Is Sucralose Bad for You?

Sucralose is one of the five FDA-approved non-nutritive sweeteners which has more recently become an important constituent of numerous processed foods. In fact, it is found in around 4,500 food and beverage products in the world of late. It is one of those non-nutritive sweeteners - also referred to as artificial sweeteners or alternative sweeteners, which are used to reduce the calorie content in food and beverages. More recently, sucralose has come under the scanner for series of alleged side effects which have raised some serious questions about its safety. In a bid to find out whether sucralose is safe for your health, we decided to do a crosscheck on it, and the results that we came across were not at all bad as such.

Is Sucralose Safe for Human Consumption: FDA Approval

The studies carried out by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) state that sucralose is safe for human consumption as it doesn't pose any carcinogenic, reproductive or neurological risks for humans. The results are believed to be based of numerous studies animal and clinical studies carried out by premier organization. On an average, Americans consume 1.1 mg/kg sucralose a day, while the FDA guidelines put the acceptable daily intake (abbreviated as ADI) for sucralose at 5mg/kg of body weight a day. Does this FDA approval imply that sucralose is not bad for your health? Now that depends on what's the definition of 'bad' according to you.

Is Sucralose Bad for Your Health?

Sucralose is chemically engineered to pass through our body without being digested. It is considered to be non-caloric because our body cannot break it down directly, and therefore a bulk of the ingested substance is directly excreted in the feces. Only around 11-27 percent of the same is absorbed by our body from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract - of which only 20-30 percent is metabolized, while the remaining is removed from the bloodstream by kidneys and eliminated by the urine. As it is 600 times sweeter than table sugar, very little amount of sucralose is used in various products. Of this little amount, a bulk is either directly excreted in the feces or removed by the kidneys and eliminated through urine. This leaves trace amounts of sucralose in our body which is not considered to be harmful as such. Even though sucralose belongs to a class of compounds known as organochlorides - which have the tendency of accumulating in the fatty tissues, the fact that it is highly soluble implies that it doesn't cause harm when ingested in such small quantities.

So what is all this hue and cry pertaining to the sucralose side effects all about? Basically, it is the fact that chlorine is used in production of sucralose that has put it under the scanner for its alleged ill-effects on health. It is believed that chlorine being a carcinogen has the tendency to cause a range of health problems including GI problems, skin irritations, headaches, etc., on the human body. Some studies also suggest that sucralose is not safe during pregnancy as it results in developmental problems in fetuses. Owing to this very reason, it is also considered to be an unsafe option for kids. While long terms effects of sucralose are yet to be ascertained, there do exist some studies which associate it with a range of neurological problems including depression and anxiety.

Most of these negative effects are based on anecdotal evidence. Contrary to this, the fact that it has been approved by various food safety regulatory bodies - including the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and World Health Organization (WHO) Expert Committee on Food Additives, does speak in favor of sucralose. Similarly, many experts suggest that sucralose is safe for diabetes as our body cannot absorb it - owing to which it doesn't interfere with the blood sugar levels. (In case of diabetes, it is always wise to consult a doctor or dietitian when resorting to artificial sweeteners.)

The Calorie Myth

One of the most important thing that you need to take into consideration here is the fact that all products containing sucralose are not exactly calorie free as they are marketed to be. The fillers - such as maltodextrin and dextrose, that are used in these products add 2-4 calories to these products. However, FDA guidelines suggest that any product which has less than 5 calories can be marketed as zero-calorie product and this gives the manufacturers the liberty to market their products as zero-calorie products.

At the end of the day, it is safe to conclude that sucralose is not bad for your health as it is not absorbed by the body. But then it is because of this very reason that it is of no great help for the body either - except for the fact that it helps you do away with high calorie table sugar and its hazardous effects on your health.