Has anyone had any ill effects from using this sweetener? I hear it taste very good but was wondering what are the long term effects from using it?

Splenda is the only sweetener that does not cause any extra problems--Like aspertame is supposed. I was listening to a MD on TV the other day he recommended only to use Splenda . It is a bit more expensive but can be used in cooking and baking.

I have been using Splenda for 2 1/2 years, since I was diagnosed with Type II diabetes and it is the only sweetner that I like. Splenda doesn not have the after taste that the others have, at least for me. I have not had any adverse reactions from Splenda.

Color me confused. Very :confused:

I certainly expected to like Splenda but a few weeks ago had a severe reaction whenever I consumed Ice Cream sweetened with Splenda. I experienced very noticeable stomach distress and symptoms similar to a strong laxative -- complete intentinal flush in a few hours. I do not experience anything like this with ice cream with any other sweeteners.

I had been using Splenda with my daily coffee, but after the Ice Cream fiasco, I began to worry. I noticed my fasting BS levels had crept up to the 150+ range, so I decided to avoid Splenda even as a coffee sweetener. I switched to using saccharin and noticed my fasting BS levels seem to be dropping to a more normal range.

To add to my confusion, I have been carefully avoiding NutraSweet (Aspartame), but noticed my fasting BS levels drop 20-30 points after days where I consumed a diet soda.

This is nothing more than one person's strange experience, certainly nothing scientific. It has prompted me to spend a lot of google time searching for commentary on Splenda, artificial sweeteners, diabetes, Glucophage, etc, which is how I found this thread and decided to add my weird story to the confusion.

I take Glucophage 500mg twice daily and Glucotrol 10mg once daily.

Glucophage is described as a medicine designed to block glucose in the digestive system, at least that is my interpretation of what the manufacturer's literature says.

These artificial sweeteners stimulate a sweetness sensation because of their chemical similarity to sugar, while the digestive system is unable to extract nutritive value. Since Glucophage works by blocking glucose, it may have altered effectiveness in the presence of sugar surrogates such as Splenda (sucrolose). I cannot guess whether Glucophage is being diverted, blocked, catalyzed, or augmented in the presence of Splenda, but perhaps something unhealthy is going on.

Color me naive. :jester:

Certainly if Splenda were in any way unhealthy, manufacturers would not use it in popular consumer items such as Ice Cream.

Would they? :confused:

To answer the last question first - there have been a lot of unhealthy things in foods - and drug recalls of course - so I tend not to place much faith in "new" things until they have been around for a while and haven't killed anybody :rolleyes:
I had the runs after trying Splenda in ice cream, and later in a baked product, so I'm not going to use it, and have asked close friends and family to tell me it they are putting in anything they are cooking, so I won't accidently eat it. I cramps and runs from whatever they put in those "low fat" ice creams too. I always hated the taste of saccherine and have been doing OK on aspertame (generic Nutrasweet) in my diet sodas, in coffee, on grapefruit. People are very different in their taste perceptions of and tolerance for these products. I would have been thrilled if Splenda agreed with me - could have baked more things etc. Oh well.

I have never used Spenda, but you are explaining sounds to me like the sugar alcohols. Most "sugar free" ice cream has lots of sugar alcohols. My hubby calls them the enema ice creams.

I know about the sugar alcohols - mannitol, sorbital, etc. Learned the hard way. After I was diagnosed about 10 years ago, my kids thought they were doing me a favor by giving me a present of "sugar-free" candy - which I gobbled up - WOW!!!!! Nothing left in my innards after that :rolleyes:

I am not diabetic, but I have had definite side effects from consuming Splenda, including diarhea and sever bloating. It just doesn't sit well with me.

Interesting to read all of these messages about different sugar substitutes. I have a book which I may not be allowed to mention (don't remember whether I can). It's written by a diabetic gentleman who is an endocrinologist. I believe he says that Splenda can effect your blood sugar, and that only STEVIA and aspartame do not. He recommends STEVIA above all others. You can find it in the health food or vitamin stores. Hope this might help some of you! ~ :wave: Tracy

:rolleyes: I love Splenda and haven't noticed any adverse affects, maybe I need to pay more attention. I know Splenda has cloride in it, which is what is in swimming pools? That's why some law suits are being filed, the claim is "made from sugar", but actually it starts with sugar, three parts of it are removed and it becomes cloride....check out their web site for details. I have read some doctors prefer their patients NOT to use it...

So, are we drinking in cloride, which can be very dangerous? I have to drink Glucerna, which is made from another brand of substitute, but it causes bladder problems, but no choice, I have to drink it...and I continue to worry about long term problems as I only have one kidney.... :confused:

Sometimes I think it would be better to just use sugar, but lots LESS of it...and if something is "sugar free", then it shouldn't have substitute sugar either...should be my choice if I want to add sweetner.... :rolleyes:

I have type 1 diabetes, and I love Splenda!! It tastes the most like real sugar because it's made from real sugar... and I haven't had any problems similar to the problems I tend to have with sorbitol. I happen to be VERY sensitive to things like sorbitol - I get severe cramps and bloating. But that's never the case with Splenda. don't know what's in it, but I love the stuff. :D

:rolleyes: I love Splenda and haven't noticed any adverse affects, maybe I need to pay more attention. I know Splenda has cloride in it, which is what is in swimming pools? That's why some law suits are being filed, the claim is "made from sugar", but actually it starts with sugar, three parts of it are removed and it becomes cloride....check out their web site for details. I have read some doctors prefer their patients NOT to use it...

