Splenda is a chlorinated hydrocarbon. Contrary to its groovy-sounding clever corporate name, Splenda is not "splendid," it is just the latest in a long line of artificial chemical sweeteners produced by major chemical manufacturing corporations, all of which have turned out to have either short-term acute toxicity or long-term chrnic toxicity.

by James K. Sayre

Contrary to its groovy-sounding clever corporate name, Splenda is not "splendid," it is just the latest in a long line of artificial chemical sweeteners, all of which have turned out to have short-term acute toxicity, long-term chrnic toxicity or both.

Splenda or sucralose is a chlorinated hydrocarbon with the chemical formula C12H19Cl3O8. Splenda is the trade name for sucralose. Sucralose is a chlorinated form of sucrose, which is ordinary table sugar. Sucralose's chemical name is: 1,6-dichlor-1-6-dideoxy-BETA-D-fructofuranosyl-4-chloro-4-deoxyalpha-D-galactopyranoside.

When sucralose is broken down, one of the by-products is 1,6-dichlorofructose, a chemical that resembles a pesticide such as DDT in its chemical structure, and that has not been well investigated as to its potential toxicity.

Why should consumers want to have Splenda added to their food and drink? Splenda is manufactured by a for-profit privately-owned chemical corporation, whose sole object is to make money for its stockholders. No long-term tests for possible chronic health effects have been done on Splenda/sucralose or its break-down by-products including 1,6-dichlorofructose.

Splenda/sucralose is merely the latest in a long and growing list of artificial sweeteners, which began with Saccharin back in the 1960s. Saccharin was accidentally discovered in 1879 by a chemical researcher who worked on coal tar. In the 1970s, saccharin was shown to produce cancerous tumors in rats and so it finally lost favor with consumers. Cyclamate sweeteners were stopped as too toxic before they even hit the market. Aspartame (marketed under the trade name "Nutra-Sweet") was a more recent artificial chemical sweetener that was discovered in 1966 and "approved' by the FDA as a "food additive' in 1974. Aspartame lowers intelligence and hinders short-term memory among its toxic effects.

Now we are being treated to Splenda/sucralose, the latest artificial chemical sweetener to be introduced to our food and drink. Supposedly this chlorinated version of table sugar is stable and is not digested. Unfortunately, small amounts of sucralose ingested are broken down into 1,6-dichlorofructose, a chemical that resembles a pesticide in its structure and that has not been well investigated as to its potential toxicity.

If Splenda/sucralose is not digested within the body, then it is excreted through urine or feces and then enters our sewage system where it eventually ends up in rivers and finally the ocean. Recent studies have shown the Killer Whales or Orcas of the northern Atlantic and Arctic Oceans are now carrying the heaviest burden of chlorinated hydrocarbons in their bodies, surpassing the Polar Bears, who now carry the second heaviest body burden of chlorinated hydrocarbons in their body tissues. Humans already carry in their bodies traces of over three dozen toxic chemicals. Why are we adding more new chemicals to our bodies each year? So tbat private corporations can make more money? Humans create toxic chlorinated hydrocarbons and are fast polluting the previously pristine arctic regions of our Earth, as well as other parts of the globe.

Splenda/sucralose is just another potentially toxic chlorinated hydrocarbon. There is no real need to add Splenda/sucralose to either our food or our environment. If you need to eat less sugar, just eat less sugar. Or try using natural organic virtually calorie-free Stevia, which is an extract of the dried green leaves of Stevia rebaudiana, a member of the Aster composite plant family. Stevia originally grew in the subtropical regions of Paraguay and Brazil in South America. It is presently cultivated as a crop in Asia and in South America.

Some links about possible toxicity of Splenda/sucralose:

Sucralose Toxicity Information Center: . Holistic Med web site

Tuberose.com essay on sucralose: . Tuberose web site

Womentowomen.com essay on Sugar substitutes and the potential dangers of Splenda:. Women to Women web site

DrSpock.com on consuming Splenda during pregnancy: .. Dr.Spock Ask Our Experts web site

Dr. Mercola.com essay on Splenda: . foodanddiet.com web site

Dr. Mercola's web site: mercola.com essay on sucralose, Life after Aspartame: . Mercola web site

Americanchiropratic.com essay on potential dangers of sucralose (click on lower right link labeled, Sweetners: . American Chiropractic web site

15 December 2005

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Web page last updated on 15 December 2005.