Question: Splenda and Cancer: Does Splenda Cause Cancer?
I have heard that Splenda may cause cancer. Is it true?
Answer: Splenda is an artificial sweetener that is relatively new on the consumer market. It is approximately 600 times sweeter than sugar, thus needing to use very little sweeten food and beverages. The common term for Splenda is sucralose.
Splenda is used in a variety of products from dessert mixes to syrups. It is also used as a direct sugar substitute, meaning you can use it in place of sugar in coffee and recipes that call for sugar.
The Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of sucralose, brand name Splenda, to be on the consumer market. This safety of the product is based on the review of over 110 studies involving animals and humans. The FDA looked for carcinogenic, reproductive and neurological effects of usage and found none.
The bottom line is that the FDA has found no cancer causing properties in the usage of Splenda.
The cancer stigma that surrounds artificial sweeteners is believed to stem from the 1970's when lab rats developed bladder during a saccharin trial. Although no case of cancer in a human has been reportedly linked to saccharin, the stigma still remains.
Created: 04/21/2006
Sources: National Cancer Institute. Artificial Sweeteners Q&A
FDA. FDA APPROVES NEW
HIGH-INTENSITY SWEETENER SUCRALOSE