So, are we drinking in cloride, which can be very dangerous? I have to drink Glucerna, which is made from another brand of substitute, but it causes bladder problems, but no choice, I have to drink it...and I continue to worry about long term problems as I only have one kidney.... :confused:

Sometimes I think it would be better to just use sugar, but lots LESS of it...and if something is "sugar free", then it shouldn't have substitute sugar either...should be my choice if I want to add sweetner.... :rolleyes:

I've grown weary of Splenda after reading the information about it in those lawsuits. It seems like a misinformation campaign from Splenda, and I'm not very comfortable with that.

I'm really p.o.'ed because a couple of my favorite Kroger brand products which had been sweetened with Nutrasweet (aspertame) have changed over to Splenda and not only does Splenda give me the runs, they just don't taste as good to me either. I liked their "Lite" cranberry cocktail, and now it tastes like bad kool aid, and they put it in their non-fat yogurt too. I think I'll write an email to Kroger!

I'm really p.o.'ed because a couple of my favorite Kroger brand products which had been sweetened with Nutrasweet (aspertame) have changed over to Splenda and not only does Splenda give me the runs, they just don't taste as good to me either. I liked their "Lite" cranberry cocktail, and now it tastes like bad kool aid, and they put it in their non-fat yogurt too. I think I'll write an email to Kroger!

I get a lot of the Splenda side effects too. Every time I eat or drink any of it, I get bloated and oftentimes get diarrhea.

I'm a newbie here on the Diabetes board, so I feel a little timid about stepping into any discussion here. But I've just read an informative article comparing the various artificial sweeteners in an attempt to make my mind up about their risks before I begin using any of them on a regular basis.

The article was written by David Schardt, a nutrition expert for the Center for Science in the Public Interest. (This is the agency often called "The Food Police" - or worse - by mainstream nutritionists and the public. True, they can be radical in their approach, but at least they attempt to find the truth and often accomplish it.) The title is Sweet Nothings, and it appeared in the May 2004 issue of the Nutrition Action Healthletter.
Board rules may not allow me to post the URL, but the information is easily found by googling {removed}

[ - please carefully review the posting rules - if a website is allowed, you can get permission from moderator1 to post the link - search instructions are not necessary for any allowed website - do not post any kind of information to find a website not allowed to be posted ]

VERY OFF TOPIC... but Midwest, I got confused for a minute about which board I was on. I only go to the Thyroid Board and this one, but you, I'm used to seeing over there.

But Hiya, anyway, and thanks for the information (as usual). :wave:

Is Splenda included in the book? Does it point out that it is indeed not natural like it represents itself?

Is Splenda included in the book? Does it point out that it is indeed not natural like it represents itself?The article states that although the manufacturer's claim that it's made from sugar is technically true, it's misleading, because it's sugar combined with chlorine. So it isn't really "natural".
I'm going to e-mail the moderator to see if I'm permitted to post the URL.
Will get back to you on this.

It wasn't the Splenda. Most of the ice creams that are low-carb ALSO have sugar alcohols. Look for maltitol, lactitol, mannitol, sorbitol on the label. They can definitely cause cramping and all sorts of unpleasant effects. Unfortunately most solid "low carb" or "sugar-free" foods these days are loaded with this stuff.

My 2 cents worth... the spenda did not give you the runs, it was the added SUGAR ALCOHOL... if you read the package it will tell you that excessive consumption will cause those symtoms. but SPENDA alone will NOT....

Respectfully,
Debby

With respect to Debby - I avoid sugar alcohols like the plague, always read ingredients of any product that is "lite" or sugar free etc. -- and Splenda all by itself will give me the runs.

:rolleyes: I love Splenda and haven't noticed any adverse affects, maybe I need to pay more attention. I know Splenda has cloride in it, which is what is in swimming pools? That's why some law suits are being filed, the claim is "made from sugar", but actually it starts with sugar, three parts of it are removed and it becomes cloride....check out their web site for details. I have read some doctors prefer their patients NOT to use it...

So, are we drinking in cloride, which can be very dangerous? I have to drink Glucerna, which is made from another brand of substitute, but it causes bladder problems, but no choice, I have to drink it...and I continue to worry about long term problems as I only have one kidney.... :confused:

Sometimes I think it would be better to just use sugar, but lots LESS of it...and if something is "sugar free", then it shouldn't have substitute sugar either...should be my choice if I want to add sweetner.... :rolleyes:

Chloride is NOT the same as Chlorine. Many different things in the labs are broken down into other chemicals... just because they sound like they are the same, they are NOT! It's just something that happens on a chemical level.. when you break it down to a molecular level, things need to bind to other things. Just buy a general chemistry book, and don't worry that you are killing yourself like you would if you were to drink chlorine.

I've tried both nutra sweet and splenda. Also soribotol. I prefer nutra sweet over splenda. Splenda at first gave me the runs as well. I decided not to use splenda bcuz i also don't like trying new products.

However, different strokes for different folks. MY two cents.

Splenda makes my stomach turn as well. It tends to give me many more side effects than anything else. I'm not a fan of the cramping and diarrhea so much.