Artificial sweeteners have a long history of warnings about potential health consequences. Sugar substitutes are substances that provide sweetness without the abundant calories and carbohydrates common in pure sugar. Unlike many formerly popular sugar substitutes, sucralose is a type of sweetener that shows no toxic effects or properties, although, like all food substances, consuming too much sucralose may be unwise.
Description
Splenda is the brand name for sucralose, a sweetener that tastes almost 600 times sweeter than sugar. Although it is extremely sweet, sucralose contains no measurable amounts of calories or carbohydrates, making it popular with people who must avoid sugar, such as individuals with diabetes. Sucralose contains modified sucrose, a type of disaccharide that exists in common sugar. Sucralose also contains three chlorine atoms, a natural component in many of the foods we ingest, including table salt.
FDA Approval
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved sucralose for human consumption after more than 20 years of intense testing and scrutiny. The scientific testing regarding the safety of sucralose involved over 100 human and animal studies, according to the New York University Langone Medical Center. Other food governing boards, such as the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives, or JECFA, approve and endorse sucralose as a safe product.
Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
Although pregnant women must be careful of the foods and beverages they consume, there is no evidence that sucralose poses a health risk to developing infants or breastfeeding babies. Your body absorbs only a minute amount of sucralose, thereby minimizing the risk of passing this ingredient on to your child through the placenta or breast milk.
Precautions
Even though sucralose appears to be a safe sugar substitute, eating an excessive amount of foods that contain this ingredient may increase the amount of fat and calories in your diet and may encourage you to choose unhealthy sources of food, rather than consuming a balanced diet that provides optimal nutrition. If you have diabetes, it is important to consult your doctor before making dietary changes. Sucralose can have a laxative effect in some people and may cause bloating and gas.
