I want to share a story with you shared with me by one of my
clients in the hopes that may be helpful for you or someone you know.
During our first session, she told
me about a rash that she had developed that spread over her body and that was
so itchy that, as she describes it, she
couldn’t dig down to the bone far enough to scratch it. She visited several doctors and
dermatologists who couldn’t figure out the source of it, until one finally
suggested it must be an allergy.
She went home and thought about
what she was doing on a daily basis that might be the cause. At the time, she was drinking Waist
Watcher’s diet soda that’s sweetened with sucralose (Splenda). So she did a search on the
internet for sucralose and rash and sure enough, forums popped up filled with
people complaining about the same symptoms from using sucralose and her rash
was identical to the rashes that were described. So she stopped drinking the soda and lo and behold, the rash
went away. And when she tried the
soda again, the rash returned. She was also able to help a number of her patients (she’s a
nurse practitioner) who were having the same problem.
Sadly enough, when she contacted
the makers of Splenda, they denied that it could be causing the problem. The makers of Waist Watcher’s soda;
however, were interested in what she had to say.
The scientific data on whether or
not artificial sweeteners are safe is inconclusive, although reading about it
was enough to give me whiplash.
For example, one study that concluded that sucralose impaired gut microflora in mice
was quickly deemed flawed by a “panel of experts” on the
subject.
If you suspect that you do have
issues with sucralose, or any artificial sweeteners for that matter, “do the
experiment” and eliminate it from your diet. Then, if you’re not convinced, “challenge yourself with it
again to see if your problem comes back.
In addition, to help you identify potential sources that may be hiding
out in your diet, visit Food
Facts for a list of foods that are made with specific artificial sweeteners. You’ll be surprised where they’re
showing up, such as in canned fruit, yogurt, jams and jellies, popcorn,
vitamins, ketchup, protein powders, frozen meals and sparkling water.
Why else might you want to remove
artificial sweeteners from your diet?
More on this next week…
Image courtesy of Keerati
