My local health food store's newsletter ran an article about sugar and sugar substitutes. One of the conclusions was that artificial substitutes, including sucralose (Splenda), should be avoided becaue it can deplete seratonin levels in the brain because the sucrose molecules are treated with chlorine. I have never heard this and need to use this product at times. The Eating Well kitchen also recommends this as an alternative. Has anyone heard about any research to back it up? Or is like everything else - you need to eat a tremendous amount for harm?

We often have people ask this question. Our associate nutrition editor tackled this question in a Q&A in 2006. Here was her response:

Ever since cyclamates (artificial sweeteners) were taken off the U.S. market in the 1970s, the history of sugar substitutes has hardly been a sweet one. For some substitutes the issue is a lingering concern about safety; for others it is poor performance in the kitchen. Sucralose (Splenda®) is the exception. Health experts and cooks agree, this substitute is safe and performs well in cooking and, when blended with sugar, in baking.

“After a critical review of the evidence presented in toxicological studies, we concluded that the research exonerated and confirmed the safety of sucralose. We find it to be the safest alternative to sugar out there,” says David Schardt, senior nutritionist at Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a consumer nutrition and food policy advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C., and a long-time critic of other artificial sweeteners, such as acesulfame-K and aspartame.
Yet Internet sites dedicated to disputing and questioning sucralose safety abound, often citing small studies where rodents fed large doses of sucralose (over 450 times the amount an average person would get by substituting sucralose for all other sweeteners, including sugar) developed shrunken thymus glands, and enlarged livers and kidneys. However, these are the same studies the scientific community, the Food and Drug Administration and consumer advocacy groups considered before concluding in 1998 that the sweetener did not pose a public-health risk. Since that time, no new studies have contradicted those findings.

The real issue is that people distrust, often with good reason, any food additive that is artificial. This fact is not lost on the marketers of Splenda, who claim the sweetener is “made from sugar so it tastes like sugar.” Consumer groups including CSPI argue that this slogan deliberately misleads. In a recent CSPI poll, 47 percent of people questioned incorrectly identified sucralose as a “natural food product.” Even though sucralose may start out as sugar, it is still the result of a laboratory intervention that replaces one group of atoms on the sugar molecule with another.
At EatingWell, our approach is to use wholesome natural ingredients and any sweetener in moderation; we don’t regularly include sucralose in our recipes. However, we recognize its useful place as a tool for those who want to moderate their sugar intake, including people with diabetes. Our approach is to offer directions for substituting sucralose for sugar where appropriate, so readers can make the choice themselves.

Thank you

I would, and I believe Carolyn should, ask Jovina to cite a reference to any specific studies or evidence that sucralose, "deplete(s) seratonin levels in the brain because the sucrose molecules are treated with chlorine". This could be false, true but negligible, a dangerous red flag or anything in-between. Where's the credibility if the Associate Editor & BB Moderator only provides a template answer w/out further investigating this specific question; it's a question that may not have been looked at in the toxicological studies CSPI cites. What about stevia, maple syrup and agave nectar. I'd feel better ingesting a lot of any of those than a little Sucralose.

Allergy, allergy, allergy. I noticed early on the warnings on sugar-free foods containing Splenda-- moderate quantities as they can cause diarrhea, etc. But I, I ate anything with Splenda (and other artificials made likewise, that had these warnings) and the flatulence was unbelievable. At first I thought it was just due to the warning, then I recognized that my reaction was FAR worse than what the warning was stating. I am allergic to dairy (and lactose intolerant) but Splenda goes through me to excess and I can't keep anything in when I use it. Same with Maltodextrin-- which may (or may not) be the same substance? I've recently contacted my doctor about it but have not yet received a reply from him. Thanks for listening and for any other info you'all might have.

i was told by a research chemist that splenda is the WORST of the sugar substitutes because it is , in fact, a chlorine. NOT something you want to put in your body. after that, i decided to swear off all of them - yellow, pink and blue. RAw sugar and honey work great!

Allergies, allergies, allergies is right.

I don't have a lot of food sensitivities, but any amount of Splenda in anything, and I get a severe headache.

I was really upset when all the sugar-free ice cream suddenly started to be made with Splenda.

And the no-sugar-added hot chocolate.

