CSPI Downgrades Splenda From "Safe" to "Caution"By Dr. MercolaThe  artificial sweetener   sucralose, better known by its brand name Splenda, has been on the US market for fifteen years.The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Splenda in 1998 based on more than 110 safety studies, only two of which were actually conducted on humans (these two studies consisted of a combined total of 36 people, of which only 23 people actually ingested sucralose!).Since then we've seen many red flags that this artificial sweetener is anything but safe, not the least of which are the many personal anecdotes of adverse reactions to Splenda, which are posted on my site.Research has also been conducted showing that Splenda is not the safe sugar alternative it was promoted to be (see below for a few examples), and now even the consumer advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) is sounding an alarm against this popular artificial sweetener.

CSPI Finally Gets It Right About Splenda

CSPI, a consumer watchdog group that focuses on nutrition and food safety, has finally downgraded Splenda from its former "safe" category to one of "caution." The move came following an unpublished study by an independent Italian laboratory that found Splenda may cause leukemia in mice.1 According to CSPI:2

"The only previous long-term feeding studies in animals were conducted by the compound's manufacturers."After more than 10 years, CSPI has finally gotten it right about Splenda, but generally this is an organization whose guidelines need to be taken with a grain of salt. For starters, while recommending that people avoid artificial sweeteners like aspartame and saccharin, they also consider drinking diet soda to be safer than drinking regular soda.Yet, there's little doubt in my mind that artificial sweeteners can be even worse for you than sugar and fructose, and there is scientific evidence to back up that conclusion. I am glad they finally came to their senses. I remember pleading with Michael Jacobson, their director, many years ago to reevaluate his position, but at the time he was convinced of Splenda's safety.CSPI also spearheaded a campaign against the use of healthful saturated fats during the 1980s, touting trans fats as a healthier alternative. It was largely the result of CSPI's campaign that fast-food restaurants replaced the use of beef tallow, palm oil and coconut oil with partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, which are high in synthetic trans fats   (linked to numerous chronic diseases like heart disease).

In 1988, CSPI even released an article praising trans fats and saying "there is little good evidence that trans fats cause any more harm than other fats" and "much of the anxiety over trans fats stems from their reputation as 'unnatural.'"3

It wasn't until the 1990s that CSPI reversed their position on synthetic trans fats, citing it as the greater public health danger, but the damage had already been done. Even to this day, many still mistakenly believe that margarine is a healthier choice than butter… but getting back to Splenda, it's a step in the right direction that CSPI has sounded an alarm over its use.

"Caution" Regarding Splenda Is Putting It Mildly...

I would instead say that this artificial sweetener should be avoided like the plague. In 2005, I wrote Sweet Deception, in which I expose the many concerns related to the consumption of artificial sweeteners. It's an extremely well-researched book, and it's every bit as valid today as it was when I first wrote it. I spent over three years, and had five health care professionals work on it with me to be absolutely sure of our findings.I did this because the maker of Splenda, Johnson & Johnson, had their New York legal firm write me a 20-page letter threatening to sue me if I published the book. Needless to say, the book was published and they never sued me as the information was all true.

Splenda is a synthetic chemical created in a laboratory. In the five-step patented process of making it, three chlorine molecules are added to one sucrose (sugar) molecule. Some will argue that natural foods also contain chloride, which is true.

However, in natural foods, the chloride is connected with ionic bonds that easily dissociate. In Splenda, they're in a covalent bond that does not dissociate. In fact, there are NO covalent chloride bonds to organic compounds in nature, only ionic. Covalent chloride bonds only exist in synthetic, man-made molecules. Aside from Splenda, other examples of synthetic covalently bound chloride compounds include:

DDT

PCBs

Agent Orange

Your body has no enzymes to break down this covalently bound chloride. Why would it? It never existed in nature, so the human body never had a reason to address it. And since it's not broken down and metabolized by your body, they can claim it to be non-caloric—essentially, it's supposed to pass right through you. However, the research (which is primarily extrapolated from animal studies)

indicates that about 15 percent of sucralose IS in fact absorbed into your digestive system, and ultimately stored in your body.

