In 2013, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) reassessed the safety of sucralose and demoted this widely used artificial sweetener from “safe” to “caution” based on the then-unpublished study by the Ramazzini Institute.
At the beginning of this year, the study was officially published in the peer-reviewed International Journal of Occupational and Environment Health. A month later, the CSPI decided to take matter even further, dragging sucralose deeper into the pit hole, from “caution” to straight-up “avoid.”
“That said, the risk posed by over-consumption of sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, particularly from soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages, of diabetes, heart disease, and obesity, far outweighs the cancer risk posed by sucralose and most other artificial sweeteners. Consumers are better off drinking water, seltzer, or flavored waters, but diet soda does beat regular soda,” says Micheal F. Jacobson, the president of the CSPI.
So, should we be worried?
What Is Splenda?
Sucralose, also commonly known under the brand name Splenda, is a non-caloric artificial sweetener and is 600 times sweeter than plain old white sugar. Due to its powerful punch of sweetness, sucralose is balanced out with other less sweet sweeteners like maltodextrin or dextrose, which is not calorie free. The body absorbs less than 20% of sucralose and the little amount that does enter the bloodstream is excreted through urine.
Sucralose is used in a wide range of food products such as soda, tea, and coffee. The use of sucralose as a tabletop sweetener was first approved by the FDA in 1998.
Is It Safe?
Several governmental agencies declare sucralose as safe for human consumption. They include: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), European Union Scientific Committee on Food (SCF), Health Protection Branch of Health and Welfare Canada, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Japan’s Ministry of Health and Welfare, Food Standards Australia/New Zealand (FSANZ), World Health Organization (WHO).
The acceptable daily intake (ADI) of sucralose varies between 5 to 15 mg/kg of body weight. This limit is established based on animal studies, from which we have downgraded to 100x less than what is observed.
U.S. (FDA): 5 mg/kg of weight
Canada (Health Canada): 9 mg/kg of weight
Europe: 15 mg/kg of weight.
Who Should Not Consume Sucralose?
Some people experience migraines following the consumption of sucralose, although evidence remains weak to establish a causal relationship. If you are suffering from a chronic migraine, try removing sucralose from your diet and see if it improves.
What Experts are Saying
In light of the Ramazzini Institute study, many experts are voicing their opinion. An excellent article posted by the International Food Information Council Foundation (IFIC) shared the several flaws of the study (a must-read if you are interested in the matter).
Here is a summary of their arguments:
- FDA has reviewed over 110 studies published before they ascertain the safety of sucralose. Their review should not be discredited by this single study.
- The amount of sucralose assigned by the researchers translates to 100 to 3200 times higher than the ADI set by the FDA. In other words, you would need to eat a s***load of sucralose to maybe experience the carcinogenic effect observed in the study.
- Infection, not sucralose, was the cause of cancer in the animals.
- Overall quality of the research study is poor.
Moral of the story: You can continue to enjoy Splenda… until further research proves otherwise!
References:
Kris S. Fast Take: Sucralose & Health. IFIC. URL Link. Published February 8, 2016. Accessed September 26, 2016.
Le Splenda, est-ce dangereux pour la santé? Extenso. URL Link. Updated September 3, 2013. Accessed September 26, 2016.
