Problems with New Sweetener

UPDATE: August 2010
Here's a toxic sweetener you most likely had never heard of, but I would caution you to make sure you do not ingest it:

^{HealthEdge's NaturallySweet} 

This is manufactured by these folks.

Truvia, Purevia, Zevia, Zerose, Zsweet are marketing names for this artificially blended  erythritol and rebiana mix.  Rebiana is a chemically modified form of  stevia, it is NOT pure stevia.

UPDATE 4, Consumer complaints regarding Truvia

UPDATE 3, 23 December 08: A reader comments on Erythritol as not causing her any problems as noted in our researcher's report. Just like all substances, the ingestion of a substance needs to be in the right form, the right amount, et al, and the effect and outcomes are individual. Please realize that our researcher is a former FDA investigator who has an indepth background in the sciences necessary to make such statements. Please note that the artificial sweeteners referred to, Truvia (Cargill) and PureVia(Whole Earth Sweeteners) are manufactured by these agribusness corporations with an extract of stevia (rebiana)and erythritol and are NOT whole leaf stevia or pure(whole leaf)stevia extract.

UPDATE 2, 22 December 08: Please note that contrary to other reports you may be reading, the FDA DID NOT APPROVE STEVIA. The FDA, in cahoots with Cargill and Coke, approved a synthesized product - as reported originally in this article - manufactured with rebiana (an extract from Stevia) and erythritol (a sugar alcohol).

As Dr. Evangelista states (quoted below): "DO NOT CONFUSE REBIANA (TRUVIA) WITH STEVIA"

UPDATE 1, 20 December 08: Zerose is the Cargill synthesized artificial sweetener made from stevia and erythritol. Zsweet is a similar product in UK and EU. There are numerous scientific studies presenting that this, and related products such as Truvia, may lead to calcium, potassium and phosphate loss with calcification (and lesions) in the kidneys (just like Splenda) and bowel alterations. Please read more.

As to Zevia soda, it seems to me to be quite irresponsible on the part of the company CEO (an attorney)to make the following quote, "Why not supplement a steady breast milk diet with some refreshing ZEVIA?" This quote is associated with a photo of an infant being fed soda by the mother on the company blog. I would suggest the mother is irresponsible as well. While the company web site does not state that Zerose is the sweetener used in their products it does mention that eryrithritol is an ingredient.

I am sure this fellow was not in my 'Social Responsibility of Business' class in grad school.

We suggest Just Like Sugar, unaltered Stevia (order the extract via the Starwest link on this page) and Agave.

We do not endorse the use aspartame or sucralose or any forms of these chemicals, first developed as inseticides, or any products containing them, as they are known toxins to human health, nor do we endorse the use of acesulfame K.
----------------------------------------
12-19-08
The news this morning on NPR seems to be focused on helping you be in the spin on 'rebiana'(Truvia) and how it is "just stevia".

Coke (using Truvia) and Pepsi (using PureVia) are marketing this new artificial sweetener in their beverages but apparently aren't open to presenting both sides of the story.

Even the one TV ad I saw recently for "Truvia" would lead you to believe that this is a safe and natural additive.

Zevia(a soda), because it contains erythritol, may also have similar problems.

The problem is that is may come from natural sources but it is an extracted and modified chemical when it comes out the other end.

DO NOT CONFUSE REBIANA (TRUVIA) WITH STEVIA
Do not confuse this with pure stevia, it is a combination of chemicals with a dab of the stevia plant. Stevia itself is a sweetener and yet they are using Erythritol which is a sugar alcohol known to cause such things as bloating, diarrhea and cramps. That tells you they are not using much stevia. Nor are they removing the poisonous aspartame from Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi. They are simply trying to satisfy a part of the population that knows how deadly aspartame is and wants to use something else.

Notice this sentence: "Stevia was not approved as a food additive by U.S. regulators, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued letters to the companies on Wednesday saying it had no objections to their sweeteners, which are derived from the plant." The FDA has made themselves clear. Industry can do anything they please but they have no intention of approving something safe for the general public. They don't want to displease the aspartame industry who is powerful and takes care of those who defend their poison. Make sure you understand this is a combination of sweeteners and chemicals and not real stevia. The pop companies feel "a dab will do you, so just buy our product regardless of how its made". The public again will be the guinea pigs and lab rats. Also, see the admission that Pepsi's Purevia is being developed with Merisant, an aspartame manufacturer. Nobody should use these products until they are analyzed. Industry is constantly adding small amounts of aspartame because its addictive. If they do this to these products aspartame victims will react because aspartame is so poisonous it causes chemical hypersensitization.

Lab Tests Point to Problems with New Sweetener
Consumer group says product can increase cancer risk
September 2, 2008

A consumer group says a new commercial sweetner, said to be 200 times sweeter than sugar, may cause health problems and needs more study. Coca-Cola and Pepsi are planning to introduce new drinks made with the sweetner, rebiana, an extract of stevia leaves.

