2023-06-12 10:58:36
600 times sweeter than sugar
A substance that scientists are concerned about is sucralose. And now there are so many alarming results that they call for a reconsideration of whether this synthetic sweetener is safe.
Sucralose is extracted from ordinary sugar using molecular engineering. It is a zero-calorie sweetener that is 600 times sweeter than white sugar.
DNA of cells destroyed
But when sucralose is broken down in the body, it creates a chemical waste product or metabolite called sucralose-6-acetate. This substance is genotoxic, which means that it destroys the DNA of cells.
“To put it in perspective, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has set a daily toxicological limit for genotoxic substances of 0.15 micrograms per person,” explains Susan Schiffman, a biomedical engineer at North Carolina State University in the US. .
“Our research indicates that the microscopic amounts of sucralose-6-acetate found in one sucralose-sweetened soft drink already exceed this threshold,” she says.
Inflammation and oxidative stress
Susan Schiffman and a group of colleagues conducted a series of lab experiments with blood cells and cells from the intestinal wall to see how they responded to sucralose and sucralose-6-acetate.
Their experiments showed that sucralose-6-acetate a clastogeen effect which means that the DNA strands are destroyed.
Increased activation of genes associated with inflammation, oxidative stress and cancer was also observed. We speak of oxidative stress when harmful oxygen compounds (free radicals) affect healthy cells and tissues. Furthermore, signs of damage to the intestinal wall were found.
Leaky gut
Specifically, the researchers found that both sucralose and sucralose-6-acetate leaky gut (leaky gut). If the intestines ‘leak’, partially digested food and toxins can pass from the intestine into the bloodstream, with a number of harmful consequences.
Sucralose was originally approved based on research showing that it passes through digestion unchanged. Recent research has now disproved this, including the current study.
Based on their findings, the researchers advise people not to consume products containing sucralose.
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