouraging people to read The Artificially

Sweetened Times [vaclib.org/news/astimes], many have asked us about

Splenda, thinking that sucralose doesn't have the same problems as

aspartame, saccharine and refined white sugar. The following articles

address the problems with Splenda according to a biochemist, a

researcher and one man's personal experiences with the chemically

altered sweetener. Splenda, the brand name for sucralose, is produced

by chlorinating sugar (sucrose). This involves chemically changing

the structure of the sugar molecules by substituting three chlorine

atoms for three hydroxyl group atoms.

Sucralose was discovered in 1976 by researchers working under the

auspices of Tate & Lyle Ltd., a large British sugar refiner. In 1980,

Tate & Lyle arranged with & , the world's largest

health care company, to develop sucralose. & formed

McNeil Speciality Products Company in 1980 to commercialize

sucralose.

In 1991, Canada became the first nation to approve the use of

sucralose.

In April, 1998, the US Food and Drug Administration granted approval

for sucralose to be used in a variety of food products. Sucralose was

introduced to the U.S. market in Diet RC Cola in May 1998. Dr.

Mercola's website lists seven pages of products that currently

contain sucralose. Sucralose is not yet approved for use in most

European countries.

Chlorinated Pesticides

The manufacturer claims that the chlorine added to sucralose is

similar to the chlorine atom in the salt (NaCl) molecule. This is not

the case. Sucralose may be more like ingesting tiny amounts of

chlorinated pesticides, but we will never know without long-term,

independent human research. According to Consumers Research

Magazine " Some concern was raised about sucralose being a chlorinated

molecule. Some chlorinated molecules serve as the basis for

pesticides such as D.D.T., and accumulate in body fat. However,

& emphasized that sucralose passes through the body

unabsorbed. "

Is Sucralose Absorbed or Metabolized?

Despite the manufacturer's claims to the contrary, sucralose is

significantly absorbed and metabolized by the body. According to the

FDA's " Final Rule " report, 11% to 27% of sucralose is absorbed in

humans, and the rest is excreted unchanged in feces. According to the

Japanese Food Sanitation Council, as much as 40% of ingested

sucralose is absorbed.

About 20% to 30% of absorbed sucralose is metabolized. Both the

metabolites and unchanged absorbed sucralose are excreted in urine.

The absorbed sucralose has been found to concentrate in the liver,

kidney, and gastrointestinal tract. According to The Sucralose

Toxicity Information Center (www.holisticmed.com/splenda), sucralose

is broken down " into small amounts of 1,6-dichlorofructose, a

chemical which has not been adequately tested in humans. "

The FDA's " Final Rule " report also stated that, " Sucralose was weakly

mutagenic in a mouse lymphoma mutation assay. " The FDA reported many

other tests as having " inconclusive " results.

Contaminants

The FDA acknowledges that sucralose " is produced at an approximate

purity of 98%. " While that may sound pretty pure, just what is in

that other 2%? It turns out that the final sucralose product contains

small amounts of potentially dangerous substances such as:

* Heavy Metals (e.g., Lead)

* Arsenic

* Triphenilphosphine Oxide

* Methanol

* Chlorinated Disaccharides

* Chlorinated Monosaccharide

Although manufacturing guidelines do specify limits on these

substances there is no guarantee that such limits will always be met.

Safety Concerns

Few human studies of safety have been published on sucralose. One

small study of diabetic patients using the sweetener showed a

statistically significant increase in glycosylated hemoglobin

(Hba1C), which is a marker of long-term blood glucose levels and is

used to assess glycemic control in diabetic patients. According to

the FDA, " increases in glycosolation in hemoglobin imply lessening of

control of diabetes. "

Research in animals has shown that sucralose can cause many problems

in rats, mice, and rabbits, such as:

* Shrunken thymus glands (up to 40% shrinkage)

* Enlarged liver and kidneys.

* Atrophy of lymph follicles in the spleen and thymus

* Reduced growth rate

* Decreased red blood cell count

* Hyperplasia of the pelvis

* Extension of the pregnancy period

* Aborted pregnancy

* Decreased fetal body weights and placental weights

* Diarrhea

Dr. ph Mercola states:

It is important to recognize that Sucralose is basically chlorinated

table sugar and, as such, may have many of the risks associated with

chlorine. In addition, it is contributing to environmental chlorine

pollution. Nearly three years ago I posted an article describing the

dangers of Splenda, which is the brand name for sucralose. It appears

that more and more people are finally realizing the hazards that

this " healthy " sweetener poses. Splenda is far from healthy and I do

not recommend using it in any form.

Perhaps the most revealing and powerful way to learn the dangerous

truth about Splenda is to read someone's personal experience with it.

Nearly every month we receive a report from someone who has had an

adverse reaction to Splenda.