What Everyone Should Know about Splenda
Splenda is a zero calorie sugar alternative in those little yellow packets that’s been on the market for 10 years. Splenda is a man-made substance produced from a chemical composition that is created from the chlorination of normal sugar. Splenda is a sugar that has been chemically modified. Splenda has enjoyed a broad rise in popularity, and many people find it has less of an aftertaste than any other artificial sweetener.
Between 2000 and 2004, the number of households in the U.S. using Splenda rose from 3 to 20 percent. Splenda sales exceeded $177 million in a recent year in contrast to $62 million in sales for the aspartame-based sweetener known as Equal and $52 million in sales for the saccharin-based Sweet ‘N Low.
The company that makes Splenda, McNeil Nutritionals, has repeatedly argued that Splenda has endured some of the most demanding food trials on record for any food additive. McNeil says that over 100 such studies have been conducted on Splenda. Most of these studies were done on animals, thereby casting doubt on the safety report for humans.
The chemical name of Splenda is sucralose. While sucralose begins as a sugar molecule, it is the process by which it’s made that is concerning. Sucralose is a synthetic chemical that is manufactured in a five-step patented process. During this process, three chlorine molecules are added to a sugar molecule. The initial, natural sugar molecule is a disaccharide made up of two single sugars bound together; these single sugars are glucose and fructose.
The chemical process to make sucralose modifies the chemical makeup of the sugar so much that it is converted into a molecule that does not normally occur in nature. Because this artificial molecule is not natural, the body does not know how to metabolize it. According to the manufacturers of Splenda, this is the very grounds on which Splenda is calorie neutral — it is not broken down or metabolized by the body. Splenda simply passes through your digestive track without depositing any caloric residue.
This is misleading, however, as Splenda’s no calorie status would only hold up if the body did have the capability to metabolize it. More troubling, the fact that sucralose is a wholly artificial ingredient proves questions about its safety, especially if used in large amounts over a long period of time. There is the additional matter of insulin reaction. While research reports are still inconclusive, the medical research community widely theorises that Splenda elicits an increase in insulin levels, which, despite the calorie content, will signal the body to hold on to fat reserves or even store more fat.
One research finding nullifies the statement by Splenda’s manufacturers that Splenda is not absorbed by the body. In this study (conducted on humans), one in eight participants did not excrete any sucralose after three days of ingesting Splenda. Another study (conducted on animals) concluded that 15% of ingested sucralose is absorbed into the digestive system and is later stored in the body.
Learn about the side effects of Splenda.
