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Q & A
True or False: Splenda has been linked to cancer in animal studies.
A: False. While some research has linked certain artificial sweeteners—such as saccharin—with cancer in animals, leaving many people wary of all sugar alternatives, Splenda has not raised any red flags with nutrition professionals or consumer watchdog groups (including the Center for Science in the Public Interest). For more on Splenda and other sweet alternatives, see A Buyer's Guide to Sugar Substitutes.
Related Articles
A Buyer's Guide to Sugar Substitutes
Is Sucralose Safe?
Change the Way You Think About Food
Is High-Fructose Corn Syrup Bad for You?
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| USER COMMENTS — Add Your Comment |
I use Splenda everyday, even for my 4 year old (sparingly) and have not had any adverse side effects. I'm sure certain people are sensitive to it the way some are to regular table sugar. I'll keep using my Splenda, seems to be doing well.
Steph, Jefferson City, MO |
Cancer is far from the only health issue with artificial sweeteners. My roommate and I both got sick after eating Splenda treats, and our online research revealed it to have a molecular structure characteristic of substances which are generally poisonous. I would happily provide supporting documentation, but your comment box doesn't allow HTML links. Shame on you for promoting such a questionable product.
Geneva Hagen, Victoria, BC |
Splenda caused me to have a seizure. When my physician did research he found that splenda had been linked to causing numerous people to have a seizure.
Cheryl, Marquette, MI |
My husband & I got a rash from using Splenda. We don't buy anything that has Splenda in it. It should be taken off of the market.
Shirley Crowell, Princeton, KY |
I love Splenda and use it daily, best thing to make things palatable. Thanks to the inventor.
Ilselore Burdell, Fitchburg, MA |
If Splenda is so good, why have the Japanese banned it?
Jack, Naselle, WA |
Wake up people, everything is not good for everyone. Just because it doesn't work for for you, why punish everyone. I cannot tolerate Equal.
Cecelia Franklin, Cleveland, OH |
Use honey or raisins for sweeteners....
Jackie, Raleigh, NC |
I agree with Jackie from Raleigh... natural food is best.
Jackie, Statesville, NC |
Splenda gave me a rash. It is not a question of if it is harming our bodies, it definitely is harming our bodies.
Karie, Lawton, OK |
Well, certainly it does not have any serious effects on me because i've been using it for 2 years and was recommended by my dietician.
Lani Cerrado, Dublin,Ireland, Du |
If you use too much Splenda there is a warning it can cause diarhea in some. I have to be careful how much I use. But every body is different. Lets not make generalizations based on our limitted experience.
VickyMC, Boise, ID |
Splenda is made from coal-tar compounds- do you really want to put that in your body?
Julia, Winston-Salem, NC |
Thank you, EatingWell.com for posting your article exonerating sucralose and presenting it as the safest of artificial sweeteners. It's a shame that people are so quick to condemn something before doing any REAL research. If they did, they'd see that there is no proof what so ever that associates sucralose with ANY adverse health effects. The other products, are running scared because there IS viable proof that their product causes problems and is dangerous to use. Of course they will spend millions on dis-information of which, sadly these people here are victim of.
Thanks again, EatingWell.com
Chris Boylan, Seaside Heights, NJ |
I too was told by a nutritionist that it was perfectly fine for me to use splenda in moderation which I did for many years. More recently a nuerologist has determined it to be causing constant headaches and migraines along with other supposidly safe to eat ingredients like MSG....Fake food and food additives are bad no matter how you rationalize it. You can say it doesn't effect me - I said the same thing, several years later it almost destoryed my life beecause of constant headaches. I avoid these type of things as all cost and wish I had listened to those who cautioned me of their side effects before it was such a problem.
L, Boston, MA |
Splenda is a great sweetener. It is the only thing I can use to bake with or add to my children's beverages, or mine, because it makes things just as sweet as sugar. My kids are healthy and I'm not carrying around extra pounds. Life without sugar in everything is pretty darn sweet! Another neat trick is to use honey, raisins, or pureed fruits to sweeten certain baked goods or even oatmeal. Just mix either splenda or pureed fruit, or both, right in and enjoy!
Eva Stasi Mendelsohn, Kenilworth, NJ |
I used to use Splenda and started to have nagging headaches. I stopped using it and the headaches went away. I don't buy anything with Splenda in it. I have been useing a new sweetner called Stevia. I aven't had any problems with it because it's all natural and not chemically made.
Heather, Mechanicsburg, OH |
For those who are saying that Splenda gave them a rash, I have one question. Did you ever consider that you are just allergic to it? Millions of us use it all the time with NO side effects. Quite honestly, I have never had a bade side effect with ANY artificial sweetner and I have tried them all. I for one cannot drink my tea (and that is pretty much all I drink) without it being sweet.
