‘Sugar free’ and ‘low sugar’ have become trends today.
After our society became aware of the potentially harmful effects of sugar, artificial sweeteners started appearing in the market. Numerous diet food recipes include these sweeteners as a sugar substitute.
The most popular and commonly used sugar sweetener used is Splenda. Splenda products claim to be natural and healthy.
However, it is also surrounded by a lot of controversies.
Splenda and Its Dangers
Splenda is available in small yellow packets and containers and usually added to coffee and tea. It is also included in numerous juices, chewing gums, health bars, and diet soft drinks.
It claims to help individuals cut back on carbohydrates and added sugars, but it also results in a number of side effects which include diarrhea and bloating.
According to early research, sucralose passes undigested through the GI tract, which means it has no significant effect on the body. However, researchers have determined that sucralose metabolizes and may lead to health problems.
Another study showed that when sucralose is consumed in high dosage, it can result in kidney disorders, enlarged livers, and shrunken thymus glands.
A recent study also shows that Splenda reduces the beneficial gut flora significantly.
Below are several other health problems that have been linked to consumption of Splenda.
Health Problems Linked To Splenda
1. Decreases Good Bacteria
Sucralose is known to alter the quality and amount of beneficial microbes which are present in your gut by more than 50%. This alteration in the number of good bacteria is linked to obesity and weight gain.
2. Reduces the Effectiveness of Medication
Splenda restricts the absorption and effectiveness of therapeutic medicines, including those for heart and cancer diseases.
3. Releases Toxins
Majority of the individuals use Splenda in recipes in order to reduce the calorie count. However, this artificial sweetener decomposes while baking and releases toxic compounds known as chloroproanols.
4. Alters Body’s Responses
Sucralose alters the response of insulin and the levels of blood sugars. It has also been linked with inflammatory bowel disease and has been found to alter the genes.
There are numerous artificial sweeteners that have been found to be harmful to health but have been approved by FDA.
There is no research yet that can determine to what degree consuming this artificial sweetener can affect our health. There is no assurance whether a little amount of Splenda can be healthy or not.
However, all the research that has been done have revealed that Splenda and other artificial sweeteners can cause more harm than benefits. It is best to avoid such products in order to prevent potential health concerns and dangers they can cause.
What Can You Do?
Artificial sweeteners aren’t good for us. Do some research for yourself at Mercola.com or MayoClinic.com to learn more.
For me, I usually use organic sucanat (buy it here), honey, or xylitol (buy it here)in my baked goods. In my coffee, I like to use Organic Stevia (buy it here).
Also, don’t neglect cleansing the toxins that have accumulated over time (try the Isagenix 30 Day Cleanse)
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Sources:
http://www.decodedscience.com/sucralose-possible-risks-artificial-sweetener/42483
http://www.greenmedinfo.com/toxic-ingredient/sucralose
