Sucralose carcinogenic? Can you still eat with confidence?

The Center for Public Interest Science (CSPI) has published a report that sucralose should be avoided, based on a recently published study showing that sucralose increases the risk of cancer in animals.

Sweet drinks are a favorite of many people, but added sugar is quite worrying, so there are various sweeteners. People who like to eat sweets and don't want to eat sugar are certainly no strangers to sweeteners, and sucralose is a member of the sweetener family.

Recently, the American Center for Public Interest Science (CSPI) released a report that sucralose should be avoided, based on a recently published study showing that sucralose increases the risk of cancer in animals. What is sucralose? In the end, can you eat with confidence?

What is sucralose?

Sucralose (TGS), commonly known as sucralose, is an artificial sweetener jointly developed by Tate & Lyie in the United Kingdom and the University of London.

Sucralose is 600 times sweeter than sucralose, and it is too sweet to be sweet at all. The sweetness of sucralose is processed from sucrose, but it is not sucrose. It is the substitution of the three hydroxyl groups in sucralose with chlorine.

Sucralose is not used as a carbohydrate by the human body, and the probability of being absorbed by the human body is extremely low, and it is directly metabolized and excreted by the human body almost unchanged. Therefore, sucralose does not provide any energy and is also suitable for diabetics.

Due to its stable nature, sucralose can be used almost anywhere sugar is needed, including cooking and roasting.

What is the use of sucralose?

In 1997, China allowed sucralose to be used as a food additive, and the allowed foods include sweet drinks, dairy products, jams, candies and other foods.

In 1998, the U.S. FDA approved sucralose for use in 15 foods and beverages. In 1999, the FDA expanded its permitted use, approving it to be used as a regular sweetener in all kinds of food and beverages.

The European Union published the results of the review in 2000, endorsing the conclusions of the World Health Organization's Joint Committee of Experts on Food Additives (JECFA) and approving its use in 2004.

By 2008, about 80 countries and regions around the world had approved its use.

How secure is it?

In fact, as a food additive, sweeteners undergo a rigorous safety assessment before use before they are approved for use.

For the safety assessment of sucralose, more than 100 studies have been conducted in the past 20 years on the multiple health risks of sucralose, including toxicity, carcinogenicity, reproductive health, kidney health, brain health and blood health, child health and nutrition.

These studies show that it is safe for the general population, including children, pregnant or nursing women, to use sucralose as a food ingredient.

Can you still eat sucralose with confidence?

Everyone's biggest worry is whether they can eat it or not. In fact, whether you can eat it depends on how much you eat. The Joint Fao-WORLD Committee of Experts on Food Additives (JECFA) determined in 1990 that the allowable daily intake (ADI) of sucralose (ADI) was 15 mg/kg after several environmental and safety studies.

The safety limit set by the United States is lower than that of JECFA at 5 mg per kilogram of body weight per day. For an adult of 60 kilograms, the daily limit is 0.3 grams. Considering that the sweetness of sucralose is 600 times that of sucrose, which is equivalent to the sweetness produced by 180 grams of sucrose, normal consumption will not be "over-standard", which means that its safety is very good, and normal diet does not have to worry too much.

Turning to the study mentioned in the CSPI report. The study was actually an animal experiment in which the experimenters gave three groups of mice doses of 500 mg/kg, 2,000 mg/kg, 8,000 mg/kg and 16,000 mg/kg of sucralose, and observed the reaction after consumption. It was found that mice had an increased risk of finding hematopoietic tumors (leukemia).

If you compare the data carefully, you will find that the dose it uses is 100-3200 times the safety line set by the US FDA, which is too large for ordinary people to achieve this amount with a normal diet. Moreover, this is an animal experiment and does not fully represent the human condition. Therefore, everyone does not have to be frightened by this study.

Source: China Food News; Author: Ruan Guangfeng; Agricultural Futures Network reprinted this article for the purpose of disseminating more information only, and does not mean that this website endorses the author's views in the article. If the author of the reprinted article thinks that there is something wrong with this website, please call this website at 010-51289506, and this website will immediately consult with you and solve relevant matters.

(Editor-in-Charge: Shi Dengfeng)