In a letter to the Food and Drug Administration, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) says the agency should require additional tests, including a key animal study, before accepting rebiana as Generally Regarded as Safe, or GRAS.

The letter cites a new 26-page report by toxicologists at the University of California, Los Angeles, several, though not all, laboratory tests show that the sweetener causes mutations and DNA damage, which raises the prospect that it causes cancer.

"A safe, natural, high-potency sweetener would be a welcome addition to the food supply," said CSPI executive director Michael F. Jacobson. "But the FDA needs to be as sure as possible that rebiana is safe before allowing it into foods that would be consumed by tens of millions of people. It would be tragic if the sweetener turned out to cause cancer or other problems."

One key animal study has not been conducted, according to the UCLA experts and CSPI. The FDA's guidelines advise testing prospective major new food additives on two rodent species, usually rats and mice. The new sweetener has only been tested on rats, but not mice.

The toxicologists' report said that because several studies found mutations and DNA damage, a lifetime mouse study designed to evaluate the risk of carcinogenicity and other health problems was particularly important.

The UCLA toxicologists emphasized the need for more genotoxicity tests, because of the evidence that derivatives of stevia that are closely related to rebiana damage DNA and chromosomes.

Their report noted that much of the recent research on rebiana was sponsored by Cargill and urged the FDA to obtain independently conducted tests to ensure that corporate biases don't influence the design, conduct, or results of the tests.

Rebiana is shorthand for rebaudioside A, a component of stevia. It is obtained from the leaves of a shrub native to Brazil and Paraguay. Coke, Pepsi, and other companies are excited about rebiana, because it supposedly tastes better than crude stevia, which is sold as a dietary supplement in health-food stores.

After all the controversies pertaining to saccharin, aspartame, and other artificial sweeteners, the food industry expects many calorie-conscious consumers to eagerly opt for this natural sweetener.

Two companies -- Cargill and Merisant -- have told the FDA that rebiana should be considered GRAS, a category given less scrutiny by the FDA than ordinary food additives. A third company, Wisdom Natural Brands, has declared that its stevia-based sweetener is GRAS and will market it without giving evidence to, or even notifying, the FDA. That company gave CSPI only a heavily redacted report prepared by scientists it hired to declare its stevia derivative, which is of unknown purity, is safe.

Stevia is legal in foods in Japan and several other countries, but the United States, Canada, and the European Union bar stevia in foods because of older tests that suggested it might interfere with reproduction. New tests sponsored by Cargill did not find such problems.

"I am not saying that rebiana is harmful, but it should not be marketed until new studies establish that it is safe," Jacobson said.

Cargill's version of rebiana is called Truvia and would be used by Coca-Cola. Pepsi's version is called PureVia and is produced by Merisant's Whole Earth Sweetener division. Merisant is best known for marketing the Equal brand of aspartame.

CSPI has not questioned the safety of two artificial sweeteners, sucralose (Splenda) and neotame, but says that suggestive evidence indicates that saccharin, aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet), and acesulfame-K pose small risks of cancer.

"The whole issue of what gets GRAS status needs to be reviewed by Congress," Jacobson said. "It's crazy that companies can just hire a few consultants to bless their new ingredients and rush them to market without any opportunity for the FDA and the public to review all the safety evidence."

Two of the most harmful ingredients in the food supply are considered GRAS: salt, which raises blood pressure and causes thousands of unnecessary heart attacks and strokes every year, and partially hydrogenated oil, which is the source of artery-clogging artificial trans fat. CSPI has long campaigned to get partially hydrogenated oil out of the food supply and to reduce salt to safe levels.
From Consumer Affairs

Splenda, Sucralose: What it Does

Just to remind everyone that thinks using this product is good.  And if you are watching A1C you might want to avoid it all together.


Studies have shown that sucralose can:

* Cause the thymus to shrink by as much as 40% (the thymus is your immune powerhouse - it produces T cells)
* Cause enlargement of the liver and kidneys
* Reduce growth rate as much as 20%
* Cause enlargement of the large bowel area
* Reduce the amount of good bacteria in the intestines by 50%
* Increase the pH level in the intestines (a risk factor for colon cancer)
* Contribute to weight gain
* Cause aborted pregnancy low fetal body weight
* Reduce red blood cell count

Particular warning to diabetics:  Researchers found that diabetic patients using sucralose showed a statistically significant increase in glycosylated hemoglobin, a marker that is used to assess glycemic control in diabetic patients. According to the FDA, "increases in glycosolation in hemoglobin imply lessening of control of diabetes."