Donna, Dayton, TX |
"Use honey or raisins for sweeteners..." IN MY COFFEE???!! Everything in moderation, my fellow obese Americans!
Art Boyd, Paris, TX |
I started using splenda when I started the atkins diet. I never had any problems with it.N ow,I'll stop using it to see if any so call side affect go away, mood swings, insomnia, joinnt pains wheezing, headaches, I suffer from theses things. Hmmmm.
Sweetdaisy, Phila, PA |
Sucralose gives me a 72 hour headache that nothing stops. It is a solid wall of pain right behind my forehead. And, I hate how they use it in so many things now. Sucralose is my ONLY "food" allergy.
Niki, Kansas City, MO |
If you want to know about sweeteners you should read the book Sweet Deception. Reported adverse effects of Sucralose include rashes, hives, headaches, migraines, wheezing, heart palpitations, seizures, panic, insomnia, mood swings, depression, joint aches, night sweats, and numbness of the limbs. There have been many other reported adverse effects which is not surprising considering its chemical similarity to a number of insecticides and other nasty things such as poisinous gas (used in chemical warfare).
Mary Runyon, Redding, CA |
If splenda doesn't work for you then don't use it. Splenda worls for me, so im going to use it. No one should dictate how you live your life. Don't spend your life stressing about the right foods to eat, even the organic foods are harmful. Ever heard of parasites??? There is always something that is causing this or preventing that. I just eat what I want to. Life is too short to worry about it.
Junelle, Dallas, TX |
I am sensitive to any refined sugar product and have been on a quest to find a natural and safe sugar alternative. I have found that Stevia is really good. Stevia is an herb and it is really good for you too. You can buy it in packets, drops, flavored drops, etc. Whatever you do though, stay completely away from Aspartame. Aspartame is the worst of the bunch for your health.
Frank Chappell, Burkburnett, TX |
Splenda has been proven to reduce the size of your thymus, which is important in creating cells that are part of the immune response. Without some of those cells being made, it's easier to develop cancer and for it to spread. So, there is an indirect link. Splenda was originally created to be an insecticide until researchers found that it was sweet and decided to market it as a sweetner instead. You will find that the chemical formula of sucralose is very close to that of DDT.
Kathleen, Orono, ME |
Splenda Rawks!! Splenda saved me from a life of horrible blandness. I hate all artificial sweetners... can't stand them... Splenda tastes great!
Chuck, Coxs Creek, KY |
I've never had any problems with sucralose. Aspartame, on the other hand, gives me migraines. That rules out almost all diet soda for me (Pepsi One uses sucralose instead of aspartame, so I can drink that one). All of the symptoms that Mary lists above as being caused by sucralose, I have read were caused by aspartame. I guess it all comes down to what an individual can tolerate.
Jen, Cedar Rapids, IA |
I used Splenda for a month and it numb my arm finger tips, tossed that fake crap out and I fell better now.
Vanessa, San francisco, CA |
I use so much spleda I could be a poster child. I lost 40lbs and kept it off for 3 years now. I am diabetic so this helps with my sweet tooth. It seems people think because they use a no sugar drink they eat junk all they want.
michael langley, Emporia, KS |
I moderate a large arthritis forum, and the general consensus among us is that all artificial sweeteners make aching worse. I'm not a chemist but I, and others on our board, have to be very in tune with our bodies, and we all agree, a few hours after consuming artificial sweetners our bodies hurt.
Katie, Denver, CO |
I was told by my doctor that Splenda is basically super refined sugar. God only knows what they use to refine it. It can cause the same problems as regular white sugar in a person with sugar problems such as diabetics, hypoglycemics, or an allergy to refined products. When I need to use sugar, I use raw sugar. It is available in most grocery stores, somewhat more expensive than white sugar but cheaper than most artificial sweeteners such as splenda. I am hypoglycemic and Splenda affects me the same way white sugar or high fructose corn syrup does with mild to severe migrain headaches, dizziness, lightheadedness, etc. More and more processed sugar free products are using Sucralose or Splenda. In the long run this could be worse than aspartame or Equal. Needs more research before being used so widely in diet foods and drinks.
Rebecca Nolan, Coudersport, PA |
The long term effects of Splenda are yet to be known. You can smoke for many years before the devastating effects of tobacco start to surface. The chemicals in Splenda are not what I want to injest and then wait to see what surfaces down the road. I use Stevia, it is an all natural sweetener found in any health food store, it is made from the Stevia plant and contains no chemicals.
