Splenda:yes or no

[Lou]

Skeeter drools and begs for a bite every time I eat a cookie sweetened with Splenda. I'm worried that he is going to snatch one or grab a dropped one one of these days. I thought that Splenda was derived from real sugar so I am wondering what it would do to a little fat yorkie. Does anyone know?

[BabyGirl Rosie]

I use Splenda in my food as my dad is diabetic which makes me high risk. I think it is better than the other sweeteners but I am not sure about giving it to a dog. Here is an article on Webmd. Don't know how accurate it really is.
Dietitians Say Splenda Is Not the Same as Sugar

[Lou]

Thanks, that was a really fast reply!!!

[BabyGirl Rosie]

Originally Posted by Lou

Thanks, that was a really fast reply!!!

Well, it caught my attention since I use Splenda. Do you use it all the time too? I make almost all my deserts with it.

[navillusc]

Splenda, as I understand it from my research, is 1 molecule of sucrose and 3 molecules of chlorine. Fructose can only be metabolized by the liver. Stevia, raw honey, or 'old process' coconut or palm sugar are my choices, or natural fruit juices. We use no artificial sweeteners including the whole "itol" (manitol. sorbitol, maltitol, xylitol, etc.) family nor aspartame nor HFCS, and if we must use a refined sugar, it is organic.

[Lou]

Originally Posted by BabyGirl Rosie

Well, it caught my attention since I use Splenda. Do you use it all the time too? I make almost all my deserts with it.

Yes. I'm diabetic recently put on insulin. I've been using it every since it came out. I was thrilled that it tasted so good with no after taste.

I sure hope you don't get diabetes. I have had it for years and have controlled it with diet and meds. I cried when that didn't work anymore and the doctor told me I had to go on insulin injections. Good luck, stay healthy, eat healthy, and keep your weight down.

[BabyGirl Rosie]

Originally Posted by Lou

Yes. I'm diabetic recently put on insulin. I've been using it every since it came out. I was thrilled that it tasted so good with no after taste.

I sure hope you don't get diabetes. I have had it for years and have controlled it with diet and meds. I cried when that didn't work anymore and the doctor told me I had to go on insulin injections. Good luck, stay healthy, eat healthy, and keep your weight down.

I remember daddy being told he had diabetes. I cried my eyes out. My DH said lots of people have diabetes. And I said, "well yes but they aren't my daddy". Ha ha. How selfish I was.

My grandmother had it also. She was on injections as well. Daddy is just on meds and diet at this point too. He is close to retiring. It seems since he is working less his sugar is higher. I am praying he don't have to go on injections.

Splenda does have a good taste. I have not tried the Stevia. I guess I think they will always find something wrong regardless. I can remember the big scare about artificial sweeteners and cancer. Did that ever go away?

[navillusc]

Originally Posted by BabyGirl Rosie

...lots of people have diabetes...big scare about artificial sweeteners and cancer. Did that ever go away?

I know 2 very good websites with explanations...not sure if I should post them here but will PM if you are interested.

[BabyGirl Rosie]

Originally Posted by navillusc

I know 2 very good websites with explanations...not sure if I should post them here but will PM if you are interested.

That would be great. Thank you!

[gracielove]

Originally Posted by BabyGirl Rosie

I remember daddy being told he had diabetes. I cried my eyes out. My DH said lots of people have diabetes. And I said, "well yes but they aren't my daddy". Ha ha. How selfish I was.

My grandmother had it also. She was on injections as well. Daddy is just on meds and diet at this point too. He is close to retiring. It seems since he is working less his sugar is higher. I am praying he don't have to go on injections.

Splenda does have a good taste. I have not tried the Stevia. I guess I think they will always find something wrong regardless. I can remember the big scare about artificial sweeteners and cancer. Did that ever go away?

Hopefully you can encourage your Dad to start walking more as he retires. The more exercise he gets the less he will have to depend on the medications. If he likes some sort of sport it would be good for him to get into doing that as well.

[Lou]

Originally Posted by navillusc

I know 2 very good websites with explanations...not sure if I should post them here but will PM if you are interested.

Please do post them.

Still wondering about the effect it would have on my little guy should he get a hold on any of it.

[BabyGirl Rosie]

Originally Posted by Lou

Please do post them.

Still wondering about the effect it would have on my little guy should he get a hold on any of it.

Send her a pm and she will share the information with you. She did with me. May be a little controversial to post here.

[navillusc]

Originally Posted by Lou

Please do post them.

Still wondering about the effect it would have on my little guy should he get a hold on any of it.

My sincerest apologies for the confusion. The websites I was referring to relate to diabetes / cancer connections, not Splenda. I alsonoticed that my keyboard deducted a couple letters when I was typing "sucralose" and I ended up with "sucrose" which is table sugar...although Splenda is basically chlorinated table sugar anyway...but the term is kind of incorrect as typo'd.