The Lethal Science of Splenda

Safe Sweetening: natural stevia herb with no additives, Just Like Sugar (see info in right hand column)

ALERT: Splenda to be Senomyx-ed

UPDATE: August 2010 - Now you can have something new to fool your tastebuds, and alter theri ability to properly sense tatse.  Its a product called 'Nevella' that aims to clean up on the probiotic band wagon.  This packet contains dextrose, maltodextrin, sucralose, and baccillus coagulans.  It's also labelled gluten-free to grab profits from unsupecting consumers, and "suitable for people with diabetes".

While high quality probiotics help everyone, sucralose (Splenda) does not.

"Nevella is a brand name for the artificial sweetener sucralose, which is also sold under the name Splenda. Sucralose is produced by treating sugar with chlorine chemicals, resulting in a substance 600 times sweeter than sugar. The official Nevella website states there are no known side effects. Alternative health care providers as well as consumers have expressed concern about possible risks associated with consuming chlorinated sugar, and people have made anecdotal reports of side effects.

"Animal Studies - Many side effects were reported in rats that were fed sucralose during clinical trials.

Much is already known about sucralose.  You can more about it here

Feb 2010 - Senomyx is a flavor enhancer used for salt, sweet and other tastes.  Campbell Soup uses Senomyx.  Often you do not have to be told it is in food you are buying.

S2383 is intended to enhance the taste of sucralose

If you haven't heard about Senomyx think of a flavor enhancer like MSG.  The bad news doesn't stop there, but the FDA says they don't have to label it.  It comes under artificial flavors.  Of course, we've told all consumers never use processed foods, and especially anything that says artificial and/or natural flavors which is where they hid aspartame and MSG.  What is Senomyx made of?  http://www.mpwhi.com/senomyx_sweeter_than_sweet.htm  This is so disturbing I would say to boycott all companies that use it like Nestles and Coke.

We are familiar with sucralose, a chlorocarbon poison.  Here is Dr. James Bowen's paper, The Lethal Science of Splenda:  http://www.wnho.net/splenda_chlorocarbon.htm http://www.wnho.net/splenda_chlorocarbon.htm

So now they are adding Senomyx to Sucralose.  Remember that Dr. Bowen also said when he wrote the above paper that if you go from aspartame to Splenda you will maintain the reactions to aspartame and pick up those from Splenda.  With regard to reports on reactions from Splenda that is just what is happening.  Poison plus poison equal poison and now this disgusting Senomyx is being added which according to the above report starts out with aborted fetus cells.  Be warned.

Read on below:

Dr. Betty Martini, D.Hum, Founder
Mission Possible International
9270 River Club Parkway
Duluth, Georgia 30097
770 242-2599
www.mpwhi.com, www.dorway.com, www.wnho.net
Aspartame Toxicity Center, www.holisticmed.com/aspartame

Senomyx Receives GRAS Determination For S2383 Sucralose Enhancer

Senomyx, Inc., a leading company focused on using proprietary technologies to discover and develop novel flavor ingredients for the food, beverage and ingredient supply industries, announced today that it has been notified by the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association (FEMA) that its sucralose enhancer, S2383, has been determined to be Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) under the provisions of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, administered by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). S2383, which was discovered and developed by Senomyx, is an extremely effective enhancer of the high-intensity sweetener sucralose. The GRAS determination by FEMA allows S2383 to be incorporated into products in the U.S. and in numerous other countries.

"Receiving GRAS determination for our S2383 sucralose enhancer is an important milestone for Senomyx," stated Kent Snyder, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company. "Senomyx previously received GRAS status for our savory flavor ingredients, which are currently incorporated into products being marketed by Nestle. In addition to enabling commercialization of our flavor ingredients, these regulatory determinations substantiate Senomyx's discovery, development, and regulatory expertise."

S2383 is intended to enhance the taste of sucralose, a high-intensity sweetener used in a wide variety of beverages and foods such as confectionaries, baked goods, desserts, and dairy products, as well as over-the-counter (OTC) healthcare products and dietary supplements. In taste tests, S2383 allowed the amount of sucralose in product prototypes to be reduced by up to 75% while maintaining the desired sweet taste. By enabling the reduction of sucralose, S2383 may allow manufacturers to decrease their costs of goods and potentially improve the taste characteristics of certain products.

 "The rapid progress made with S2383 is indicative of Senomyx's leadership in the science of taste," noted Mark Zoller, Ph.D., Senomyx's Chief Scientific Officer and Executive Vice President of Discovery and Development. Senomyx scientists have made several key discoveries relating to the human sweet taste receptor and developed patented methods for utilizing the receptor in assays designed to identify new sweet taste enhancers. "S2383 was identified in 2007, and the same methodology resulted in the 2008 discovery of S6973, an exceptionally effective enhancer of sucrose (table sugar). S6973 enables up to 50% reduction of table sugar in numerous food and beverage product prototypes without compromising taste. We are currently conducting development activities needed to support regulatory filings for S6973, and we believe that our experience with S2383 will be helpful as we move forward," Dr. Zoller added.