Maureen, Warwick, NY |
Splenda is a poisonous chemical that should not be used by anyone. the fda can't be trusted to watch out for us. It will eventually be found to cause more than cancer.
helen, Rochester, NY |
I have used both Splenda and Aspartame for years and have observed no adverse conditions as a result, in myself or in my family. Those who complain of ill affects have no data to back up the claim other than some malady from an unknown cause. Science through fear is not science, nor is science by popular opinion. The FACT is, there is NO DATA to suggest Splenda has harmful side affects. All the whining is just that...whining. There IS data to suggest that phenylalanine (an amino acid found in Aspartame) MIGHT cause some neurological impairment in people classified as phenylketonurics. This is an exceedingly rare disorder, somewhere along the lines of 1 in 10,000,000. There aren't 300 people in North America who suffer this condition, and for those who do, they have bigger problems than NutraSweet. But all the rest of the stuff I am reading here is worse than urban legend...it's classic, mindless, hysteria. There is a real simple solution. If you don't like Splenda, don't buy it! Leave it for those of us who do.
Jeff, Kansas City, MO |
Sucralose is safe, if it were not, the FDA and other governing bodies would not allow it. I have had a bad reaction and rash to Busch Light beer, does that mean that it should be pulled from a shelf? No, I just stopped drinking it and left it be. Why attack something just because it doesnt' work for you? Some people are just stupid is the answer. Dumb people annoy me.
Jay, Decatur, IL |
I use Splenda for all my sweetening (though it, of course, must be used in moderation- like all things) and have never had a problem. It's helped me tremendously in losing 60+ lbs to get to an acceptable weight. Frankly, compared to the damage being overweight does to your body, I think the small risk of an allergic reaction is worth it to find an artificial sweetener that can cut calories and stop your blood-sugar from rising suddenly after consumption. If Splenda doesn’t work for you, try other artificial and natural substitutes- the goal is to be healthier, no matter what specific means you use to get there.
DeeDee, Jackson, MI |
Splenda causes me to have uncontrollable erections. I had to stop using it at work.
Fred, Daytona, FL |
What is this an Ad sponsored by the makers of Splenda? It has no real data to support anything, doesn't even mentioned the chemical components of Splenda, that we know has to have some adverse effects in one way or another, unless someone waved a magic wand and made some magical food appear. But like everything else, you weight the adverse effects with the benefits and see ifit really is a benefit. To some people I am sure artificial sweetners will benefit them, but thinking they are some magical way to satisfy that constant sweet-tooth without any problems is making a big mistake.
Dave, Quincy, IL |
Splenda is a diriveta of sugar. Suger can cause head acks in some people if thay over do it not everyone can use it but just because you can't doe not mean others can't.
Richard Strait, Houston, TX |
Youre a bunch of babies, You think everything is gonna kill you - well guess what, the air we breathe, the water we drink, food we eat - all contributes to the downward spiral - do us all a favor - stop blaming your rashes on sweetners - look at your lives
Glen Klanian, Las Vegas, NV |
OK, so first thing, where did anyone get the ludicrous idea that splenda is made from coal tar?
Let's just address that first shall we? The chemical formula for sugar (sucrose) is C12H22O11
That's 12 carbon atoms 22 hydrogen and 11 oxygen. Along comes Sucralose (commercially known as Splenda which is made from SUGAR, three hydroxyl away, or in other words, take away 3 hydrogens 3 oxygens and add 3 chlorine.
C12 H19 Cl3 O8
Now before you get all 'chlorine is a poison' remember, common table salt is Sodium and chlorine. Sucralose is a modified form of sucrose, that's it, no tar, no fertilizer, no poison gas, no spin. There are people out there who make money from sensationalizing and amplifying myth and rumor. I stick with splenda when I feel like a day of avoiding sugar, but I don't eat or drink pounds of the stuff, the trick with anything is practice moderation. I am a real candy junkie and I found that I was able to kick the sugar habit substantially by switching to splenda for coffee and tea, and cutting out candy. Never experienced headaches or all the other rubbish in the last email from Mary. On that subject, Mary, where did you get your facts from? Did you interview each and every person who claimed these symptoms, did you ask how much they digested, what other foods they ate, in short, did you just read a book that claimed all of these including the insecticide and chemical warfare ones? LOL, what a load of rubbish!
Kevin Hare, Cherry Hill, NJ |
I get head-to-toe hives from amoxicilin (antibiotic), difficulty breathing from Ciprofloxacin (antibiotic) and Miconazole (anti-fungal), and a splitting headache from Asmanex (an asthma medication). However, I would never dream of asking the U.S. to ban these medications that are life-saving and/or helpful for thousands of people. Regarding food: a friend's daughter would die if she ate peanutbutter, I get constipated if I eat apples, and a friend's son has to avoid red food coloring. Yet for some, these items cause no side effects. Perhaps we should simply accept the fact that not all drugs and foods are beneficial for everyone. If Splenda helps some to maintain a healthy weight - great! If your body can't tolerate it - avoid it. Enjoy what you works for you and let everyone do the same.
Michelle, Milpitas, CA |
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