Toxic Damage From Splenda

Splenda is a chlorinated hydrocarbon which is very different that sugar. It is sugar modified with chlorine. Chlorine is a carcinogen. Recent studies show that Splendashow that it is gentoxic and alters DNA.

Comet assay tests groups of 4 mice to show sucralose genotoxicity in
stomach, colon, lung, Yu F Sasaki et al, Mutation Research 2002.


from Mark Gold
Splenda was first developed as a pesticide and its pre-approval research showed that it caused shrunken thymus glands (up to 40% shrinkage) and enlarged liver and kidneys, and calcification in the kidneys.

[Toxicologist Judith] Bellin reviewed studies on rats starved under experimental conditions, and concluded that their growth rate could be reduced by as much as a third without the thymus losing a significant amount of weight (less than 7 percent). The changes were much more marked in rats fed on sucralose. While the animals' growth rate was reduced by between 7 and 20 percent, their thymuses shrank by as much as 40 percent.

Other adverse effects reported in pre-approval research included:

* Shrunken thymus glands (up to 40% shrinkage) (EO56)
* Enlarged liver and kidneys. (EO57 & E161)
* Atrophy of lymph follicles in the spleen and thymus (EO51, EO56, EO151)
* Increased cecal weight (E151)
* Reduced growth rate (EO57)
* Decreased red blood cell count (EO55)
* Hyperplasia of the pelvis (EO57)
* Extension of the pregnancy period
* Aborted pregnancy (E134)
* Decreased fetal body weights and placental weights (EO32)

# Sucralose Breaks Down
Despite the manufacturer's mis-statements, sucralose does break down into small amounts of 1,6-dichlorofructose, a chemical that has not been adequately tested in humans.

# Independent, Long-Term Human Research
None. Manufacturer's "100's of studies" (some of which show hazards) were clearly inadequate and do not demonstrate safety in long-term use.

# Chlorinated Pesticides
The manufacturer claims that the chlorine added to sucralose is similar to the chlorine atom in the salt (NaCl) molecule. That is not the case. Sucralose may be more like ingesting tiny amounts of chlorinated pesticides, but we will never know without long-term, independent human research.

# Conclusion
While it is unlikely that sucralose is as toxic as the poisoning people are experiencing from Monsanto's aspartame, it is clear from the hazards seen in pre-approval research and from its chemical structure that years or decades of use may contribute to serious chronic immunological or neurological disorders.