About Senomyx, Inc. (http://www.senomyx.com>http://www.senomyx.com/) Senomyx is a leading company using proprietary taste receptor technologies to discover and develop novel flavor ingredients in the savory, sweet, salt, bitter, and cooling areas. Senomyx has entered into product discovery and development collaborations with seven of the world's leading food, beverage, and ingredient supply companies: Ajinomoto Co., Inc., Cadbury plc, Campbell Soup Company, The Coca-Cola Company, Firmenich SA, Nestle SA, and Solae. Nestle is currently marketing products that contain one of Senomyx's flavor ingredients. For more information, please visit <http://www.senomyx.com/>http://www.senomyx.com/.

Forward-Looking Statements - Statements contained in this press release regarding matters that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Because such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding: the capabilities and potential for Senomyx's new flavor ingredients, including S2383 and S6973; Senomyx's plans and ability to commercialize S2383 and to complete the development of S6973; the ability of S2383 and S6973 to reduce the amount of sucralose and sucrose, respectively, in food and beverage products; and the extent to which the company's collaborators or other packaged food and beverage manufacturers will incorporate the company's new flavor ingredients into packaged food and beverage products. Risks that contribute to the uncertain nature of the forward-looking statements include: Senomyx is dependent on its product discovery and development collaborators for all of Senomyx's revenue; Senomyx is dependent on its current and any future product discovery and development collaborators to develop and commercialize any flavor ingredients Senomyx may discover; Senomyx may be unable to develop flavor ingredients useful for formulation into products; new flavor ingredients must undergo safety review and not all new flavor ingredients may be safe for their intended uses; Senomyx or its collaborators may be unable to obtain and maintain the regulatory approval required for flavor ingredients to be incorporated into products that are sold; even if Senomyx or its collaborators receive a regulatory approval and incorporate Senomyx flavor ingredients into products, those products may never be commercially successful; and Senomyx's ability to compete in the flavor ingredients market may decline if Senomyx does not adequately protect its proprietary technologies. These and other risks and uncertainties are described more fully in Senomyx's most recently filed SEC documents, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, under the headings "Risks Related to Our Business" and "Risks Related to Our Industry." All forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date on which they were made. Senomyx undertakes no obligation to update such statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made.

NPICenter.com
http://www.npicenter.com/

Senomyx

Type	Public (NASDAQ: SNMX)
Genre	Biotechnology
Founded	1999
Founder(s)	Lubert Stryer
Headquarters	San Diego, California, USA
Website	http://www.senomyx.com/

Senomyx (Ticker symbol: SNMX) is an American biotechnology company working towards developing additives to make foods taste and smell better. Their website claims that it has essentially reverse engineered the receptors in humans that react for taste and aroma, and they are capitalizing on how these work to make chemicals that will make food appear to taste better.
Senomyx was founded by prominent biochemist Lubert Stryer in 1999. In May 2001 Stryer returned to his professorship at Stanford University and resigned from Senomyx, but continues to be the Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board.
The company developed Substance 951, a "potentiator" used to amplify the sweetness of sugar in food products, thereby allowing the consumer to reduce the amount of sugar used.
The chemistry of Senomyx has drawn criticism from certain people even after it passed FDA regulations. It's ratio in testing was low enough to fall through a certain FDA loophole. Any items containing Senomyx are not required to mention it. They can merely throw it in under active ingredients as "natural flavors".
Using information from the human genome sequence, Senomyx has identified hundreds of taste receptors and currently owns 113 patents on their discoveries. Senomyx collaborates with seven of the world’s largest food companies to further their research and to fund development of their technology. Ajinomoto Co., Inc., Kraft Foods, Cadbury Schweppes, Campbell Soup Company, The Coca-Cola Company, Firmenich SA, Nestlé SA, and Solae all collaborate with Senomyx, but decline to specify where its additives may be found in their many food categories.
Senomyx’s products work by amplifying the intensity of other flavors, such as the salt in Campbell’s soups. The soup maker can reduce the amount of sodium in each can by about one third with the addition of Senomyx’s chemical, and then proudly label the soup “low sodium.” Because very small amounts of the additive are used (reportedly less than 1 part per million) Senomyx’s chemical compounds will not appear on labels, but will fall under the broad category of “artificial flavors.” For the same reason, the company’s chemicals have sped past the FDA’s safety approval process usually required for food additives. Senomyx’s MSG-enhancer earned the Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status from the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association, an industry-funded organization, in less than 18 months, which included three months of tests on rats. With public health officials calling for consumers to limit salt and sugar in foods, food manufacturers are scrambling to find ways to reformulate their concoctions with less of the two ingredients they depend upon most for mass taste appeal. Collaboration with Senomyx seems to be the magic bullet: a sodium- and sugar-reduced product with no taste change, and a politically correct “cleaned up” label.
With questions of future safety of the additives now left largely up to chance, Senomyx’s concoctions are quietly finding their way into the global packaged food stream. In fact, according to Senomyx’s website, it “received a positive review by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives, which determined that there were no safety concerns with the use of the Company’s savory flavor ingredients in foods. The positive assessment by JECFA is expected to expedite regulatory approvals in a number of countries, particularly those that do not have independent regulatory approval systems.”
Two of Senomyx’s newest innovations include a Cool Flavor Program, which enhances cooling, menthol sensations, and a Bitter Blocker Program. According to Senomyx’s website, the company is collaborating with Solae, the international soy ingredients supplier, “to develop new bitter blockers that better modulate and control bitterness in certain soy-based products.” Senomyx has identified the receptors in the mouth responsible for sensing bitter taste (nature’s way of warning us against ingesting poison) and developed a chemical additive to knock out these receptors when eaten with hydrolyzed soy protein and other soy derivatives. Senomyx’s revenues for the last quarter of 2007 were up 87 percent from the same period in 2006, stock prices are rising and the corporate outlook for 2008 is glowing. CEO Kent Snyder reports that corporate goals include “continuing to achieve significant progress in all of our discovery and development programs such as regulatory approval for our S2383 sucralose enhancer and selection of a sucrose enhancer for regulatory development. We also expect expanded commercialization of food products containing our savory flavor ingredients and additional new business development accomplishments.”^[1]