Splenda May Wreak Havoc Within Your Digestive Tract

Splenda has been found to be particularly damaging to your intestines. A study published in 2008 found that Splenda:4

Reduces the amount of beneficial bacteria in your intestines by 50 percent Increases the pH level in your intestines

Affects a glycoprotein in your body that can have crucial health effects, particularly if you're on certain medications like chemotherapy, or treatments for AIDS and certain heart conditions

Further, some of the initial studies done on Splenda revealed:

Decreased red blood cells -- sign of anemia -- at levels above 1,500 mg/kg/day

Increased male infertility by interfering with sperm production and vitality, as well as brain lesions at higher doses

Enlarged and calcified kidneys

Spontaneous abortions in nearly half the rabbit population given sucralose, compared to zero aborted pregnancies in the control group

A 23 percent death rate in rabbits, compared to a 6 percent death rate in the control group

Worse still, the longest of the two human trials conducted on Splenda lasted only four days and looked at sucralose in relation to tooth decay, not human tolerance! So if you've been ingesting Splenda for years, you're actually acting as a human guinea pig, as no one knows what happens when humans consume this substance for long periods. Even the health food giant Whole Foods counts sucralose on its list of unacceptable ingredients for food…5

Aspartame Also Linked to Leukemia

Splenda is not the only artificial sweetener   that has been linked to leukemia. The longest-ever human aspartame study, spanning 22 years, found a clear association between aspartame consumption and non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and leukemia in men.6The long-term nature of this study is really crucial because one of the primary tricks manufacturers use to hide the toxicity of their products are short-term trials.

The longest study prior to this one was only 4.5 months, far too short to reveal any toxicity from chronic exposure. Unfortunately, because there are so many of these short-term trials, manufacturers get away with saying that aspartame is one of the most studied food additives ever made and no health concerns have ever been discovered. Splenda's maker has used similar tricks as well.Aspartame is primarily made up of aspartic acid and phenylalanine. The phenylalanine has been synthetically modified to carry a methyl group, which provides the majority of the sweetness. That phenylalanine methyl bond, called a methyl ester, is very weak, which allows the methyl group on the phenylalanine to easily break off and form methanol. This is in sharp contrast to naturally-occurring methanol found in certain fruits and vegetables, where it is firmly bonded to pectin, allowing the methanol to be safely passed through your digestive tract.Methanol acts as a metabolic Trojan horse; it's carried into susceptible tissues in your body, like your brain and bone marrow, where the ADH enzyme converts it into formaldehyde, which wreaks havoc with sensitive proteins and DNA. All other animals, on the other hand, have a protective mechanism that allows methanol to be broken down into harmless formic acid… but, according to aspartame expert Dr. Woodrow Monte, there's a major biochemical problem with methanol in humans, because of the difference in how it's metabolized, compared to all other animals. This is why toxicology testing on animals is a flawed model. It doesn't fully apply to humans who are unable to convert the toxic formaldehyde into harmless formic acid.

Take the Artificial Sweetener-Free Challenge

It's quite possible that you could be having a reaction to artificial sweeteners and not even know it or be blaming it on another cause. For instance, the following reactions have all been reported after the consumption of Splenda:

Gastrointestinal problems Blurred vision

Migraines Allergic reactions

Seizures Blood sugar increases

Dizziness Weight gain

 

To determine if you're having a reaction to artificial sweeteners, take the following steps:

Eliminate all artificial sweeteners from your diet for two weeks.

After two weeks of being artificial sweetener-free, reintroduce your artificial sweetener of choice in a significant quantity (about three servings daily).

Avoid other artificial sweeteners during this period.

Do this for one to three days and notice how you feel, especially as compared to when you were consuming no artificial sweeteners.

If you don't notice a difference in how you feel after re-introducing your primary artificial sweetener for a few days, it's a safe bet you're able to tolerate it acutely, meaning your body doesn't have an immediate, adverse response. However,this doesn't mean your health won't be damaged in the long run.

If you've been consuming more than one type of artificial sweetener, you can repeat steps 2 through 4 with the next one on your list.

If you do experience side effects from Splenda, aspartame or any other food additive, please report it to the FDA (if you live in the US) without delay. It's easy to make a report — just go to the FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinator page, find the phone number for your state, and make a call reporting your reaction.

Try This Natural Alternative to Artificial Sweeteners

If you're in the mood for something sweet, the herb stevia is one of my favorite options for an occasional sweetener. It's a safe, natural plant that has been around for over 1,500 years and is ideal if you're watching your weight, or if you're maintaining your health by avoiding sugar. It is hundreds of times sweeter than sugar and has virtually no calories.Further, research suggests it may actually have some beneficial properties, as one study revealed that diabetic rats given stevia had a delayed but significant decrease in blood glucose level,7 without producing hypoglycemia, while also demonstrating a loss in body weight.Personally, I believe stevia is the best sweetener available today. Many complain about a bitter aftertaste with stevia, but this is typically related to the processing. I prefer to use it in its liquid form in flavors like English Toffee and French Vanilla (it only require a few drops to sweeten a drink). That said, like most choices, especially sweeteners, I recommend using it in moderation, just like sugar.