I can find you some for Splenda, its chemical composition and benefits/dangers, if you like. I lost my storage hard drive so I will need to do some searches, which may take a little time. Personally, I would not give any animal or human any artifical sweetener (or anything else) but that's because I have researched many things for many years and the more I look into this stuff, the more unhappy I become about it and the more I realize how little of the surface I've scratched. Actually, any refined or processed product including what we think of as 'plain old sugar' presents health dangers as well...it's a huge subject.

In a quick search, I found these excerpts on Splenda about humans (written for women) from:

The Truth About Splenda | Splenda Side Effects | Splenda Dangers

<Begin Quote>

The Truth About Splenda

Splenda is a zero calorie sugar alternative in those little yellow packets that's been on the market for 10 years. Splenda is a man-made substance produced from a chemical composition that is created from the chlorination of normal sugar. Spleda is a sugar that has been chemically modified. Splenda has enjoyed a broad rise in popularity, and many people find it has less of an aftertaste than any other artificial sweetener.

The company that makes Splenda, McNeil Nutritionals, has repeatedly argued that Splenda has endured some of the most demanding food trials on record for any food additive. McNeil says that over 100 such studies have been conducted on Splenda. Most of these studies were done on animals, thereby casting doubt on the safety report for humans.ucted on Splenda. What they don't tell you is that most of the studies are on animals. [emphasis mine]



Splenda Side Effects

Skin welts, blisters or other irritation
Rash
Allergic response
Itching
Swelling
Bloating
Diarrhea
Headache
Tremors
Nausea
Abdominal pain
Depression
Forgetfulness
Mood swings
Anxiety
Inability to concentrate
Lightheadedness
Feelings of panic
Feeling faint

<End Quote>

They include a 'self-test' to see if you are sensitive.

Also, they include the following...emphasis mine...which would alone stop me from giving it to my pets at all since I am so far unable to find accurate toxicity and/or levels:

<Begin Quote>

Splenda: A Natural Sweetener?


The chemical name of Splenda is sucralose. While sucralose begins as as a sugar molecule, it is the process by which it's made that is concerning. Sucralose is a synthetic chemical that is manufactured in a five-step patented process. During this process, three chlorine molecules are added to a sugar molecule. The initial, natural sugar molecule is a disaccharide made up of two single sugars bound together; these single sugars are glucose and fructose.

The chemical process used in making sucralose modifies the chemical makeup of the sugar so much that it is converted into a molecule that does not normally occur in nature. Because this artificial molecule is not natural, the body does not know how to metaboize it. According to the manufacturers of Splenda, this is the very grounds on which Splenda is calorie neutral -- it is not broken down or metabolized by the body. Splenda simply passes through your digestive track without depositing any caloric residue.

This is misleading, however, as Splenda's no calorie status would only hold up if the body did have the capability to metabolize it. More troubling, the fact that sucralose is a wholly artificial ingredient proves questions about its safety, especially if used in large amounts over a long period of time. There is the additional matter of insulin reaction. While research reports are still inconclusive, the medical research community widely theorises that Splenda elicits an increase in insulin levels, which, despite the calorie content, will signal the body to hold on to fat reserves or even store more fat.

New Sugar Substitutes


Nutritionist Janet Starr Hull has researched Splenda and other new sugar substitutes and shares these conclusions:

Splenda is a chlorocarbon, which has a history of producing organ impairment, genetic mutation and reproductive issues.


Splenda can do damage to the thymus gland, which plays an significant role in healthy immune system function.


Splenda can induce swelling of the liver and calcification of the kidneys.


The studies cited by the manufacturers Splenda only report selective results and do not show an accurate assessment of the actual health impact of Splenda.


The cholrine that is used in the process of producing Splenda is a carcinogen, a fact published in the OSHA Hazardous Waste Handbook.


Sucralose is not as health-threatening as Aspartame. If you had to choose between the two, choose Splenda. Saccharin is the only artificial sweetener that is in any way acceptable. But you will be better off using a natural form of sweetener.


The uncommon sweetness of sucralose (Splenda is rumored as being 600 times sweeter than sugar) only provokes greater addiction to the taste of sweetness.


Unless one's digestion is impaired, any food or substance you ingest will be assimilated. If we feed the body a wholly indigestible material (such as margarine), it will move through the body undigested, if it doesn't get bound in the gall bladder. If sucralose is really indigestible, that is a bigger problem than the problem of absorption.


The only benefit to using Splenda is the profit the manufacturer gains.

<End Quote>

[navillusc]

Originally Posted by BabyGirl Rosie

Send her a pm and she will share the information with you. She did with me. May be a little controversial to post here.

Yes...and while the information relates to the basic health of animals as well as humans, it is outside the Splenda scope of this thread about Yorkies...which I feel is equally important since the product trials were done on animals (not necessarily or specified to mean "Yorkies"), but Yorkies do sometimes suffer genetic issues with kidneys and liver, and there was specific damage to those organs and others (thymus...natural immune protection) shown in the trials.

Take care!