1. ^ Jack Samuels, Wise Traditions in Food, Farming and the Healing Arts, the quarterly magazine of the Weston A. Price Foundation, Spring 2008.

Soft Drinks and Pancreatic Cancer

Most soda today is made with HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) and it seems as if this, along with the very toxic artificial sweeteners used in soda, causes many health problems often not discussed in the media.  It comes as no surprise that soda consumption can lead to this serious disease.  However, don't overlook the use of green tea and risk of pancreatic cancer.

Most HFCS is made from GMO corn and this genetic modification may also be a contributing factor.

The better news is that there are things you can do for pancreatic health, and also for pancreatic cancer naturally.

See also: www.leaflady.org/sweet_but_not_so_innocent.htm
www.leaflady.org/fructose.htm
http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2008/12/dangers-of-hfcs.html

Monday Feb 8,2010 WASHINGTON (Reuters) – People who drink two or more sweetened soft drinks a week have a much higher risk of pancreatic cancer, an unusual but deadly cancer, researchers reported on Monday.
People who drank mostly fruit juice instead of sodas did not have the same risk, the study of 60,000 people in Singapore found.
Sugar may be to blame but people who drink sweetened sodas regularly often have other poor health habits, said Mark Pereira of the University of Minnesota, who led the study.
"The high levels of sugar in soft drinks may be increasing the level of insulin in the body, which we think contributes to pancreatic cancer cell growth," Pereira said in a statement.
Insulin, which helps the body metabolize sugar, is made in the pancreas.
Writing in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, Pereira and colleagues said they followed 60,524 men and women in the Singapore Chinese Health Study for 14 years.
Over that time, 140 of the volunteers developed pancreatic cancer. Those who drank two or more soft drinks a week had an 87 percent higher risk of being among those who got pancreatic cancer.
Pereira said he believed the findings would apply elsewhere.
"Singapore is a wealthy country with excellent healthcare. Favorite pastimes are eating and shopping, so the findings should apply to other western countries," he said.
But Susan Mayne of the Yale Cancer Center at Yale University in Connecticut was cautious.
"Although this study found a risk, the finding was based on a relatively small number of cases and it remains unclear whether it is a causal association or not," said Mayne, who serves on the board of the journal, which is published by the American Association for Cancer Research.
"Soft drink consumption in Singapore was associated with several other adverse health behaviors such as smoking and red meat intake, which we can't accurately control for."
Other studies have linked pancreatic cancer to red meat, especially burned or charred meat.
Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer, with 230,000 cases globally. In the United States, 37,680 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in a year and 34,290 die of it.
The American Cancer Society says the five-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer patients is about 5 percent.
Some researchers believe high sugar intake may fuel some forms of cancer, although the evidence has been contradictory. Tumor cells use more glucose than other cells.
One 12-ounce (355 ml) can of non-diet soda contains about 130 calories, almost all of them from sugar.
(Editing by John O'Callaghan)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100208/hl_nm/us_cancer_pancreas_sodas/print

The Lethal Science of Splenda

UPDATE: 1/20/10  Truvia complaints  

UPDATE: 1/13/10
Not only is Splenda a risk to the health of people who use it, it seems as if it is a health risk to everyone because it is not cleared by water treatment systems. Note, however, that *the science proves that sucralose is broken down in the human body* and this is not reported by the writer in the article that follows.

