Sucralose
Overview:
Sucralose is an artificial sweetener and sugar substitute. Since most sucralose is not broken down by the body, it is noncaloric (reference 1) and is between 320 and 1,000 times sweeter than sucrose (reference 4). Sucralose was discovered in 1976 and was quickly approved for use in over 80 countries worldwide. In April of 2015, PepsiCo moved from aspartame to sucralose to sweeten its diet drinks. The chemical composition of sucralose substitutes three of the hydroxyl groups of sucrose with chlorine atoms by ‘selective protection’ of a primary alcohol group and then by removal of the acetyl groups (references 6, 7).
Benefits:
N/A
Side Effects:
To date, sucralose has been declared safe by many national and international food safety regulatory bodies (including the FDA). There is insufficient evidence of negative effects from appropriate doses of sucralose on humans, however overconsumption of sucralose (more than 9mg/kg bodyweight daily) in rats has been seen to result in increased pH levels in the intestines in addition to increases in body weight (reference 5).
Synergies:
No synergies of note.
Dosage:
According to the Canadian Diabetes Association, the amount of sucralose that can be consumed over a person’s lifetime without any adverse effects is 9mg/kg of BW per day - (i.e. someone who weighs 150 lbs [68.2 kilograms] could consume 613 mg of sucralose daily with no negative effects.) - (references 2,3)
Further Reference:
1. "Gestational Diabetes and Low-Calorie Sweeteners: Answers to Common Questions" (PDF). Food Insight. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
2. "Canadian Diabetes Association 2008 Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Prevention and Management of Diabetes in Canada" (PDF). Canadian Journal of Diabetes. Canadian Diabetes Association. 32 (Supplement 1): S41. September 2008.
3. Goldsmith LA (2000). "Acute and subchronic toxicity of sucralose". Food Chem Toxicol. 38 Suppl 2: S53–69. doi:10.1016/s0278-6915(00)00028-4.PMID 10882818.
4. Michael A. Friedman, Lead Deputy Commissioner for the FDA, Food Additives Permitted for Direct Addition to Food for Human Consumption; Sucralose Federal Register: 21 CFR Part 172, Docket No. 87F-0086, April 3, 1998
5. Browning, Lynnley (2008-09-02). "New Salvo in Splenda Skirmish". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-05-24.
6. Bert Fraser-Reid, 2012, "From Sugar to Splenda: A Personal and Scientific Journey of a Carbohydrate Chemist and Expert Witness," Berlin:Springer, pp. 199-210, and passim, see [2], accessed 2 November 2014.