Splenda – Consider the Risks

So what’s the problem with eating sweets?

The short answer – they all elevate your blood sugar too much! Sugar and bad fats are your worst enemies. When we’re told to stop eating sugar, we think, “Oh, I can’t eat table sugar (cane or beet sugar)”, so we look for a substitute. We think that agave syrup, honey, molasses, maple sugar, date sugar, etcetera must be ok.

No – they all still elevate blood sugar too much which leads to lots of degenerative diseases.

So if all of those calorie containing sweeteners ruin my health, I’ll switch to artificial sweeteners.

Don’t we all wish it was that easy, that a safe artificial sweetener actually exists? Unfortunately, the artificial sweeteners have their health hazards too.

First let’s review Splenda, a popular artificial sweetener on the market now.

Production of Splenda:  (also known as Sucralose)

Splenda begins as sugar molecule which is glucose bound to a fructose molecule. To convert it to the synthetic chemical Splenda the manufacturers add 3 molecules of chlorine to it.

So why would we want to eat chlorine? The Merck Manual and OSHA list chlorine as a possible carcinogen.  We filter our tap water to remove the chlorine and other chemicals. Doesn’t seem to make much sense to remove chlorine from one source and eat it from another.

In the 5-step process of converting sugar to Splenda it finally becomes a fructo-galactose molecule, which doesn’t occur in nature so our bodies cannot metabolize it.  Splenda does have calories, but we just cannot utilize them. Except for some folks who can absorb up to 15% of the Splenda, depending on a person’s metabolism.

In research studies Splenda affected animals adversely:
Reduced growth rate in newborns and adults at levels above 500 mg/kg/day
Decreased red blood cells – – sign of anemia (at levels above 1500 mg/kg/day
Decreased thyroxine levels (thyroid function)
Mineral losses (magnesium and phosphorus)
Decreased urination
Enlarged colon
Splenda animal studies continued:
Enlarged liver and brain
Shrunken ovaries
Shrunken thymus above 3 grams per day
Enlarged and calcified kidneys
Increased adrenal cortical hemorrhagic degeneration
Increased cataracts
Abnormal liver cells

To find out how Splenda affects you:
Eliminate all artificial sweeteners for 5 days
Then eat at least 3 servings of Splenda per day
Listen to your body.
Does it feel different than when your body was cleansed of all artificial sweeteners?

Even if you do not notice any acute adverse affects BEWARE! What happens to the 15% absorbed? The long term effects are totally unknown. Only 6 research trials were studied in humans and the longest one only lasted 3 months, hardly long enough to get any idea of the long term risks of ingesting Splenda.

Splenda looks more like DDT than sugar to your body. It’s in the chlorocarbon class of chemicals. DDT and PCBs are also chlorocarbons.

Dr. Bowen, MD, a physician and biochemist who survived aspartame poisoning says this:
http://www.holisticmed.com/splenda/bowen.html
“By this process chlorocarbons such as sucralose deliver chlorine directly into our cells through normal metabolization. This makes them effective insecticides and preservatives. Preservatives must kill anything alive to prevent bacterial decomposition.”
Dr. Bowen believes ingested chlorocarbon damage continues with the formation of other toxins: “Any chlorocarbons not directly excreted from the body intact can cause immense damage to the processes of human metabolism and, eventually, our internal organs. The liver is a detoxification organ which deals with ingested poisons. Chlorocarbons damage the hepatocytes, the liver’s metabolic cells, and destroy them.”
On his website Dr. Mercola reports that people eating Splenda have reported these symptoms:
Depression
Anxiety
Stomach pain
Migraines
Diarrhea
And more

Personally I have never eaten Splenda. I just do not trust man-made chemical products. I use a little Stevia (an herb) to sweeten herbal teas and other food occasionally. Xylitol in small amounts may be ok and can help prevent tooth decay.

The less sweets we eat, the less we will crave that sweet taste and the healthier we will be.

For more detailed information about the possible adverse affects of Splenda on the human body, refer to these websites:
http://www.holisticmed.com/splenda/bowen.html
http://www.holisticmed.com/splenda/research-adverse.html

Blessings
Dr. Jo