That Splenda you're drinking will be in our water supply for awhile
By Laura Vanderkam

WASHINGTON, D.C.—People like sucralose—the artificial sweetener marketed as Splenda—because the human body *can’t break it down* and use it. That means the substance has almost no calories and makes it a popular ingredient in everything from cookies to diet sodas. Unfortunately, it turns out that modern wastewater treatment methods don’t break down Splenda either.

That, according to Smitha Ramakrishna, 17, one of 40 finalists in the 2009 Intel Science Talent Search who’ve gathered in Washington, DC, for the final judging rounds this week, means that the sweetener can accumulate in the water supply after people excrete it, potentially harming fish and other living things.

Ramakrishna, a senior at Corona del Sol High School in Chandler, Arizona, first became interested in water issues on a trip to India when she was 12. Her parents took her to an orphanage. She was appalled by the poverty—the lack of tables and chairs for eating, for instance—but what struck her most is that these children didn’t even have access to clean water. In Arizona, despite an ongoing drought, “you turn on the tap and it’s there,” she says. “You take it for granted.”

She came home and, despite her tender years, started an organization called AWAKE, dedicated to water conservation and education. Over the years, AWAKE has helped 3,000 kids in India gain access to clean water through reverse osmosis projects and rainwater harvesting systems.

By high school, however, Ramakrishna decided she wanted to focus more on the science of clean water, and less on the policy. She tried to start doing research at Arizona State University, though since she was the first high schooler her lab had ever had—and she was under age 16—this caused much controversy. “It’s almost child labor,” she says, laughing, explaining the problem. The case went all the way up to the university president’s office. But eventually she was allowed to subject sucralose to various treatments, like bacterial digestion, typically used in wastewater treatment plants. She found that sucralose resisted most of these treatments, and was only broken down into biodegradable molecules with extensive time and concentration of titanium oxide and ultraviolet light. Since few plants use these methods, that means almost all the sucralose people eat or drink winds up in the ecosystem.

It’s too soon yet to say what that will cause. Preliminary studies, Ramakrishna says, suggests that sucralose might poison fish in large enough concentrations. She plans to study this question more in college, potentially at A.S.U., where she continues to work—as do more than 10 high school students, now that she’s broken the barrier. “It’s opened a whole new door,” she says.

Originally posted 12/16/09 (2/52,000 in AOL search): Studies have shown that sucralose can:

* Cause the thymus to shrink by as much as 40% (the thymus is your immune powerhouse - it produces T cells)

* Cause enlargement of the liver and kidneys

* Reduce growth rate as much as 20%

* Cause enlargement of the large bowel area

* Reduce the amount of good bacteria in the intestines by 50%

* Increase the pH level in the intestines (a risk factor for colon cancer)

* Contribute to weight gain

* Cause aborted pregnancy low fetal body weight

* Reduce red blood cell count

Particular warning to diabetics: Researchers found that diabetic patients using sucralose showed a statistically significant increase in glycosylated hemoglobin, a marker that is used to assess glycemic control in diabetic patients. According to the FDA, sucralose "increases in glycosolation in hemoglobin imply lessening of control of diabetes."

Here's a quote from another article - Among the results in the study by Drs. Mohamed B. Abou-Donia, Eman M. El-Masry, Ali A. Abdel-Rahman, Roger E. McLendon and Susan S. Schiffman is evidence that, in the animals studied, Splenda reduces the amount of good bacteria in the intestines by 50%, increases the pH level in the intestines, contributes to increases in body weight and affects the P-glycoprotein (P-gp) in the body in such a way that crucial health-related drugs could be rejected. Turner noted that the P-gp effect "could result in crucial medications used in chemotherapy for cancer patients, AIDS treatment and drugs for heart conditions being shunted back into the intestines rather than being absorbed by the body as intended."

Even limited use of diet soda is known to damage kidney function

"Two or more servings per day of artificially sweetened soda and faster kidney function decline; no relation between sugar-sweetened beverages and kidney function decline was noted.” Moreover, this association persisted even when the researchers accounted for age, obesity, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, physical activity, calorie intake, diabetes and cigarette smoking. Clearly, artificially sweetened sodas are detrimental to kidney health."

Other studies have shown it is linked to cancer and has led to kidney calcification.

There are 35 articles with important information about sucralose and aspartame as well as toxicity of new so-called "natural" sweeteners you can read in Natural Health News.

We suggest using safe sweeteners like "Just Like Sugar".  For more information look for their logo in the right hand column of our BLOG.  Pure extract of stevia is also safe, and can be ordered from us.  You must make sure that any stevia product you purchase is pure, not combined with other harmful ingredients.

And from 2006 -

KOMO TV - Seattle, Herb Weisbaum, Published April 9, 2006

SEATTLE - An investigation by the Environmental Working Group, a well-respected consumer organization, finds high levels of benzene contamination in diet soda.

Benzene is a known cancer causer, something you do not want in your food.

