Splenda: Myth vs. Reality
Posted on March 17, 2007 under Splenda
Myth: Splenda is a form of natural sugar that’s calorie-free.
Reality: Johnson & Johnson, manufacturers of Splenda, have tried their hardest to equate Splenda with sugar through marketing efforts–and they’ve done a darn good job. Their slogan is “Think sugar, say Splenda.” And they claim that “Splenda is made from sugar, so it tastes like sugar.” They even named the compound sucralose; the improper use of “ose” encourages consumers to mentally align the word with “sucrose,” which is natural table sugar. Splenda is sweet due to a chlorocarbon chemical that contains three atoms of chlorine for every one of its molecules. Spokespersons for Splenda will tell you that sucralose is a sugar molecule with three of the hydroxyl groups replaced with chlorine atoms. However, Splenda manufacturers have patented several chemical processes for producing the chlorinated chemical compound. And the sucralose patent literature illustrates that sucralose can be derived from basic materials that don’t require natural sugar. For example, in one of the patents, sucralose is produced from raffinose by substituting atoms of chlorine for hydroxyl groups. Raffinose is a naturally occurring molecule found in beans, onions and other plants. But unlike sucrose, raffinose has little flavor. So both raffinose and sucrose can be engineered to produce the entirely new chlorocarbon chemical that’s called sucralose. Each sucralose molecule contains three chlorine atoms, which makes it 600 times sweeter than a sugar molecule, which contains no chlorine. Splenda’s artificial taste is derived from this chlorinated compound.
Myth: Splenda is safe for everyone to eat, including children.
Reality: Just because the FDA approves a food additive doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s safe. No long-term human studies have been conducted to gauge Splenda’s potential health risks. There are no conclusive laboratory tests that prove Splenda is safe for humans to consume. The public will not know for certain whether Splenda is truly safe for human consumption until long-term human studies are conducted.
Myth: Splenda has undergone rigorous laboratory tests.
Reality: Not one long-term human study has been conducted to ascertain any potential health risks of ingesting Splenda. The FDA has only relied on a small number of short-term tests when reviewing whether Splenda was fit for human consumption. Further, every one of these short-term tests was conducted by the manufacturer of Splenda, which seriously compromises scientific objectivity. Further, most of these incomprehensive tests were conducted on rats and rabbits, whose physiology differs vastly from that of humans.
Myth: Products containing Splenda don’t need warning labels.
Reality: It may be hard to believe, but Splenda is found in more than 3,500 packaged foods–absolutely none of which list Splenda or chlorine as an ingredient. No regulatory agency or scientific review body that has confirmed sucralose’s so-called safety requires a warning label of any kind. Yet consumers have a basic right to know every single ingredient that’s in their food; this is particularly important for children, whose bodies and brains are still developing. Consumers should be able to make informed decisions about their foods. This is particularly true for products that contain Splenda, as it’s a chemical substance that contains chlorine, and it has not been scrutinized by any long-term human studies.
Myth: Splenda simply passes through the body after being eaten, rather than being absorbed.
Reality: This is indeed what the manufacturer of Splenda claims. And consumers who realize they’re ingesting chlorine probably hope that such is the case. However, the FDA has found that up to 27 percent of sucralose can be absorbed by the human body after ingestion. This is not good news for products that contain a chlorine chemical substance and the people who eat them! It’s clear that the manufacturers of Splenda are not being completely honest with the public.
Myth: The form of chlorine that occurs in Splenda is similar to that found in other foods.
Reality: Splenda manufacturers claim that chlorine occurs naturally in foods such as mushrooms, lettuce and table salt–and they also cleverly avoid ever directly stating that eating Splenda is the same as eating those natural foods. No matter how you spin it, Splenda is not a naturally occurring substance. It is an artificial chemical sweetener engineered by adding three chlorine atoms to a sugar molecule. Again, since no long-term human studies have been conducted to ascertain Splenda’s safety for human consumption, no one can say with 100 percent certainty that it’s completely safe to ingest.
Myth: Consumers should feel comfortable believing Splenda’s advertisements.
Reality: Johnson & Johnson is a giant drug manufacturer, and it pays big bucks for slick advertising slogans that play on language to convince consumers that Splenda is perfectly natural and healthy. The corporate mantras are “Splenda is made from sugar, so it tastes like sugar” and “Think sugar, say Splenda.” Even the word sucralose is intentionally close to sucrose, which is natural table sugar. Splenda’s advertisements even substitute the word “Splenda” for “sugar” in feel-good fairy tale lines from childhood: “The Dance of the Splenda Plum Fairy;” “Splenda and Spice and Everything Nice;” “Roses are Red, Violets are Blue, Splenda is Sweet and So Are You.” But the bottom line is, Splenda is not sugar. It is a completely artificial chemical compound that contains chlorine. Period. And the more chlorine atoms that Splenda contains, the sweeter its flavor. Consumers not only deserve, but need, to know the truth about the ingredients in the foods they purchase to protect their own and their family members’ health.
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