Sucralose

What is sucralose?1

If you've ever scrutinized the ingredient lists on the food you consume, you've probably at some point come across sucralose. Sucralose is a white, odorless, water-soluble artificial sweetener commonly used in "sugar-free" and "zero-calorie" foods and beverages. It is 600 times sweeter than table sugar and exceptionally stable, so foods made with sucralose remain sweet under a wide range of conditions and temperatures.

How is sucralose made?

Sucralose isn't sugar, but that's how it really started. The patented sucralose manufacturing process consists of multiple steps. To make this semi-synthetic sweetener, the three hydroxyl groups in the sugar molecule were selectively replaced with three chlorine atoms. This molecular change leads to the supersweet, zero-calorie, powdered sweetener we call sucralose.

How does the body process sucralose?

The human body does not recognize the sucralose structure as a regular sugar, so it is not stored or metabolized. Instead, sucralose is excreted unchanged in the feces, absorbed in small amounts and rapidly eliminated in the urine. Research shows that nursing mothers can transmit sucralose through breast milk. This fact gives us reason to believe that sucralose remains in the body's adipose (fat) tissue long after it is excreted.

Why is sucralose so controversial?

Sugar is an ingredient that most people avoid when dieting, so a low-calorie sugar substitute sounds like the perfect substitute, right?

Does sucralose cause weight gain?

Zero-calorie sweeteners are trending among dieters, but we still don't know if these non-nutritive sweeteners actually help with weight loss. Some studies have found no link between low-calorie sweeteners and weight gain, while others have found interesting increases in brain activity responsible for food cravings and appetite.

Does sucralose make you crave sugar?

Sugar is said to be addictive, and artificial sweeteners can be as well. Sugar substitutes may be linked to changes in gut bacteria that lead to fat storage. Research conducted in the Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine shows that artificial sweeteners do not activate reward pathways the way natural sweeteners do. Artificial sweeteners, such as sucralose, because they taste sweet, the only reason is to encourage sugar dependence and cravings.