The EWG based its report on data collected by the Food and Drug Administration from 1995 through 2001. It showed that 79 percent of the diet soda samples tested during this six-year period "were contaminated with benzene at levels above the federal limit for benzene in tap water."

The average benzene level found in the diet soda was 19 parts per billion, nearly 4 times higher than the tap water standard which is 5 parts per billion. No brands were identified by the FDA, so I can't tell you which pop they tested.

The Environmental Working Group is not suggesting people stop drinking soft drinks. It does want the FDA to make its test reports public and to take action when manufacturers violate the established safety standards.

The EWG did criticize the FDA for making statements that the benzene levels it found were "insignificant" and "do not suggest a safety concern."

The consumer group says benzene is more likely to be formed when soda pop is stored at warm temperatures for long periods of time.

Read more...

Diabetes and Pollution

A recent study published in Diabetes Care found a strong relationship between Type II diabetes and six pollutants:

• a PCB: hexachlorobiphenyl

• 2 dioxins: heptadioxin and OCDdioxin

• 2 pesticides: oxychlordane and trans-nonachlor, and

• a pesticide metabolite: DDE, a metabolite of DDT*

The contaminants were detectable in more than 80 percent of the study participants. The study found that participants who were in the highest-exposure category were almost 38 times more likely to have diabetes than those in the lowest-exposure category.

An obvious way to reduce the amount of pollutants ingested (some estimates have the average American taking in nearly a gallon of the chemicals each year) is to eat organically grown foods* instead of those grown conventionally with pesticides and herbicides.

*DDT is to be noted because sucralose (Splenda) is a chlorinated hydrocarbon, with some similarities to DDT in chemical structure.

* To reduce contaminants in conventional foods, order “FOOD SAFETY: CLEANSING OPTIONS”.
The second and expanded edition of this Healthy Handout© is full of tried and true, helpful information based on our more than 50 years of “natural healing through natural health”.
Order your copy today for just $3.95
With all orders placed through 31 December, 2009 ‘TOC’ will include a complimentary copy of our Healthy Food Guide. Once payment is received you’ll receive your electronic copy by email.
© 2009 TOC. All Rights Reserved.

Splenda Potentially Harmful to Humans

1/2/10: This article is ranked 4 of 433,000

UPDATE: 12/23/09  Natural Health News has about 35 articles regarding artificial sweeteners like Splenda.  The newest is here

You can sign a petition to the FDA at CFH

Chairman of Citizens for Health Declares FDA Should Review Approval of Splenda

New Study of Splenda and Sucralose Reveals

Shocking New Information About Potential Harmful Effect on Humans !!!

MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 22, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- James Turner, chairman of the national consumer education group Citizens for Health expressed shock and outrage after reading a new report from scientists at Duke University. "The report makes it clear that the artificial sweetener Splenda and its key component sucralose pose a threat to the people who consume the product. Hundreds of consumers have complained to us about side effects from using Splenda and this study, published this past week in the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health Part A, confirms that the chemicals in the little yellow package should carry a big red warning label," said Turner.

Among the results in the study by Drs. Mohamed B. Abou-Donia, Eman M. El-Masry, Ali A. Abdel-Rahman, Roger E. McLendon and Susan S. Schiffman is evidence that, in the animals studied, Splenda reduces the amount of good bacteria in the intestines by 50%, increases the pH level in the intestines, contributes to increases in body weight and affects the P-glycoprotein (P-gp) in the body in such a way that crucial health-related drugs could be rejected. Turner noted that the P-gp effect "could result in crucial medications used in chemotherapy for cancer patients, AIDS treatment and drugs for heart conditions being shunted back into the intestines rather than being absorbed by the body as intended."

The study was conducted using male rats over a period of twelve weeks. The manufacturers of Splenda also used a rat study when they applied for and received approval to market the product from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. At the time, the findings from their rat studies were extrapolated as to possible effects on humans. This is standard FDA practice and this study is consistent with that practice.

Turner said, "This report followed accepted policies and procedures and the results make clear the potential for disturbing side effects from the ingestion of Splenda. It is like putting a pesticide in your body. And this is at levels of intake erroneously approved by the Food and Drug Administration. A person eating two slices of cake and drinking two cups of coffee containing Splenda would ingest enough sucralose to affect the P-glycoprotein, while consuming just seven little Splenda packages reduces good bacteria." Although the effect of consuming Splenda does not result from a onetime use, the side effects do occur after accumulated use. Turner also noted unmistakable evidence that Splenda is absorbed by fat, contrary to the claims of Johnson & Johnson.

Turner announced, "We are calling today on the FDA to immediately accept our petition filed over a year ago and initiate a review of its approval of sucralose and to require a warning label on Splenda packaging cautioning that people who take medications and/or have gastrointestinal problems avoid using Splenda. The new study makes it clear that Splenda can cause you to gain weight and lose the benefits of medications designed to improve and protect your health. The FDA should not continue to turn a blind eye to this health threat."

