This article discusses the pros and cons of using Splenda, particularly for people who have diabetes.
Read on for answers to commonly asked questions about Splenda and how the sweetener may affect your health.
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What Is Splenda?
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Splenda is made from the FDA-approved artificial sweetenersucralose.
When you eat sugar, your body breaks most of it down intoglucose.
This explains why Splenda is considered a zero-calorie sweetener, even though each packet contains 3.3 calories.
Splenda is 600 times sweeter than table sugar, so a little goes a long way.
Which Foods Use Splenda?
Many sugar-free and reduced-calorie foods and beverages contain Splenda.
This allows manufacturers to sweeten their products without the added carbohydrate calories that come with sugar.
If you’re wondering if a product contains Splenda, read the ingredient list and look for the wordsucralose.
No links were found.
Can Splenda Help With Weight Loss?
They were also able to trim their waists down.
Do Artificial Sweeteners Cause Sugar Cravings?
It has been suggested that consuming artificial sweeteners triggers more sweet cravings.
One study set out to investigate this theory.
Over 400 people were recruited for a series of taste tests.
During the taste test, participants rated the sweetness of each beverage on a scale of 0 to 100.
Splenda may not trigger sweet cravings in some people.
But for others, the only way to stop craving sweets may be to stop eating them completely.
Could Splenda Cause Cancer?
Sucralose has been studied closely to determine if consuming it could cause cancer.
So far, there is no reason to believe that using sucralose in your diet increases your cancer risk.
Should People With Diabetes Use Splenda?
Evidence from many studies suggests that consumingartificial sweetenerssucralose includeddoes not affectblood sugar levels.
These studies show that sucralose should be safer than sugar for people with diabetes.
This leads to high blood sugar that, if untreated, could eventually lead to throw in 2 diabetes.
Keep in mind that Splenda tastes much sweeter than sugar so you don’t need to use as much.
you could find Splenda products for all your cooking, baking, and mixing needs.
There are also a variety of products that are suitable for keto and plant-based diets.
Splenda does not test its products forgluten, but Splenda sweeteners are not made with ingredients that contain gluten.
Some of the most popular Splenda products include:
How Much Splenda Is Safe to Eat?
The FDA sets Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) levels for each artificial sweetener.
The ADI is based on the amount that can a person can safely consume over their lifetime.
The ADI for sucralose is 5 milligrams (mg) per kilogram (kg) of body weight.
For a person who weighs 60 kgor 132 poundsthat is 23 packets of Splenda.
Keep in mind that one packet of Splenda contains 12 mg of sucralose.
They claim that Splenda causes no gastrointestinal side effects.
If you are experiencing negative effects when using Splenda, it’s best to avoid it.
As with most man-made food and beverage items, moderation is key.
Eating too much Splenda may lead to gastrointestinal symptoms, such as gas, bloating, and headaches.
These symptoms tend to vary from person to person.
Splenda Alternatives
Many diet beverages use a blend of sweeteners.
Using any sweetener in excess can lead to weight gain and diabetes, just like table sugar.
Summary
Splenda products come in a variety of forms that can be used in foods and beverages.
If you have diabetes, you may benefit from choosing Splenda over sugar.
This will help you cut down the amount of calories and carbohydrates you consume.
Before you add Splenda to your diet, weigh the pros and cons.
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