The Dangers of Splenda

Splenda is a zero calorie sugar alternative in those little yellow packets that's been on the market with FDA approval since 1998. Splenda is the only alternative sweetener that is actually made from sugar. The sugar molecule is modified to such a degree that Splenda passes through your body undigested, unmetabolized, and not in any way absorbed. This modified molecule is called sucralose. It is more chemically similar to DDT, the dangerous insecticide, than it is to sugar.

Splenda is 600 times sweeter than sugar ¹. Yet, despite it's sugary sweetness, Splenda contains no calories or carbohydrates. The company that makes Splenda, McNeil Nutritionals, has repeatedly argued that Splenda has endured some of the most demanding food trials on record for any food additive (they were conducted on animals, it should be noted). It is too soon to definitively say whether or not Splenda is as dangerous as aspertame, which has been linked to cancer, but keep in mind that Splenda is unrecognized by the body as food. Eating Splenda is not that different than eating a piece of Saran Wrap that passes through your body undigested. However, Splenda does deposit in the body, and the accumulation is what is potentially dangerous over the long term.

Splenda: A Natural Sweetener?

The chemical name of Splenda is sucralose. While sucralose begins as as a sugar molecule, it is the process by which it's made that is concerning. Sucralose is a synthetic chemical that is manufactured in a five-step patented process. During this process, three chlorine molecules are added to a sugar molecule. The initial, natural sugar molecule is a disaccharide made up of two single sugars bound together; these single sugars are glucose and fructose.

The chemical process used in making sucralose modifies the chemical makeup of the sugar so much that it is converted into a molecule that does not normally occur in nature. Because this artificial molecule is not natural, the body does not know how to metaboize it. According to the manufacturers of Splenda, this is the very grounds on which Splenda is calorie neutral -- it is not broken down or metabolized by the body. Splenda simply passes through your digestive track without depositing any caloric residue.

This is misleading, however, as Splenda's no calorie status would only hold up if the body did have the capability to metabolize it. More troubling, the fact that sucralose is a wholly artificial ingredient proves questions about its safety, especially if used in large amounts over a long period of time. There is the additional matter of insulin reaction. While research reports are still inconclusive, the medical research community widely theorises that Splenda elicits an increase in insulin levels, which, despite the calorie content, will signal the body to hold on to fat reserves or even store more fat.