New Diet Pepsi Now Aspartame Free And Replaced With This Deadly Sweetener

http://www.healthy-holistic-living.com/new-diet-pepsi-now-aspartame-free-and-

replaced-with-this-deadly-sweetener.html

A significant portion of all scientific studies designed to establish “safety” for our

food and medicine are paid for by the very industries they serve. The Food and

Drug Administration says aspartame, best known by the brand names Equal

and NutraSweet, is “one of the most exhaustively studied substances in the

human food supply, with more than 100 studies supporting its safety.” Safe today

in the name corrupt science, toxic tomorrow when the truth is exposed. Are we

getting the message yet?

PepsiCo says it’s dropping aspartame from Diet Pepsi in the U.S. in response to

customer feedback and replacing it with sucralose, another artificial sweetener

commonly known as Splenda.

So is splenda any better than aspartame? In animals studied, 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.

Commenting on a report from Duke University in the Journal of Toxicology and

Environmental Health, James Turner, chairman of the national consumer

education group Citizens for Health, says “the report makes it clear that the

artificial sweetener Splenda and its key component sucralose pose a threat to the

people who consume the product. Hundreds of consumers have complained to

us about side effects from using Splenda.”

 

The decision to swap sweeteners comes as Americans keep turning away from

popular diet sodas. Competitor Coca-Cola said this week that sales volume for

Diet Coke, which also uses aspartame, fell five percent in North America in the

first three months of the year.

Monsanto, the creator of Aspartame knows all about the dangers. They fund

the American Diabetics Association. Monsanto spends million of dollars lobbying

the U.S. government to ensure its toxic products safely enter the food industry.

Our pleasure in consuming sweet solutions is driven to a great extent by the

amount of energy it provides. The greatest rewards in the brain are attributed to

sugars compared to artificial sweeteners which offer only short-term

pleasure at a huge health cost.

Commenting on the toxicity of sucralose, Turner said, “it is like putting a pesticide

in your body. And this is at levels of intake erroneously approved by the Food

and Drug Administration. A person eating two slices of cake and drinking two

cups of coffee containing Splenda would ingest enough sucralose to affect the P-

glycoprotein” Although the effect of consuming Splenda does not result from a

one time use, the side effects do occur after accumulated use. Turner also noted

unmistakable evidence that Splenda is absorbed by fat, contrary to the claims of

Johnson & Johnson.

Executives at Coke and Pepsi blame the declines in sales on perceptions that

aspartame isn’t safe and hence the reason for the swap over to a substance no

healthier and almost as toxic as aspartame.

John Sicher, publisher of industry tracker Beverage Digest, noted that attitudes

about aspartame can be very negative. Using an online tool called Topsy that

measures Twitter sentiment on a scale of 0 to 100, he noted “aspartame” got a

22 ranking, below a 38 ranking for “Congress.”

By comparison, “love” had a ranking of 96 and “Christmas” had a ranking of 88.

“Aspartame is the No. 1 reason consumers are dropping diet soda,” said Seth

Kaufman, vice-president of Pepsi.

GOING FROM BAD TO WORSE?

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 11 to 27 percent of ingested

sucralose is absorbed by the human body (FDA 1998). Research published by

the manufacturer of sucralose (Roberts 2000) shows that when 8 healthy male

adults where given sucralose (in 1 mg/kg amounts), between 10.4% and 30.6%

of the sucralose was absorbed. In addition, 1.6% to 12.2% of the sucralose

accumulates in the body.

The only reason aspartame has been forced out of soda is by increasing public

awareness that it is both a neurotoxin and an underlying cause of chronic illness

worldwide. Dr. James Bowen, Researcher and biochemist, reports:

“Splenda/sucralose is simply chlorinated sugar; a chlorocarbon. Common

chlorocarbons include carbon tetrachloride, trichlorethelene and methylene

chloride, all deadly. Chlorine is nature’s Doberman attack dog, a highly excitable,

ferocious atomic element employed as a biocide in bleach, disinfectants,

insecticide, WWI poison gas and hydrochloric acid.

“Sucralose is a molecule of sugar chemically manipulated to surrender three

hydroxyl groups (hydrogen + oxygen) and replace them with three chlorine

atoms. Natural sugar is a hydrocarbon built around 12 carbon atoms. When

turned into Splenda it becomes a chlorocarbon, in the family of Chlorodane,

Lindane and DDT.

“It is logical to ask why table salt, which also contains chlorine, is safe while

Splenda/sucralose is toxic? Because salt isn’t a chlorocarbon. When molecular

chemistry binds sodium to chlorine to make salt carbon isn’t included. Sucralose

and salt are as different as oil and water.

“Unlike sodium chloride, chlorocarbons are never nutritionally compatible with our

metabolic processes and are wholly incompatible with normal human metabolic

functioning. When chlorine is chemically reacted into carbon-structured organic

compounds to make chlorocarbons, the carbon and chlorine atoms bind to each

other by mutually sharing electrons in their outer shells. This arrangement

adversely affects human metabolism because our mitochondrial and cellular

enzyme systems are designed to completely utilize organic molecules containing

carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and other compatible nutritional elements.

