Sucralose is a non-caloric sweetener, also known by the trade name
SPLENDA. In the European Union it is also known under the E number (additive code) E955.
It is 500–600 times as sweet as sucrose, making it roughly twice as sweet as saccharin and four times as sweet as
aspartame. It is manufactured by
the selective chlorination of sucrose, by
which three of sucrose's hydroxyl
groups are substituted with chlorine
atoms to produce 1,6-dichloro-1,6-dideoxy-β-D-fructo-furanosyl
4-chloro-4-deoxy-α-D-galactopyranoside. Unlike aspartame, it is stable under
heat and over a broad range of pH conditions,
and can be used in baking, or in products that require a long shelf life. Sucralose was discovered in 1976 by
scientists from Tate &
Lyle PLC working with researchers at Queen Elizabeth College (now part of King's
College London). Sucralose has withstood the scrutiny of several national and international
food safety regulatory bodies, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA), Joint Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization Expert
Committee on Food Additives, The European Union's Scientific Committee on Food,
Health Protection Branch of Health and Welfare Canada and Food Standards
Australia-New Zealand (FSANZ).
"In determining the safety of sucralose, FDA reviewed data from more than 110
studies in humans and animals. Many of the studies were designed to identify
possible toxic effects including carcinogenic, reproductive and neurological
effects. No such effects were found, and FDA's approval is based on the finding
that sucralose is safe for human consumption." FDA Talk Paper T98-16.
"There is adequate evidence, [for sucralose], that there are no concerns
about mutagenicity, carcinogenicity, development or reproductive toxicity."
Opinion of the Scientific Committee on Food of the European Commission on
Sucralose, September 7, 2000.
Although the scientific evidence concludes sucralose is safe, some
individuals and organizations remain skeptical that it poses no long-term health
risk. Some have expressed concern with the chlorine in sucralose.
Concerns have also been raised about the effect of sucralose on the thymus gland, a gland that is important to
the immune system. Significant thymus shrinkage was found in several rat
studies. The following, from the NICNAS (part of the Australian government),
discusses the absorption of sucralose and its effect on the thymus glands of
rats:
"When administered orally, between 11-27% of sucralose is absorbed from the
gastrointestinal tract in male humans. The remaining sucralose is excreted in
feces. Following gastrointestinal absorption, between 20-30% of the sucralose is
broken down into two metabolites. The remaining sucralose is excreted in
urine.
The immunotoxicity of sucralose was assessed in groups of Sprague-Dawley rats
(13/sex/group) dosed by gavage with
0-3000 mg/kg bw/day for 28 days. A significant decrease in mean thymus weight
was noted in males dosed with 3000 mg/kg bw/day. The NOEL for immunological
endpoints was determined to be 750 mg/kg bw/day (USFDA 1998).
In a two generation reproductive toxicity study, groups of 60 Sprague-Dawley
CD rats (30/sex) were dosed with 0, 0.3, 1, and 3% sucralose in the diet for 10
weeks prior to breeding and throughout two successive generations. A significant
decrease in thymic weight was detected in both generations at the 3% dose
level."
In consequent immunotoxicity studies, it was found that the shrinkage of the
thymus was not due to intrinsic toxicity. The large doses of sucralose (some
reaching the sweetness equivalent of 40 lb or 18 kg of sugar a day) reduced the
subjects' appetite, causing a loss of body weight as well as a nutritional
deficit that often goes along with a change in organ weights (including
involution of the thymus).
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