Sucralose — Stuff you Need to Know
So, you’re serious about calorie counting, and you’ve read the reports about Aspartame’s carcinogenicity and you’re thinking of switching over to sucralose. Or maybe you are just noticing sucralose on the ingredient label?
Even food and drink manufacturers are getting the idea, and your favourite cheap supermarket pop has switched camps, so things must be looking up, yes? I mean, ‘sucra’ sounds similar to sugar and the calorie count is zero.
Some artificial sweeteners are metabolised in the body and don’t get excreted in the urine, but this is not true for sucralose. Therein lies one of the potential problems.
Sucralose is being found in *lakes and rivers; we don’t know how much impact that will have on the natural things that thrive in them. It’s simply too early to tell and usually, it’s too late once we spot the damage. Also, they are discovering sucralose in wastewater treatment plants. Well, duh, of course they’re finding it there, it’s being pissed out in massive volumes. Your water is my water, right? Hmm… so, if the wastewater treatment plants can’t filter out the sucralose, does that mean that I’m drinking my neighbour’s favourite no calorie pop? Potentially, yes. Even if you don’t want to.
Here’s the lowdown on sucralose.
February 8th, 2016:
… The Center for Science in the Public Interest has downgraded its safety rating of sucralose, the artificial sweetener also known by the brand name Splenda, from “caution” to “avoid” in the group’s Chemical Cuisine glossary of food additives. … read the article HERE
Apparently, this is second time sucralose has been downgraded by The Center for Science in the Public Interest due to potential cancer concerns.
The problem also lies in the fact that sucralose is not biologically inert.
“…More studies are necessary to show the safety of sucralose, including new and more adequate carcinogenic bioassay on rats. Considering that millions of people are likely exposed, follow-up studies are urgent…”
These are same researchers who found Aspartame to be carcinogenic. Just sayin’. Surely more thorough testing is needed for all these food additives and artificial sweeteners before they remain in the food chain.
New study raises alarm about impact of artificial sweeteners on ecosystems: ‘It’s a really tough molecule that doesn’t degrade easily’
The molecule is making it all the way past wastewater treatment plants and is entering aquatic environments. HERE (1st September 2024)
In April, 2006, Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain
“… Herein we report the case of a migraineur with attacks consistently triggered by a sweetener containing sucralose. The trigger was identified using headache calendars and trigger questionnaires, and confirmed by prospective singleblinded challenge. …” read article HERE
I’ve found that sucralose as a migraine trigger to be one of the top complaints. It’s also been found in breast milk.
Pharmacokinetics of Sucralose and Acesulfame-Potassium in Breast Milk Following Ingestion of Diet Soda
J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2018 Mar; 66(3): 466–470.
“… Ace-K and sucralose transfer into breast milk following ingestion of a diet soda. Future research should measure concentrations after repeated exposure and determine whether chronic ingestion of sucralose and acesulfame-potassium via the breast milk has clinically relevant health consequences….” read more HERE
You also need to watch out if your kids are consuming it too.
Plasma concentrations of sucralose in children and adults
Toxicol Environ Chem. 2017; 99(3): 535–542. Published online 2016 Oct 17
… Due to their lower body weight and blood volume, children have markedly higher plasma sucralose concentrations after consumption of a typical diet soda, emphasizing the need to determine the clinical implications of sucralose use in children. … read more HERE
Another top issue is that it causes or aggravates stomach issues such as bloating and gas. I have numerous reports that sucralose alters the gut microbiome. Read reports HERE
Sugar Substitutes, Originally Meant to Reduce Health Risk, May Wreak Havoc on Gut Microbiomes
“…One study found that noncaloric artificial sweeteners, including saccharin and sucralose, contributed to intestinal dysbiosis and poor glycemic control even in short-term trials with healthy participants who didn’t normally use such sweeteners. This is of particular concern, given that these products are often used by consumers seeking to decrease their sugar intake to improve glycemic control…” read it HERE
“Sucralose triggered painful diverticulitis for me. It took me many weeks to figure it out. However, stopping it cold was pretty fast and quite dramatic at relieving the daily attacks. Regards, ConnieS.”
But what happens when sucralose is heated up in vessels that have become oxidized, when sucralose is consumed in a hot drink? Read more HERE about potential problems at high temperatures.