“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.

In test animals Splenda produced swollen livers, as do all chlorocarbon poisons,

and also calcified the kidneys of test animals in toxicity studies. The brain and

nervous system are highly subject to metabolic toxicities and solvency damages

by these chemicals. Their high solvency attacks the human nervous system and

many other body systems including genetics and the immune function. Thus,

chlorocarbon poisoning can cause cancer, birth defects, and immune system

destruction. These are well known effects of Dioxin and PCBs which are known

deadly chlorocarbons.”

Dr. Bowen continues: “Just like aspartame, which achieved marketplace approval

by the Food and Drug Administration when animal studies clearly demonstrated

its toxicity, sucralose also failed in clinical trials with animals. Aspartame created

brain tumors in rats. Sucralose has been found to shrink thymus glands (the

biological seat of immunity) and produce liver inflammation in rats and mice.

“In the coming months we can expect to see a river of media hype expounding

the virtues of Splenda/sucralose. We should not be fooled again into accepting

the safety of a toxic chemical on the blessing of the FDA and saturation

advertising. In terms of potential long-term human toxicity we should regard

sucralose with its chemical cousin DDT, the insecticide now outlawed because of

its horrendous long term toxicities at even minute trace levels in human, avian,

and mammalian tissues.

Synthetic chemical sweeteners are generally unsafe for human consumption.

This toxin was given the chemical name “sucralose” which is a play on the

technical name of natural sugar, sucrose. One is not the other. One is food, the

other is toxic; don’t be deceived.

GET READY FOR SUCRALOSE IN YOUR DIET SODA

PepsiCo says reformulated Diet Pepsi will start hitting shelves in August. The

change only applies to the U.S. market and will affect all varieties of Diet Pepsi,

such as Caffeine Free Diet Pepsi and Wild Cherry Diet Pepsi. It will not apply to

other PepsiCo drinks, such as Diet Mountain Dew.

Representatives for Coca-Cola did not immediately respond to a request for

comment.

Volumes for Diet Pepsi and Diet Coke began falling in 2005 and 2006,

respectively, according to Beverage Digest. Volumes have continued falling

since then, and accelerated in the last two years.

Sources: 

globenewswire.com

cbc.ca

holisticmed.com

Marco Torres is a research specialist, writer and consumer advocate

for healthy lifestyles. He holds degrees in Public Health and

Environmental Science and is a professional speaker on topics such as

disease prevention, environmental toxins and health policy.

Splenda Goes from ‘Safe’ to ‘Caution’ after Leukemia Found in Mice

A food safety advocacy group has downgraded its rating for

sucralose, the artificial sweetener better known as Splenda, from

“safe” to “caution” in its chemical guide to food additives.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a nonprofit

watchdog group, announced that it was downgrading its  safety

rating of sucralose from “safe” to “caution,” meaning that the

additive “may pose a risk and needs to be better tested.”

A recent study, done at an independent Italian laboratory has

indicated that when mice were fed with Splenda regularly, they

developed leukemia. This evidence, on top of the long list of

studies discouraging the use of Splenda, is a major reason the

FDA has changed its safety rating.

A 2002 study showed that Splenda ingestion damaged the DNA of

mice. DNA damage can be a cause of cancer in many cases. In a

2008 study, researchers reported that Splenda ingestion had the

potential to kill off necessary bacteria in the gastrointestinal

tract. Killing this bacteria can often lead to disorders like irritable

bowel syndrome, as this bacteria often helps with digestion and

fights off invaders. In this unpublished study, researchers found

that the sucralose can cause leukemia in mice who are exposed

before birth.(3)”

“Previously, the only long-term animal-feeding studies were done

by sucralose’s manufacturers, the CSPI said.

So what’s a splenda user to do? According to CSPI your best bet is

to skip it all together. “In order to avoid the risks of both sugars

and non-caloric sweeteners, the CSPI is encouraging people to

switch to water, seltzer water, flavored unsweetened waters,

seltzer mixed with some fruit juice or unsweetened iced tea.”

After this information was released to the public a statement was

released by Johnson and Johnson, which markets Splenda, stating

that “more than 110 studies conducted over 20 years have

proven the safety of sucralose.”

Original Source: Healthy Holistic Living

 

Source:

(1) http://www.foxnews.com/health/

2013/06/12/how-safe-is-splenda-group-urges

-caution-for-artificial-sweetener/#ixzz2c7aJgdg4

(2) http://news.msn.com/

us/splenda-goes-from-safe-to-caution-after-leukemia-found-in-

mice

(3) http://www.medicaldaily.com/

if-splendas-side-effects-include-leukemia-

its-safety-rating-will-plummet-safe-caution-246757

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