Researchers at Karolinska University have found that the artificial sweetener sucralose (sold as Splenda), commonly used in diet products, can damage DNA inside cells. The results of the research have been published magazine Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part B.
During the study, the scientists performed a series of laboratory tests on human blood cells and intestinal wall tissue to see the response to both sucralose and the sucralose-6-acetate compound. Tests were also performed on the genetic activity of intestinal cells using standardized analysis procedures to detect DNA damage. Tests confirmed the toxicity of the substance on DNA and intestinal mucosa.
Because DNA contains the genetic code that controls the growth and maintenance of the body, the ability of sugar substitutes to damage DNA is a serious health concern. Researchers are urging food standardization agencies to reconsider the safety of the sugar substitute.
According to scientists, DNA destroys sucralose-6-acetate, a chemical compound formed as a result of sucralose metabolism in the body. The European Food Safety Authority has set the toxicological threshold for all genotoxic substances as 0.15 micrograms per person per day.
“Our study shows that trace amounts of sucralose-6-acetate exceed this threshold in a single sucralose-sweetened beverage. And this is done without taking into account the amount of sucralose-6-acetate formed as metabolites after drinking the beverage. In other words, sucralose-6-acetate is “It is already present in beverages before it enters the body, but even more is produced after consumption,” he said.