I don't eat that much sweet stuff because I'm diabetic. But I did enjoy those two things occasionally.

With the introduction of Splenda in products I used to eat with other artificial sweeteners, I had to return to eating products with actual sugar in them.

Which might actually be healthier in the long run anyway.

I'm glad to hear from others that I am not the only one to have an adverse reaction to Splenda.
I'm Type 2 diabetic and controling with diet and medication. A dear friend brought dessert one evening in the form of a pie made with Splenda and I spent the entire night in the BR in absolute misery. (Similar to the reactions some people got from the no-cal fats that were marketed for a while.) No more Splenda for me.
And it wasn't food poisoning-I was the only one who had that problem.

Everyone is different. I can not tolerate maltitol, or sorbitol-- any of those sugar alcohols. But if you look into the chenistry of it, Splenda is NOT a sugar alcohol. I know it does not work for a lot of diabetics. But for those of us interested in weight control, it can be a good alternative. I do not work for them. I am a vegetarian--for the last 20 years--and eat primarily organic food. But I would still rather have a packet or two of Splenda than to throw my blood sugar way out of whack because I wanted a little sweetness in my coffee. Sorry. Everything in moderation.

I bought into the Spenda craze when it first came out! I couldn't have been happier when a Coke product became available with it, since I always felt terrible after ingesting any products with nutrasweet. Well...I drank my new Diet Coke for about a week and developed severe non-stop HICCUPS! The were non-stop for over a week. I went to my physician, had x-rays...the whole ball of wax. I researched hiccups on line and came across an obsure reference to a French study that indicated that hiccups could be the result of an allergic reaction to Splenda. I got off the Diet Coke and the hiccups went away in about 3 days. I still have the occasional drink with it, but I never have more than 1 in 2 days.

I don't have his book in front of me, but Dr. Barry Sears referenced some studies that showed the body reacted the same way and released the same amount of insulin when non-nutritive sweetners were consumed as with sugar. You taste something sweet, the process begins. The only difference is that you aren't eating something sweet, so you actually have too much insulin released.

Joel, you're right, I should've asked for more information from Jovina. I also should've added that when I posed the question to our nutrition staff, our associate nutrition editor did a search on PubMed and found no literature on altered seratonin levels due to sucralose consumption. She also said, "There has been quite a lot of information published about aspartame and altered brain chemistry, much of it unsubstantiated I might add, but not for sucralose."

Jovina, do you still have the article? Are there any citations you can give me?

I've sent along all of these comments to our nutrition staff as well.

I think JF is right--everyone is different. I think we can all point to foods that don't "work" for us.

My experience with Sucralose was nothing but bad. For a couple of months during winter last year I was drinking one packet of hot chocolate with sucralose in it each day. I started itching on my torso but thought it was just dry skin. Then a couple weeks later I broke out in a quarter size rash on my ankle that burned and itched so bad that it would wake me up at night. One night I woke up having shortness of breath. That day I had 2 packets. I knew something was wrong then but didn't know what. Luckily I subscribe to a homeopathic newsletter (go to Mercola.com) that talked about the sometimes severe reactions that people have from Splenda (sucralose) and I happened to read other people's testimonials. It was pretty consistent that people had itching, rashes and irregular heart beat symptoms, etc. I stopped drinking the hot chocolate and my itching went away quickly. The rash stayed for about 2 months. Beware!!!! After reading up on sucralose and other artificial sweetneers I've sworn off all of them.

I have never been able to use Nutrasweet, or aspartame sweetener because it caused me heart palpatations, so when they came out with Splenda I was thrilled. I used it sparingly at first and had no problems, so I stocked up on Arizona Green tea sweetened with Splenda instead of sugar. I drank about a half gallon one week and noticed all my joints were inflamed. I quit drinking the ice tea and in about 4 weeks my joints were back to normal. Started drinking the tea sweetened with Splenda again and within a few days my joints were inflamed. In the past I have used the regular Arizona Green tea sweetened with sugar and had no problems, so I have had to conclude that Splenda is also something I need to use sparingly. I am diabetic, so this was a disappointment.

Those of you who have experienced side effects from Splenda should report it to the FDA. You can do so by calling your state's FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinator. For a state-by-state list click here.