SPLENDA IS SCARY STUFF
A new study done at Duke University and published this past week in the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A has some frightening news about Splenda (sucralose).
According to the study, the use of Splenda:
- Reduces the amount of good bacteria in the intestines by 50%.
- Increases the pH level in the intestines.
- Contributes to increases in body weight.
- And affects the P-glycoprotein (P-gp) in the body in such a way that crucial health-related drugs could be rejected.
The study, authored by Drs. Mohamed B. Abou-Donia, Eman M. El-Masry, Ali A. Abdel-Rahman, Roger E. McLendon and Susan S. Schiffman, was conducted using male rats over a period of twelve weeks.
You have probably heard of some downsides to artificial sweetners, especially Nutrasweet. A lot of the complaints had some merit but were not conclusive, but this one seems especially damning and outright scary!
There’s a lot of talk about lack of oversight in banking. Looks like the FDA needs some help big time.
Source: Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A, Volume 71, Issue 21 January 2008 , pages 1415 - 1429.
An update: I have received emails from people saying that this study was sponsored by the sugar lobby and that we should the results above with a “grain of salt” (sorry to mix small white stuff). So I had to do some digging.
According to an article in the New York Times:
The study was in fact funded by the Sugar Lobby. It turns out that there is a serious feud going on between these two lobbies. Splenda was sued by the Sugar Lobby back in 2004 for saying,
“made like sugar, so it tastes like sugar.”
They have sinced changed the tagline. Anyway, getting back to the main issue, one has to decide if scientists at Duke University would actually create false data for the Sugar Lobby.
Wierder things have happened, but this would be serious stuff. One of the lead researchers of the study, Dr. Mohamed B. Abou-Donia, said Monday that the Sugar Association had “no input” into the study’s findings and conclusions.
My recommendation - stay away from sugar and sucralose, and while you are at it stay away from NutraSweet too!
Almost all of the most recent research (even excluding the research above) indicates that they cause weight gain at the very least. Our weight loss psychologist says that it takes four days of staying away from these substances to end the cravings.
If you need help with weight loss, you can download Dr. Temes’ free ebook here:
Scientific Weight Loss Secrets Revealed
It is a great read.
{ 22 comments… read them below or add one }
Are you really recommending the 7 minute workout program because you tried it or are you just trying to ride on the “paid affiliate” train? You’re the second company that has “tried” the program and has “recommended” it. I can’t see how you can be impartial to a program that is paying you to promote it.
What your readers need to do is read a more scientific analysis of chlorocarbon metabolism by Dr. James Bowen: http://www.wnho.net/splenda_chlorocarbon.htm because it’s not the chlorine itself, but the resulting chemical of replacing hydroxyls with chlorine, chlorocarbon, that’s causing problems.
“You have probably heard of some downsides to artificial sweetners, especially Nutrasweet. A lot of the complaints had some merit but were not conclusive, but this one seems especially damning and outright scary!..”
So, you’re damning chlorocarbons, but you’re not damning aspartame (Nutrasweet)? How can you damn one evil yet ignore the other evil is even more evil?
As far as those “complaints,” all your readers have to do is look up the neuro-toxilogical studies on biological metabolism concerning aspartame. If your readers want to do their experiment, just open up a packet of Nutrasweet and pour it in the trail of sweet loving ants. Watch what happens to that ant colony over the weeks…
Thanks for the great post. I’ve been on the
anti-artificial sweetener bandwagon from
the beginning. Would love a personal chat.
Hey Jose,
I understand your concern and this does happen. I only recommend what I use and review. I know Jon Benson personally as he is in Dallas and I am in Fort Worth. He personally has trained me using 7-minute muscle
I am curious; I know Stevia is a natural sweetener, but my understanding of the effects (barring other negative effects, because we know there are many) of artifical sweeteners on weight gain is because the sweetness ‘tricks’ the body into producing more insulin, so the body then stores more than it might otherwise store. Please correct me if I am wrong . My question is: Does Stevia have the same effect on weight gain because of the sweetness?
Thanks for that info about Splenda Michael. I have posted it to several groups. Here is some more info if you are interested….
(Splenda) Sucralose Toxicity Information Center
http://www.holisticmed.com/splenda/
SPLENDA IS NOT SPLENDID!
http://www.wnho.net/splenda.htm
THE LETHAL SCIENCE OF SPLENDA
A POISONOUS CHLOROCARBON By James Bowen, M.D.
http://www.wnho.net/splenda_chlorocarbon.htm
The Truth About Splenda
Splenda’s advertising claims that it is’Made from Sugar, so it Tastes like Sugar’ What they don’t tell you is that Splenda is not natural, it’s a chlorinated artificial sweetener. Learn more ..
http://www.truthaboutsplenda.com/
The Secret Dangers of Splenda (Sucralose), an Artificial Sweetener
http://www.mercola.com/2000/dec/3/sucralose_dangers.htm
http://www.mercola.com/fcgi/pf/2004/jul/21/splenda.htm
http://www.mercola.com/2000/dec/3/sucralose_testimonials.htm
http://www.mercola.com/2003/nov/8/splenda_dangers.htm
These are from the files of MCS-Canada.
Shan
I appreciate the information. Thanks.
I went to Jon’s website. I decided to order the product. I was then thrown into the old “bait and switch” game — upgrade. Deluxe upgrade. I refuse to do business with any company that behaves that way or that supports such business practices.
They studied with RATS - for 12 weeks? How about humans? How about years of study - it sounds scary alright ….
There are so many researches going on the Sugar substitutes, proving them to be harmful. Why there are no researches on finding a healthier and better ones which would help the diabetics?
