Splenda, one of today's most popular artificial sweeteners was first introduced to consumers in 1998 after the FDA approved it for use in food and beverages. In 2002, it was approved as a general purpose sugar substitute and has gained popularity ever since.
Splenda is 600 times sweeter than sugar and contains the artificial sweetener sucralose along with maltodextrin, which adds bulk so that Splenda can be substituted cup-for-cup for sugar in recipes. Sucralose has no calories and has no effects on blood sugar levels and can be used for baking. In fact, Splenda appears to be the best artificial sweetener for baking.
The FDA conducted more than 110 studies over a 20-year period and concluded that sucralose had no toxic or carcinogenic effects and presented no reproductive or neurologic risk to humans. However, no independent studies of sucralose lasting more than six months has been conducted on humans. What's more, the largest of these trial studies included only 128 participants.
Side effects such as skin rashes, panic-like agitation, dizziness and numbness, diarrhea, swelling, muscle aches, headaches, intestinal cramping, bladder issues and stomach pain have been reported and there is now concern regarding possible long-term adverse effects on humans.
It appears that people who have an allergy or sensitivity to the sucralose molecule are most prone to the side effects; the degree to which these individuals experience side effects depends on their individual biochemistry. The only way to determine if Splenda is related to certain symptoms is by eliminating it from the diet. Until long-term studies can prove that Splenda is safe you may want to consider natural sweeteners such as Stevia, honey, sorghum, barley malt, or molasses.
To read all three sides of the Splenda debate visit the following links:
- FDA findings on Splenda
- Citizens for Health petition to the FDA
- Splenda
Special thanks to Richard Dudley, U.S. Air Force Retired, for his questions concerning Splenda.
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