Consuming sucralose, which is marketed as Splenda, results in the formation of a chemical compound that makes your gut more porous. In turn, that results in the potential for toxins to leak into your bloodstream, according to a study published in the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health.
The findings come from scientists at North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina. It builds on previous work by the same team that showed that swallowing sucralose produces chemical compounds such as sucralose-6-acetate. It is that compound that affects DNA and leads to “leaky gut”, according to researchers.
What is Leaky Gut
“Other studies have found that sucralose can adversely affect gut health,so we wanted to see what might be happening there,” said Susan Schiffman, corresponding author of the study. “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.
“A leaky gut is problematic, because it means that things that would normally be flushed out of the body in feces are instead leaking out of the gut and being absorbed into the bloodstream.”
Leaky Gut Disease Connection
Numerous intestinal disorders have been linked to leaky gut. Those include Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and celiac disease.
However, it may have a connection to other diseases, according to Harvard University. Those include lupus, type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, arthritis, allergies, asthma, acne, obesity, and mental illness.
Federally Approved
No food additive can be produced in the United States without review and approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The government approved sucralose for use as a general sweetener in 1999. Previously, in 1998, it had been approved for use in food products.
Schiffman thinks those decisions should be reexamined.
“This work raises a host of concerns about the potential health effects associated with sucralose and its metabolites,” said Schiffman. “It’s time to revisit the safety and regulatory status of sucralose, because the evidence is mounting that it carries significant risks. If nothing else, I encourage people to avoid products containing sucralose. It’s something you should not be eating.”
All Artificial Sweeteners Cause Concern
Schiffman is not alone in raising the alarm about sucralose.
A study published earlier this year in Biomedicines determined that babies whose mothers consumed a high level of sucralose during pregnancy were “heavier and exhibited markers of metabolic alteration and low-grade systemic inflammation”.
Additionally, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued an advisory a few weeks ago against using any kind of artificial non-sugar sweetener (NSS).
“Replacing free sugars with NSS does not help with weight control in the long term. People need to consider other ways to reduce free sugars intake, such as consuming food with naturally occurring sugars, like fruit, or unsweetened food and beverages,” says Francesco Branca, WHO Director for Nutrition and Food Safety. “NSS are not essential dietary factors and have no nutritional value. People should reduce the sweetness of the diet altogether, starting early in life, to improve their health.”
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