Whatever seem to be a good one in the market - someone somewhere is conducting researchers to prove them to be harmful. It is no doubt good but they should pay attention to find better substitutes to sugar too. Frankly speaking NO attention is being paid in that department.
Can I know which is the best sugar subsitute in the market at present which is helpful for diabetics? If there are no subsitutes then requesting the researchers to pay their attention to find one.
The safest non caloric sweetener that I know of is Stevia. It is made from the stevia plant. Manufacturing involves drying the roots and grinding it into a white powder. You can buy the powder or liquid form. I like the liquid. It’s easier to control the sweetness when adding it to your food. Because it is processed and sold by multiple companies, the taste will vary according to the brand.
From what I understand, it actually helps balance the blood sugar. Cinnamon capsules also are helpful for some diabetics in balancing their sugar levels.
I recently heard that Coca-Cola is looking into making diet soda with stevia. Japan has been using it successfully for years in their diet products.
Hope it helps:-).
Renee
How about just not eating refined sugar? That’ll do it! (Even better, try eating raw food – it’s naturally sweet, and healthy.)
Bill in Manassas obviously doesn’t know what “bait-and-switch” means. That’s the practice of offering one product at a very low price and then not having that product in inventory and a substitute is offered at a greater price. What is offered on the website is called “upselling”. That means you have the CHOICE of purchasing more at a greater price but are not required to do so. For example, someone can order a hamburger and they’ll be upsold fries with that. It hardly requires you to purchase the fries to get the hamburger.
Just about every company on the planet uses some form of upselling so it would be pretty tough to purchase anything if you only dealt with companies that didn’t upsell.
Some people have no common sense.
Try the latest sugar alcohol sweetener “Zero” (Whole Foods has) made from erythritol; different from xylitol, sorbitol, and malitol because it is fermented not hydrogenated (does not cause gastrointestinal upset.)
I’ve used in baking, looks like granulated sugar & instructions say use 1/3 more.
You can read more at the BodyEcology.com website, look under products she sells her own version called “Lakanto”, is a mix of erythritol and Chinese luo han guo fruit extract. Body Ecology caters specifically to probiotic, yeast issues.
Another blog suggests for those with yeast issues take several glasses of warm water, then add different sweeteners to each to see if yeast grows– said Splenda-fed yeast was 3x growth rate of regular sugar (although I haven’t tested myself)
To follow up on e. ortiz’s comment - I don’t think a study with a dozen rats is very conclusive although it is interesting. And I’d be interesting to know who funded the study - the sugar industry, the folks at Equal or ??? And also I’d be interesting to know if you read the article or just an article about the article. Is there a place on line where I can read the entire article (I tried but so far can’t find an on-line site where I can do this unless I pay a fee.) Thanks.
I switched to using Splenda because I believed all the hype that it was made from real sugar, blah blah blah. Thanks for the news, but this kind of sucks for those of us who want to eat less sugar but can’t give up the soda just yet.
YIKES!! This is really scary. I am going to clean out my cupboards this weekend. I think I’ll try using honey or something else natural instead. Anyone know if honey has these same problems? Should I watch out for this too?
You publish a lot interesting articles and the Splenda is something I have suspected for quite sometime regarding the increase in body weight. I am curious if the same holds true for Sweet-n-Low. Have there been any studies on that product?
Unfortunately as for the 7 minute workout, those are websites I usually bounce out of quickly, which I did with that website, as they tell me nothing or offer me nothing, just “buy, buy, buy”.
Now on the other hand, when I visit your blog, you always have useful blogs and it not just a page full of hard sell. Thanks for keeping your site useful.
There is NOTHING wrong with honey! They say it’s the perfect food! It stores indefinitely (although it turns to sugar-solid and may seem unusuable) and it has some anti-bacterial and anti-biotic properties (Remember: this is the food bees make to feed their young!) … I have been on the “Honey Kick” for a while, now, although the sudden rise in CCD (Colony Collapse Disorder) has made it expensive. Scientists don’t know why bee colonies are suddenly shrinking. Perhaps it’s all these artificial sweeteners. They hate the competition! I heartily suggest honey over all the others!!!
First the Splenda issue. Rememeber the studies on Sweet and Low that it caused cancer and all kinds of other medical conditions? That was after feeding test rodents enough of it to kill and elephant. The word here is moderation. Your aware table salt is listed as a toxic substance!!
Next, the 7 minute work out sounds great. Everything is done in seven minutes and you’ll look like an 18 year old girl in a Bikini, and guys like Arnold S…. the body builder, all in seven minutes.
The only certainty here is the $97.00 your gonna spend in two minutes on another CD or book for the shelf.
Concerning Splenda, thanks for the info. My parents are using it and I forwarded the message. Someone previously talked about Stevia. Well I’ve been using it since years and I like it. I’ve done no such Rats, mice, ants or yeast experiments but from what I’ve read on the Net all information except the heavily lobied FDA are positive about it and go so far as to recommend it for blood pressure reducer when taken in large quantities….juk! I’s sweet enough at normal doses.
What I never heard of is the ‘Zero’ stuff of which I’ll inform myself on the net…although I’m quite happy with stevia. Cheap and healty.
The biggest problem with all this artifical crap we keep ingesting is that nobody seems to want to do the other thing that you have to do, every once in a while - FLUSH! Your system, like an automobile, needs to be cleaned. The artificials leave bits and bobs clinging to the insides of you and you need to be scrubbed. What I don’t understand is why people don’t think about this and, when they do hear about it, why they don’t do anything about it! If you’ve never “cleansed”, think of what is impacted inside of you. Then, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!!
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