Splenda Side Effects
by Ask a Healer
Suggested Reading:
What are Excitotoxins?
Splenda is basically sugar that has been altered by chlorine. If you ask McNeil Nutritionals, Splenda has no known side effects. The company explains that sucralose does not cause headaches or gastrointestinal distress. Interesting, given the massive volume of user reports that it does exactly that and that their headaches and excess gas disappear when they stop using Splenda. I can personally attribute intestinal gas to consumption of splenda.
I personally cannot tolerate any of the currently popular "natural" sweeteners. I had noticable reactions to aspartame and absolutely cannot eat or drink ANYTHING that contains sorbitol or xylitol without being miserable the rest of the day and night. In fact, if it ends in "tol", I avoid it altogether (malitol, erythritol, etc.)
By the way, I didn't just try foods with these ingredients one time and say, oh, it must be the sweetener. However, it doesn't take very many experiences of pain and misery to start paying close attention after you eat. Unfortunately, sugar alcohols, splenda or aspartame could be in anything at a restaurant and usually staff is not very educated on knowing what is in the food served.
My personal experience with Splenda
I had not eaten or drank anything containing splenda in years. I remembered that it affected me adversely but didn't recall how so I thought I'd try a Diet Coke. I was thirsty so I had a large. Big mistake. Within hours I experience the following:
* Severe spasms in mid-back around heart area
* Severe chest pain, left arm pain, chin pinching
* A feeling of being drugged, could hardly hold my eyes open
* Vertigo, almost falling over on rising from dizziness
* Bad gas through the night
* Aching muscles and joints
Can I prove it was the splenda?
No. Coulda been something else ... except ... that's the only thing I did different that day and the symptoms went away the next day. At the end of the day, your body will tell you the truth. However, you have to be listening. I think a lot people have reactions to artificial sweeteners but, because the effects are immediate, no connecting link is recognized. If you start taking note of how you feel after consuming beverages or foods that contain splenda, you may see a pattern.
If you added together all the people who just reported headaches and gas, you'd have enough to make a doctor question the common denominator. If you consume products that contain Splenda, you might want to read more about Splenda Side Effects that are being reported by users.
One of the arguments for splenda safety has been that it is a substance that is considered to be "biologically inert". What that means, in unscientific terms is that a person could consume splenda and it would pass through their entire digestive and eliminatory system just as it went in, with no changes.
That supposition is being challenged by an article in the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health which noted that some of the ingested sweetener is metabolized, meaning that it is not entirely inert. In addition, researchers are looking at studies where sucralose (splenda) has been at least linked to an alternation in intestinal microbes in mice. Also, cooking with it may add new toxins, called chloropropanols. Learn more about splenda safety.
Health Care Disclaimer: The FDA, along with McNeil Nutraceuticals still maintains that sucralose is safe, that Splenda is safe. Healthy options for sweetening your foods include stevia and my personal favorite, which is organic agave nectar. Do your homework and see what you think.