What about vaping, when the sucralose is heated?
Vaping Sucralose: Is It Safe At All? What Are The Alternatives?
“…Caramelized sucralose builds up on coils shortening their life span (which may mean changing them or wicks more frequently). It also worsens the quality of e-liquid, but it isn’t carcinogenic itself. Burned sucralose is where there is an issue — it releases carcinogens at exceptionally high degrees…” Read more HERE
So, it seems to me, that before an artificial sweetener should be allowed in the food chain, all these possible concerns should have been addressed first. Food and drink safety agencies such as the American FDA (Food and Drug Administration) seem to care more about the profits of the food and drink industry than our health; I guess, what’s new? You only have to look at the history of the approval of Aspartame or Monosodium Glutamate — now there’s two good cases of government cover-ups on a massive scale.
*Scientific studies regarding sucralose found in lakes, rivers and wastewater treatment plants:
Metabolic Effects of Sucralose on Environmental Bacteria — HERE
J Toxicol. 2013; 2013
… Sucralose is, however, increasing in its concentration due to its inability to be degraded by pH and temperature changes [4]. It is presently in wastewater effluents at levels of several μg/L (ppb). The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency warns that its breakdown is slow and the ecological impact is largely unknown; they emphasize that certain concentration levels may lead to damaging arthropod and cyanobacteria communities [15]…
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Differential Bacteriostatic Effects of Sucralose on Various Species of Environmental Bacteria — HERE
International Scholarly Research Notices, Research Article | Open Access | Volume 2013 | Article ID 415070
[…] An unexpected contaminant in our aquatic and costal environments is artificial sweeteners [1]. Due to the human inability to metabolize them, they are passed on to the environment via human excrement. Naturally the highest concentration of artificial sweetener contaminants is in waste water treatment plants’ reservoirs. Artificial sweeteners such as saccharin and cyclamates are detected in lower concentrations and are found 90% degraded by the wastewater treatment process. Sucralose, however, is found in higher concentrations and is minimally degraded. […]
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Artificial Sweetener Sucralose in U.S. Drinking Water Systems — HERE
Environ. Sci. Technol. 2011, 45, 20, 8716–8722 Publication Date:August 31, 2011
The artificial sweetener sucralose has recently been shown to be a widespread of contaminant of wastewater, surface water, and groundwater. […]
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Occurrence of the artificial sweetener sucralose in coastal and marine waters of the United States — HERE
Marine Chemistry Volume 116, Issues 1–4, 20 November 2009, Pages 13–17
… The first concentration data for the artificial sweetener sucralose (Splenda®) is presented for North American coastal and open ocean waters. […]The data presented here suggest the persistence and widespread distribution of sucralose in natural aquatic matrices with subsequent incorporation into a major oceanographic current, the Gulf Stream, where global distribution may take place. …
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Analysis and occurrence of seven artificial sweeteners in German waste water and surface water and in soil aquifer treatment (SAT) HERE (Academia)
The widespread distribution of acesulfame, saccharin, cyclamate, and sucralose in the aquatic environment could be proven. Concentrations in two influents of German sewage treatment plants (STPs) were up to 190 μ g/L for cyclamate, about 40 μ g/L for acesulfame and saccharin, and less than 1 μ g/L for sucralose. Removal in the STPs was limited for acesulfame and sucralose and >94% for saccharin and cyclamate. The persistence of some artificial sweeteners during soil aquifer treatment was demonstrated and confirmed their environ-mental relevance. The use of sucralose and acesulfame astracers for anthropogenic contamination is conceivable. In German surface waters, acesulfame was the predominant artificial sweetener with concentrations exceeding 2 μ g/L. Other sweeteners were detected up to several hundred nanograms per liter in the order saccharin ≈ cyclamate >sucralose.
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Fate of Sucralose through Environmental and Water Treatment Processesand Impact on Plant Indicator Species — HERE
Environ. Sci. Technol. 2011, 45, 4, 1363–1369 Publication Date:January 14, 2011
… Though sucralose does not appear toxic to plant growth, the peristent qualities of sucralose may lead to chronic low-dose exposure with largely unknown consequences for human and environmental health.
All news articles about sucralose — HERE
