CONSUMER ALERT: Splenda's Profound Toxicity Includes DNA-Damaging Effects

It is hard to imagine how anyone still consumes Splenda (sucralose), considering how damning the accumulating body of scientific evidence is showing that it is a SERIOUS threat to both human and environmental health. A new study adds GENOTOXICITY to the list of this chemical's many serious mechanisms of harm. 

The bitter truth about Splenda's toxicity only gets more concerning over time. For over a decade we have been indexing the ever-growing research on this synthetic chemical's dangers on our Splenda (sucralose) Toxicity database, which now contains research indicating it may play a role in contributing to over 20 different diseases.

We've also reported on what is still a rarely mentioned fact: Splenda (sucralose) breaks down into the deadly chemical dioxin when heated. This is all the more concerning given the manufacturer advertises this chemical as a safe alternative to natural sugars for baking! 

For an overview of Splenda's harms, you can read our article describing the top 5 reasons NEVER to consume it again here.

New Research Reveals Splenda is DNA-Damaging

A new study titled, "Toxicological and pharmacokinetic properties of sucralose-6-acetate and its parent sucralose: in vitro screening assays," published in the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health reveals that both sucralose, and an impurity and intermediate in the manufacture of sucralose known as sucralose-6-acetate, are genotoxic, and are capable of breaking down and/or negatively altering DNA in exposed tissues. 

Sucralose-6-acetate is also believed to be created in the gut by the human microbiome, which further increases the toxicity of sucralose by increasing the amount of sucralose-6-acetate post-ingestion (as measured by increased quantities in fecal contents). 

The study found that, 

"Sucralose-6-acetate significantly increased the expression of genes associated with inflammation, oxidative stress, and cancer." 

In an interview posted on SciTechDaily Susan Schiffman, corresponding author of the study and an adjunct professor in the joint department of biomedical engineering at North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, stated that: 

"In short, we found that sucralose-6-acetate is genotoxic, and that it effectively broke up DNA in cells that were exposed to the chemical." 

Additionally, the article reports: 

"Other studies have found that sucralose can adversely affect gut health, so we wanted to see what might be happening there," Schiffman says. "When we exposed sucralose and sucralose-6-acetate to gut epithelial tissues - the tissue that lines your gut wall - we found that both chemicals cause 'leaky gut.' Basically, they make the wall of the gut more permeable. The chemicals damage the 'tight junctions,' or interfaces, where cells in the gut wall connect to each other.

As you may know, intestinal permeability is associated with a pandora's box of health problems. Once the the contents of the intestines enter through the compromised intestinal lining (which is only one cell thick) into the bloodstream which include undigested proteins, bacteria, etc., a wide range of health problems follow, including infections, allergies, and autoimmune diseases - all linked to the loss of immunological self-tolerance that follows "leaky gut syndrome." 

Ultimately, the accumulating body of research on Splenda's wide-ranging toxicity is helping the public wake up to the fact that you can't trick the body with synthetic sweeteners and end up with better health. Splenda's promise of providing a "no calorie" alternative to what are believed to be diabetogenic natural sweeteners has failed miserably. For instance, Splenda has actually been found to increase diabetes risk, and is linked to obesity and weight gain, as well. So why would anyone risk consuming a toxic chemical when it doesn't even live up to its purported "health benefits"?

The good news is there is a way to replace artificial sweeteners with natural ones which provide sweetness, along with other health benefits. You can read 4 Sugar Alternatives That Won't Poison You to learn more.