 
| The Healthy Newsletter |
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SPLENDA INTERVIEW
from the December 2003 issue of Dr. Hull's Newsletters.
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Splenda: Is It Safe Or Not?
The following interview was conducted with Janet
Starr Hull on
the safety of sucralose found in Splenda®.
Q: What exactly is Splenda?
A: In a simple sentence, you would just as soon
have a pesticide
in your food as sucralose because sucralose (Splenda)
is a
chlorocarbon. The chlorocarbons have long been
known for causing
organ, genetic, and reproductive damage. It should
be no surprise,
therefore, that the testing of sucralose reveals
that it can
cause up to 40% shrinkage of the thymus: a gland
that is the very
foundation of our immune system. Sucralose also
causes swelling
of the liver and kidneys, and CALCIFICATION of
the kidney.
Note: if you experience kidney pain, cramping,
or an irritated
bladder after using sucralose in Splenda, stop
use immediately.
Q: So sucralose is not found as a natural compound
in nature,
like real sugar?
A: Absolutely not. No sugar molecule is compounded
with chlorine
anywhere in nature.
Q: Do you know how it is made in the laboratory?
A: I found this information from a statement
from the manufacturer,
actually. 'Sucralose is made from sugar, but is
derived from
sucrose (sugar) through a process that selectively
substitutes
three atoms of chlorine for three hydrogen-oxygen
groups on the
sucrose molecule. No artificial sweetener made
in the laboratory
is going to be neither natural to the body nor
safer than
unprocessed sugar', they claim.
People need to stop searching for excuses to
eat all the junk
food they want without penalty. In the long run,
no one benefits
from this product but the corporations.
Q: The corporate researchers claim that the chlorine
atoms are so
tightly bound; they create a molecular structure
that is
exceptionally stable under extreme pH and temperature
conditions.
Do you agree?
A: They are testing these conditions in lab rats,
and these types
of corporate studies have forced and 'selective'
results, in my
opinion. Aspartame research is the proof of this!
Test these chemicals on a child and see how stable
it is - but
that would be cruel. So, why then do we buy it
and give it to
our children? I don't buy into manufacturers'
claims
when it comes to human beings using ANY man-made
chemical. Plus,
I have learned over the past twenty-five years
of aspartame
research to value independent research above that
which is
funded by corporations.
Q: The corporations say sucralose is safe.
A: They said the same thing about aspartame, and
look at the rampant
disease and obesity taking over America since
aspartame was put into
the food supply over twenty years ago.
Q: Can sucralose cause cancer?
A: Any animal that eats chlorine (especially
on a regular basis)
is at risk of cancer. The Merk Manuel and OSHA
40 SARA 120 Hazardous
Waste Handbook states that chlorine is a carcinogen
and emergency
procedures should be taken when exposed via swallowing,
inhaling,
or through the skin.
It all depends upon how much you use and how
often, your present
and past health status, and the degree of other
toxins you are
putting inside your body. Good luck with this
one....
Q: Sucralose has been thoroughly tested, they
claim. Actually they
have stated that sucralose is the most tested
food additive in
history. I quote, "...more than 100 studies
on the safety of sucralose
designed to meet the highest scientific standards
have been
conducted and evaluated over the course of 20
years. "
A: I don't believe that for a second. They stated
verbatim the same
thing about aspartame. We are looking at the same
scenario in so
many ways. As with NutraSweet - no human studies,
corporate payrolled
researchers, selective result reporting, government
involvement and
personal financial interests and controlled media.
I will say that
sucralose is not as dangerous as aspartame.
Q: Splenda is approximately 600 times sweeter
than sugar. How
can that be?
A: As I stated before, the product is a forced
product, not a
natural sugar the body uses for fuel. People forget
that sweetness
is a by-product of foods; a bonus so to say. Forced
sweetness,
revved-up sweetness, and artificial sweetness
- all altered foods
that are a trap for people to get addicted to
the sweeter tastes.
People with eating disorders, children who are
just learning about
food, and people with illnesses are all being
'sold a bill of
rubbish' in my opinion.
Q: The manufacturer claims sucralose doesn't
react with other
substances in the body and is not broken down
in the body.
A: They claimed the same thing about saccharin,
even though I
feel saccharin is the only artificial sweetener
with true merit.
To answer your question, if the body is digesting
properly, anything
you put into the body will be assimilated. If
it happens to be
rancid, the stomach will throw it out immediately
by vomiting or
diarrhea. It is totally out of the realm of biological
science to
think the body will not immediately attack a toxic
chemical.
Henceforth, migraines from aspartame and diarrhea
from Splenda.
Now, to add a note to this: if the body is fed
an indigestible
product such as plastic (like in margarine) that
it is incapable
of dissolving through normal digestion, it will
pass through
undigested (if it doesn't get stuck in the gall
bladder, that
is.) So, if sucralose is indigestible due to its
laboratory
compounding, then we have yet another serious
health problem
to consider, don't you think?
Technology is great, but we sure don't need to be eating it!
Q: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and
government food
authority committees and the Health Ministries
in countries
such as Canada, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Jamaica,
Trinidad
& Tobago, Argentina, and Brazil have confirmed
the safety of
sucralose. So have the countries of Colombia,
Peru, Venezuela,
Uruguay, Romania, Lebanon, Qatar, Bahrain, Pakistan,
Tajikistan,
China, South Africa, and Tanzania. What do you
think of all
these countries confirming Splenda's safety?
A: The history of aspartame has unfortunately
proven that
individuals within government agencies cannot
and should not
be trusted to make such empowering public decisions
behind
closed doors.
Now, re-read this list of countries... Mexico,
Jamaica, Tajikistan
and Tanzania? These are the countries in which
Splenda is
now marketed? (See the final question.) As an
international
geographer, I can comfortably say that these countries
are
not nations with the same technology and mass
marketing
strategies to be compared with the United States.
These
countries are more concerned with birth control,
food staples,
hostile take-overs, and drought - not diet sweeteners.
Compare apples to apples.
Q: Is sucralose safe for children?
A: The manufacturer actually made this statement
for disclosure:
"One should note, however, that foods made
with low-calorie
sweeteners are not normally a recommended part
of a child's
diet, since calories are important to a growing
child's body."
Pay attention....Children should not be encouraged
to grow-up on
fake foods. But just like cigarettes and alcohol,
do what I say
and not what I do? And we wonder why the younger
generation is
angry, ill, and ridden with ADD/ADHD and diabetis??
How many
kids do you see taking a sip of mom or brother's
diet cola?
Q: Who manufactures and markets sucralose?
A: McNeil Specialty Products Company (MSPC), a
wholly owned
subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, along with
Tate & Lyle PLC,
a world leader in sweeteners and starches, all
share responsibility
for developing and manufacturing sucralose for
commercial use.
Sucralose is the first product from McNeil Specialty,
whose mission
is to develop and market innovative food ingredients
that help
consumers control, maintain and improve their
health. Internationally,
McNeil Specialty markets sucralose in the United
States, Canada,
Latin America, the Caribbean, Australia, New Zealand,
and the
Middle East; Tate & Lyle markets sucralose
in Africa, Asia,
Europe and Canada. Internationally, McNeil Specialty
markets
sucralose under the name SPLENDA® Brand Sweetener.
SPLENDA®
is a registered trademark of McNeil Specialty
Products Company.