Often I am asked about the safety of Sucralose. Sucrlose, brand name Splenda™ is marketed as the "diabetics best friend," because it is "natural" (made from sugar) and 600 times sweeter than sugar, having no impact on blood sugar. That is the marketer's pitch. Now, here are the facts: Splenda™, which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1988 as a tabletop sweetener and sweetener for an array of other products, is a chlorocarbon. Chlorocarbons are known to cause organ, genetic, and reproductive damage, which may explain why Splenda has been found to shrink the thymus gland a foundation of the immune system by 40 percent. In effect, eating Sucralose is like ingesting tiny amounts of chlorinated pesticides.
According to recent research, Sucralose also causes:
- Swelling of the liver and kidneys
- Calcification of the kidney
- Fertility issues in male rates
- Gastrointestinal problems in pregnant rats
It is especially important to stop using Splenda™ immediately if you experience kidney pain, cramping, swelling, an irritated bladder, or blood in your urine. It is also interesting to note the information taken directly from a statement from the manufacturer of Splenda™:
"Sucralose is made from sugar, but is derived from sucrose (sugar) through a process that selectively substitutes three atoms of chlorine for three hydrogen-oxygen groups on the sucrose molecule. No artificial sweetener made in the laboratory is going to be neither natural to the body nor safer than unprocessed sugar."
Splenda™is approximately 600 times sweeter than sugar, but the sweetness is forced, not like a natural sugar the body uses for fuel. And although marketers say Splenda™ is safe, they have said the same thing about aspartame, which is now linked to disease and obesity. They also claim that the chlorine atoms in Splenda™ are altered and therefore safe, yet it's known that any animal that eats chlorine (especially on a regular basis) is at risk of cancer.
Sucralose is one of the most popular sweeteners used in protein powders and many other powdered health products you may find at your local GNC or health food store. With EnergyFirst you can rest assured that all of our ingredients are in fact 100% natural. Our products are sweetened naturally with Stevia Extract and Trutina Dulcem, which is extracted from kiwi fruit.