Artificial sweeteners like Sucralose are more toxic than people think. In fact, new study shows that Splenda may damage gut bacteria and boost weight gain
A new study published in published in the journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health indicates that the artificial sweetener, sucralose is more harmful than what the majority of people think. According to researchers in this study, cooking with sucralose at high temperatures can generate a toxic class of compounds known as chloropropanols. Also, sucralose could change insulin, glucose and glucagon-like pep-tide 1 (GLP-1) levels.
Here are the overviews of 5 biological issues that sucralose can cause:
1. Sucralose can change the body’s metabolic parameters and result in obesity: Sucralose can increase insulin level in obese women and healthy individuals and lead to type 1 diabetes.
2. Sucralose changes P-gp and CYP expression: Sucralose can increase the expression of refflux transporter P-gp and CYP metabolizing enzymes and interferes with bioavailability of drugs for heart failure, HIV infection and organ rejection.
3. Currently, the health and metabolic fate of sucralose metabolites are unknown: Despite other research that claims that sucralose doesn’t alter the body’s metabolism, the results show that sucralose can result in unknown changes and more research is needed to determine how sucralose in handled by the body.
4. Sucralose changes indigenous bacterial balance in the GIT: Sucralose can reduce the number of beneficial (good) bacteria in gastrointestinal tract (e.g., lactobacilli, bifidobacteria) and increase the number of detrimental bacteria (e.g., enterobacteria).
5. Many toxicological problems regarding sucralose are unknown: More research is required to determine numorous toxicological issues that sucralose can pose to body, which some of them are potential damage to DNA, generation of toxic chloropropanols during baking, and potential epigenetic alterations, particularly for the sucralose hydrolysis product 1,6-DCF (which is an alkylating agent).
Other studies show that artificial sweeteners affect the way the body reacts to glucose:
In a study, the researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis discovered that artificial sweeteners (Splenda®) can modify how the body processes sugar. The researchers found that sucralose may influence glucose and insulin levels, but further studies are required to learn more about long-term side effects of sucralose.
The leading author of the study, Pepino, PhD, said that "Although we found that sucralose affects the glucose and insulin response to glucose ingestion, we don't know the mechanism responsible. We have shown that sucralose is having an effect. In obese people without diabetes, we have shown sucralose is more than just something sweet that you put into your mouth with no other consequences."
"What these all mean for daily life scenarios is still unknown, but our findings are stressing the need for more studies," Pepino said. "Whether these acute effects of sucralose will influence how our bodies handle sugar in the long term is something we need to know."
As toxic as artificial sweeteners are, sucralose is used in more than 5,000 consumer products ranging from Halloween candies to diet sodas:
Sucralose, marketed as Splenda exists in thousands of consumer products that millions of people use across the globe, however, the governmental regulatory agencies have miserably failed to ban toxic artificial sweeteners like sucralose.
The giant pharmaceutical company known as Johnson & Johnson, through its subsidiary business McNeil Nutritionals, owns Splenda. Recently, Johnson & Johnson had to go through double lawsuits by its competitors who sell artificial sweeteners (known as Splenda's rival Equal and Merisant Co) since Johnson & Johnson falsely marketed Splenda (Sucralose) as a natural substance made from sugar which also tastes like sugar, but has zero calories.
Despite, all these insidious methods and cunning corporate marketing tactics, there is no guarantee that toxic artificial sweeteners including aclame, acesulfame Potassium, sucralose, cyclamate, saccrhin and aspartame are safe and more and more studies are linking these sweeteners with many health problems like cancer, diabetes and neurological issues.
Recently, the researchers at Mercyhurst University found toxic sucralose in beach waters of Presque Isle State Park. The leading author of the study, Dr. Amy Parente, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry at Mercyhurst says that 95% of ingested sucralose is not metabolized by the body and is excreted into the water supply. “Although, the long-term health effect of sucralose on human’s health are yet to be determined, sucralose in the water can have repercussions like altered water taste and biological health effects”, Parente said. “Another problem is that sucralose in the environment can provide a false signal for nutrient availability so organisms feeling that their food supply is adequate show decreased foraging behavior, which can ultimately affect their ability to survive”.
Resources:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130529190728.htm
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/10937404.2013.842523
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/10/121023172210.htm
