Artificial Sweeteners (cont.)
Sucralose: What is the positive side?
Sucralose is the newest nonnutritive sweetener on the market. It is most well
known for its claim to be made from sugar. It is as sold as Splenda and is 600
times sweeter than sucrose (table sugar). It provides essentially no calories
and is not fully absorbed. In 1998, it was approved for limited use, and in 1999,
it was given approval for use as a general-purpose sweetener. It is currently
found in over 4,500 products, including foods that are cooked or baked.
The FDA reviewed studies in human beings and animals and determined that
sucralose did not pose carcinogenic, reproductive, or neurological risk to human
beings. The Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) for sucralose was set at 5 mg/kg of
body weight/day. To determine your ADI, divide your weight in pound by 2.2 and
then multiply it by 50. For example, if you weighted 200 lbs., your weight in
kg would be 91 (200 divided by 2.2) and your ADI for sucralose would be 455 mg
(91 x 5).
Sucralose: What is the negative side?
A lot of the controversy surrounding sucralose stems from the fact that it
was discovered while trying to create a new insecticide. The claim that it is
made from sugar is a misconception about the final product. According to the
book Sweet Deception, sucralose is made when sugar is treated with trityl
chloride, acetic anhydride, hydrogen chlorine, thionyl chloride, and methanol in
the presence of dimethylformamide, 4-methylmorpholine, toluene, methyl isobutyl
ketone, acetic acid, benzyltriethlyammonium chloride, and sodium methoxide,
making it unlike anything found in nature. The Splenda Web site even states that
"although sucralose has a structure like sugar and a sugar-like taste, it is not
natural." The product Splenda is also not actually calorie-free. Sucralose does
have calories, but because it is 600 times sweeter than sugar, very small amounts
are needed to achieve the desired sweetness. The first two ingredients in Splenda are dextrose and maltodextrin, which are used to increase bulk and are
carbohydrates that are not free of calories. One cup of Splenda contains 96
calories and 32 grams of carbohydrates, which is substantial for people with
diabetes but unnoticed due to the label claiming that it's a no calorie
sweetener.
The name sucralose is another misleading factor. The suffix -ose is used to
name sugars, not additives. Sucralose sounds very close to sucrose, table sugar,
and can be confusing for consumers. A more accurate name for the structure of
sucralose was purposed. The name would have been trichlorogalactosucrose, but
the FDA did not believe that it was necessary to use this so sucralose was
allowed.
The presence of chlorine is thought to be the most dangerous component of
sucralose. Chlorine is considered a carcinogen and has been used in poisonous
gas, disinfectants, pesticides, and plastics. The digestion and absorption of sucralose is not clear due to a lack of long-term studies on humans. The
majority of studies were done on animals for short lengths of time. The alleged
symptoms associated with sucralose are gastrointestinal problems (bloating, gas, diarrhea, nausea), skin irritations (rash, hives, redness, itching,
swelling), wheezing, cough, runny nose, chest pains, palpitations, anxiety,
anger, moods swings, depression, and itchy eyes. The only way to be sure of the
safety of sucralose is to have long-term studies on humans done.
Next: Acesulfame K: What is the positive side? »
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