Everything You Need to Know About Sucralose - American ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

w w w . f o o d i n s i g h t . o r gWhat isSucralose?Sucralose adds sweetness to foodsand beverages without adding caloriesor carbohydrates. As an alternativeto sugar and other calorie-containingsweeteners, it can play a role in weightmanagement programs that combinesensible nutrition and physical activity.While the process to make sucralosebegins with sucrose, or table sugar, thefinal product is different from sugar.Sucralose is made by replacing threeselect hydrogen-oxygen groups onthe sugar molecule with three chlorineatoms, resulting in an intensely sweet,no-calorie sweetener.Unlike sugar, the body does not breakdown sucralose into calories for energy.Yet, both sugar and sucralose activatethe same taste buds on your tongue.Most of the sucralose people consumeis not absorbed and passes throughthe body. The little that is absorbedis excreted in the urine, and doesn’taccumulate in the body.Sucralose is available in tabletopsweeteners (one well-known brand isSplenda ® ) and also as an ingredientin many products, including a varietyof beverages, baked goods, desserts,dairy products, canned fruits,syrups and condiments. Sucraloseis 600 times sweeter than sugar,and it can be used in place of orcombined with sugar in cookingand baking.Sucralose has been studiedextensively and has been found tobe safe by experts and researchersaround the world. Governmentagencies worldwide, including theU.S. Food and Drug Administration(FDA), have also reviewed thescience on sucralose and found itto be safe for human consumption.How doessucralose fit intoa healthful diet?As a no-calorie alternative tosugar, sucralose-containing foodsand beverages still allow peoplewho are following a weight lossor weight management programto enjoy sweet, good tastingoptions. For example, a lightyogurt containing sucralose cansave 50 or more calories perserving compared to regularyogurt, and a 12-ounce glass oficed tea sweetened with sucralosecan save more than 100 caloriescompared to the same glass of teasweetened with sugar.Sucralose can be used almostanywhere sugar is used, allowingfor a variety of choices whenplanning low-calorie meals.How manycalories are insucralose?Sucralose is not metabolized bythe body for energy, and thereforeit contains zero calories. Tabletopsweeteners that contain sucralosealso contain other ingredientsthat provide needed texture andvolume (such ingredients arealso commonly added to otherno-calorie sweeteners). Whilethese ingredients are typicallycarbohydrates, the amount is sosmall (less than 1 gram per serving)that the calories are insignificant.
i n t e r n a t i o n a l f o o d i n f o r m a t i oSucralose’sGlobal SafetyRecognitionDoes sucralosecause weightgain?weight management plan, theseproducts should be used in place ofthe full-calorie versions in order toreduce total calorie intake.Sucralose is approved for usein over 80 countries. In theUnited States, the U.S. Foodand Drug Administration (FDA)must approve all food additivesbefore they can be used infoods and beverages. The FDAapproved sucralose for certainfood and beverage categoriesin 1998, and expanded theapproval to all food andbeverage categories in 1999.Examples of government andscientific groups that havereviewed sucralose’s safetyinclude:• European Union ScientificCommittee on Food (SCF)• U.S. Food and DrugAdministration (FDA)• Food Standards Australia/New Zealand (FSANZ)• Health Protection Branch ofHealth and Welfare Canada• (Food and AgricultureOrganization/World HealthOrganization) Joint ExpertCommittee on FoodAdditives (JECFA)• Japan’s Ministry of Healthand Welfare• Countries in Africa and Asia“decades of scientificresearch clearlyshow that lowcaloriesweeteners,including sucralose,can be an effectiveaid in weight loss/management“No. Several studies have shownthat low-calorie sweeteners canactually aid in weight loss and/orweight management. For example,researchers in one study foundthat when foods and beveragescontaining sucralose were usedas part of a program to reducecalorie intake and increase levelsof physical activity, overweightchildren were able to slow theirrate of weight gain. While a fewsmaller studies have suggestedthat low-calorie sweeteners maycause cravings and/or weight gain,such an association has not beenconfirmed in larger studies, and themajority of the research still findsthat low-calorie sweeteners suchas sucralose can be helpful weightloss/weight management aids.With rising obesity rates, peopleare often looking for one “magic”solution to help them lose weight.And, while low-calorie sweetenerscan help, it is also importantto practice portion control andparticipate in regular physicalactivity in order to reach weightloss goals. Also, when incorporatingfoods and beverages containinglow-calorie sweeteners into aCan people whohave diabetesconsume foodsand beveragescontainingsucralose?Yes. Sucralose has no effect onblood glucose or insulin levelsin people with diabetes, andtherefore it is safe for them toconsume. Foods and beveragessweetened with sucralose providesweet options that are lower incarbohydrates, which are helpfulfor people who have diabetes, whomust monitor their carbohydrateintake.As with any nutritional concern,people who have diabetes shouldtalk to a registered dietitian, healthcare provider and/or diabetescare professional for advice onincorporating foods and beveragescontaining sucralose into their diets.
Page 1: S u c r a l o s eEverything YouNeed
Page 6: “In bakingrecipes callingfor suga

Everything You Need to Know About Sucralose - American ...

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?