What is sucralose? Is it bad for you?

Sucralose is an artificial sweetener that has zero calories but is 600 times sweeter than sugar.

What is it?

Sucralose is an artificial sweetener that is 400 to 600 times sweeter than sucrose (table sugar). It is very stable and may be used to sweeten a wide range of foods including beverages, cakes, chewing gum, cookies, gelatin, yogurt, and frozen dairy desserts. Foods and beverages sweetened with sucralose retain their sweetness for a very long time under a wide range of conditions, such as freezing or cooking.

Sucralose is a noncaloric substance – which means it contains no calories – because it cannot be broken down by our bodies. It is the most widely used artificial sweetener and was first approved by the FDA in 1998. More than 100 countries have also approved sucralose and it is sold under the brand name Splenda®.

Are there any other names for sucralose?

Other names for sucralose include:

• Splenda®
• Trichlorosucrose
• 1,4,6 - trichloroglacatosucrose
• E 955 (food additive number).

What is it made of?

Sucralose is made in a laboratory by chemically modifying sucrose, which is a naturally occurring disaccharide containing glucose and fructose and commonly known as table sugar. The key difference between sucralose and sucrose is that three hydroxyl groups on the sucrose molecule have been replaced by three chlorine atoms on the sucralose molecule. This makes the chemical structure of sucralose very similar to sucrose.

The chemical formula for sucralose is C₁₂H₁₉Cl₃O₈

The actual process of modifying sucrose into sucralose is complex but achievable by at least 3 different routes industrially, all of which are patented.

What is the difference between sucrose and sucralose?

Sucrose is a naturally occurring sugar that is made up of glucose and fructose and is commonly called table sugar. It is produced naturally by plants which means we can extract and refine sucrose from sugar cane or sugar beet. One teaspoon of sucrose contains 4 grams of carbohydrates (16 calories). The chemical formula of sucrose is C₁₂H₂₂O₁₁.

The main differences between sucrose and sucralose is in the way they are made, their chemical structure, their sweetness, and their caloric content. Sucralose is an artificial sugar that is made in a laboratory by chemically modifying sucrose. Three hydroxyl groups in sucrose are replaced by three chlorine atoms in sucralose which makes the structure unrecognizable to our digestive processes, and almost 600 times sweeter than sucrose. Sucralose contains zero calories, because the body cannot break it down. Sucralose is a popular artificial sweetener because it doesn’t have a bitter aftertaste as some artificial sweeteners do.

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Is sucralose bad for you?

Over 100 different studies investigating the safety of sucralose were reviewed by the FDA before it was approved in 1998, but some research since then has raised questions about its safety. In general, sucralose is considered safe, but there are some reasons for caution.

Some research has shown that people who drank diet beverages who were overweight or obese tended to eat more total calories per day than those who stuck with sugar-sweetened beverages. The authors suggested this may be due to artificial sweeteners such as sucralose causing greater activation of reward centers in the brain which leads to a desensitization of a person’s sweet sensors or a disruption in appetite control that results in eating more or craving sugar to compensate. This means that people consuming sugar substitutes could actually gain more weight than those that use table sugar.

Concerns have also been expressed about the possibility of sucralose altering the gut microbiota. Studies in rats given sucralose at the human acceptable daily intake (ADI) for 6 months showed detrimental effects on their gut microbiota and an increase in proinflammatory markers which could be associated with chronic inflammation. Maintaining a healthy gut microbiota is essential for good health such as immune system development and energy metabolism and absorption. Long-term inflammation has been associated with conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.
Although artificial sweeteners, such as sucralose, were not thought to stimulate the release of insulin like table sugar does, recent research has shown that sucralose could raise both blood sugar and insulin levels, particularly in people who were obese who didn’t normally eat artificial sweeteners. This could lead to sugar highs and sugar lows, but more research is needed.

There have also been reports of headaches/migraine attacks occurring in people during sucralose use, as with other artificial sweeteners

Although these concerns have been raised, as long as sucralose is consumed occasionally and in moderation, it is not expected to have a major effect on your health. More than 85% of the sucralose consumed is excreted unchanged in the feces and any that is absorbed is quickly excreted unchanged in the urine.