Beth Hubrich, RD comments on childhood obesity and the use of sugar substitutes and artificial sweeteners, such as Aspartame, to safely control weight. … childhood obesity kid nutrition low calorie artificial sweetener sugar substitute weight loss overweight child

News story from New Orleans about watching out for sweets during the 2007 holiday season. Focus on sugar substitute Swerve.

But here is what many do not know about Splenda and probably should: a recent Duke University study found evidence that high doses of Splenda (up to 1000 mg/kg) reduced the amount of good bacteria in the intestines of rats by up to 50%, increases the pH level in the intestines, contributes to increases in body weight and affects the P-glycoprotein (P-gp) in the body in such a way that crucial health-related drugs could be rejected.  Increases in body weight?  Yep, that’s what you read.  Another report suggests sucralose is a possible trigger for some migraine patients and yet another study linked doses of sucralose equivalent to 11,450 packets per day in a person to DNA damage in mice.  Maybe Splenda is not so splendid?  You be the judge.

One more thing: though allergic reactions to sucralose have not been documented, individuals sensitive to maltodextrin or dextrose should consult a doctor about using any sweeteners containing these fillers.  Critics of sucralose often favor natural alternatives, including xylitol, maltitol, isomalt, & stevia which you may want to consider if you are now skeptical of Splenda.