More Bad News Regarding Artificial Sweeteners

I have written several times regarding the toxicities associated with artificial sweeteners (some of which are referred to as non-nutritive sweeteners):

WE ALL KNOW SUGAR IS BAD FOR US, BUT "FAKE" SUGAR IS EVEN WORSE!!!

BE CAREFUL OF YOUR ARTIFICIAL SWEETENER CHOICE

Sucralose represents one of the worst non-nutritive, artificial sweeteners, on the market. Sucralose (trade name Splenda) is derived from sucrose which is the disaccharide of glucose and fructose that is normally found in plants such as sugar cane and sugar beets. Sucralose was originally generated by chemically treating the novel disaccharide, fructogalactose, such that some of the hydroxyl (-OH) groups in the molecules were iodinated. Subsequently, sucralose was generated via a multistep process from sucrose. Although the iodinated sugars are not metabolized (hence non-nutritive) sucralose is absorbed from the intestines and does exert numerous pathological effects in the body.

During the synthesis of sucralose, sucralose-6-acetate is generated from sucrose through several steps and then it is deacetylated to yield sucralose. However, the deacetylation process is not 100% leaving any given sucralose preparation with around 0.7% sucralose-6-acetate. Within the intestines of laboratory animals sucralose has been shown to be acetylated indicating that the concentration of sucralose-6-acetate in the body is not solely determined by the amount in a particular preparation of sucralose.

Several studies have demonstrated that the ingestion of sucralose alters the bacterial composition of the intestines (gut microbiota) altering some of the protective properties of healthy bacteria. In addition, sucralose induces histopathological changes to intestinal tissue including infiltration of lymphocytes into the intestinal epithelium, glandular disorganization, and increased bacterial infiltration into the ileal lamina propria in patients with Crohn’s disease.

A new study published in the journal, Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, that a contaminant in the manufacture of sucralose, sucralose-6-acetate, is genotoxic, meaning it induces damage to DNA (DNA strand breakage):

Toxicological and pharmacokinetic properties of sucralose-6-acetate and its parent sucralose: in vitro screening assays

Although some of the results from this study were carried out using cells in culture, the findings are nonetheless important for understanding the spectrum of toxicities that are associated with the consumption of sucralose.

There were three primary findings from this study:

One result demonstrated that sucralose induces a genotoxic effect on cells evidenced by increased DNA strand breakage.

The second major finding was that ingestion of sucralose is associated with a breakdown in the normal intestinal barrier functions. The enhanced intestinal permeability induced by sucralose enables the passage of microorganisms and metabolites into the body and this is known to contribute to the development and progression of irritable bowel disease (IBD). Increase intestinal permeability also contributes to the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer and also contributes to chronic liver disease. Continued exposure to sucralose leads to progressively increased intestinal permeability resulting in long-term toxicity.

The third finding from this study was that sucralose and sucralose-6-acetate altered the pattern of genes expressed in affected cells. One of the genes (MT1G) exhibiting the highest level of increased expression as a result of sucralose-6-acetate encodes a member of the metallothionein family. Metallothioneins are a family of proteins that are required to maintain homeostasis of the essential metals zinc and copper and to protect against metal toxicity and oxidative stress. Metallothioneins are biomarkers of inflammation, oxidative stress, and cancer as well as cellular toxicity from insecticides, herbicides, metals, and other xenobiotic compounds. Of significance to the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer induced by sucralose-6-acetate is the fact that increased expression of the MT1G gene results in accelerated cell cycle transition typical of cancerous cells.

TAKE HOME: Enough already!! Quit consuming products containing artificial sweeteners as they are literally killing you.