Citizens for Health will testify in Sacramento, CA, on October 3, 2008, before the California Assembly Committee on Health which is examining the use of deceptive advertising to promote sales of potentially unhealthy food additives, particularly artificial sweeteners.

About Citizens for Health - Citizens for Health ( www.citizens.org ) is an international non-profit consumer advocacy group working to broaden healthcare options, create an integrative health system based on wellness, and advance the freedom to make health choices. The group promotes the fundamental policies needed to improve health choices and information in the U.S. and internationally. The group works with grassroots and education organizations and partners to ensure consumer access to dietary supplements, safe foods, a healthy environment and a wide range of healing therapies. Citizens for Health fosters active citizen leadership and organizes natural health consumers to create political and legislative solutions that support those rights.

Splenda Lawsuit Agreement Not to be Disclosed

Yes sucralose, or Splenda, is a chlorinated hydrocarbon first developed as an insecticide. We certainly wonder why the terms of the settlement are confidential as the data may impact consumer health and should be public.

I does have some untoward effects on health which may have been concealed from the FDA at the time the manufacturer was seeking approval.

Splenda is known to cause seizures, shrinkage of the thymus gland, effects endocrine function, may lead to liver swelling and calcification of the kidneys. The chemical structure is 1,6chloro-1,6-dideoxy-beta-D-fructofuranosyl-4-chloro-4-deoxy-alpha-D-galactopyranoside. More information on sucralose can be found here: Holistic Med.

Safeer and natural sweeteners are agave, Just Like Sugar or stevia.

McNeil Nutritionals and the Sugar Association Inc. jointly announced Monday that they have reached a settlement of a lawsuit regarding the sugar substitute Splenda marketed by McNeil.

Terms of the settlement are being kept confidential.

The association sued McNeil in 2004 claiming McNeil falsely promoted Splenda as a natural product “made from sugar, so it tastes like sugar.” The association argued in its lawsuit that Splenda is actually a chlorinated, artificial sweetener.

McNeil filed its own lawsuit against the Sugar Association in 2005 accusing the association of conducting a “smear campaign” against Splenda and creating a Web site, truthaboutsplenda.com, that contained allegedly false statements about the product.

The details of the settlement agreement have been filed at U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

The Sugar Association, a Washington, D.C., trade group that represents the sugar industry, and McNeil said they have agreed to make no additional comments on the terms of the settlement.

McNeil Nutritionals, of Fort Washington, Pa., is a division of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) of New Jersey.

Philadelphia Business Journal - November 17, 2008
http://philadelphia.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/stories/2008/11/17/daily13.html
© American City Business Journals Inc.

Misleading Marketing and Chemical Sugar Substitutes

Note: The OCA urges consumers to send a similar letter to the FTC, regarding Splenda's advertising practices. Please feel free to use our letter as a template, print up and mail to the address below:

February 24, 2005

Division of Advertising Practices

Bureau of Consumer Protection

Federal Trade Commission

600 Pennsylvania Avenue

Washington, DC 20580

To Whom It May Concern:

On behalf of the Organic Consumers Association (OCA), I would like to submit a formal complaint against the deception-filled marketing campaign being conducted by Johnson & Johnson's McNeil Nutritionals for its artificial sweetener Splenda. The marketing campaign, which continually uses the word "sugar," is designed to confuse consumers into believing that Splenda is a low-calorie natural sweetener. The OCA advocates for clear, truthful labeling and advertising, and J&J's marketing campaign thumbs its nose at those ideals.

Splenda is made through a complex chemical process that involves toxic chemicals, including phosgene gas. That's hardly a process anyone would link to a natural product. But, through its marketing campaign, J&J is trying to do just that.

J&J understands that more and more consumers are trying to buy natural, organic products. Consumers are trying to eat healthy, natural foods and are closely watching what they put in their bodies. Unfortunately, J&J is attempting to cash in on this trend by deceiving consumers that its product, Splenda, is natural. But Splenda doesn't grow in a field like sugar cane or sugar beets, it's made in a huge chemical plant. By using deliberately confusing marketing techniques, J&J is hurting family farmers across the country who can't compete with chemicals masquerading as natural products.

The most troubling aspect of J&J's misleading marketing campaign is that it has been successful. The Center for Science in the Public Interest learned in a poll that nearly half of Americans have been taken in by J&J's deceptions and believe that Splenda is a natural ingredient. They don't seem to realize that the final product does not contain any sugar whatsoever.

OCA urges consumers to read labels carefully. Whether it's genetically-engineered food or chemically processed additives, consumers shouldn't be led to believe that the products they are buying are natural and come from the earth. Sadly, J&J's campaign hinders consumers' ability to ferret out the truth about Splenda.

Sincerely,

Ronnie Cummins - National Director