Friday, June 6, 2008

splendid splenda?

Since its introduction in 2000, Splenda has practically become a "staple" in many households. Appearing in everything from ice cream to candy bars to jams, this no-calorie artificial sweetener (made from suclarose) will soon be joining forces with two of the largest soft drink distributors: Coca-Cola and PepsiCo.

Diet Coke sweetened with Splenda is scheduled to debut this spring, and will be branded with the name of the sweetener as well as a distinct yellow streak. Despite its new addition, however, Coca-Cola will continue selling its traditional Diet Coke, flavored with aspartame. Other changes/additions Coca-Cola has made to Diet Coke--in order to boost sales in North America--include the introduction of new flavors, such as:
Lime
Lemon
Cherry
Vanilla

Similarly, PepsiCo has made plans to reformulate its single-calorie drink, Pepsi One, with Splenda, while Diet Pepsi is sweetened with aspartame.

More on Splenda
Splenda is sold by Johnson & Johnson's McNeil Nutritionals as a table and baking sugar substitute. Manufacturing of this artificial sweetener involves selectively replacing three hydrogen-oxygen groups on the original sugar molecule with three chlorine atoms. It is 600 times sweeter than sucrose, or white table sugar.


Source: USA Today 02.07.05

Just before the end of 2004, shortages of Splenda had forced its manufacturer, Tate & Lyle, to ration new customers, putting the brakes on "new and improved" product lines with the artificial and totally unnatural sweetener. Since Pepsi and Coke already had relationships with them they weren't under that restriction.

The overwhelming demand for Splenda is largely due to those who believe using potentially toxic products like this are making a healthier choice by using it instead of sugar. Folks, if you are consuming Splenda because you believe it is a safe alternative to sugar or other artificial sweeteners, then you're in for a big surprise.

Let me tell you something the manufacturer or the FDA is not telling you that may have you reconsider using Splenda. The simple fact is that there is not even one long-term study on Splenda--the FDA doesn't require it and the company did not perform any long-term tests. Why should they? That could only hurt their sales. Did you ever hear of Vioxx killing over 50,000 people? Well the FDA approved that drug and let me assure you that the approval process for a drug is far more stringent than it is for a food additive like Splenda.

If you really trust the FDA to protect you than I would strongly encourage you to read my review of the expose on Nutrasweet. You will be in for a shocking surprise.
Research in animals has also provided us with some additional concerns, linking consumption of Splenda with severe health problems such as shrunken thymus glands (up to 40 percent shrinkage), enlarged liver and kidneys and atrophy of lymph follicles in the spleen and thymus.


What Should You Do?
Eating too much sugar will also adversely affect your health, as it causes your
insulin level to rise and this is associated with a host of health problems. Therefore, the best option for your health is to radically reduce the sugar and sweets in your diet. Over time and once you normalize your insulin levels your desire for them will dramatically decrease.

Related Articles:
The Meteoric Rise of Splenda
Controversy Surrounding Splenda's Deceptive Marketing Campaign
Splenda--Here We Go Again
Beware of Splenda's Latest Marketing Ploy
12 Questions You Need to Have Answered Before You Eat Splenda

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