What is Splenda? - Kathleen Lieske

Splenda is an artificial sweetener used in over 4,500 products, such as diet pops, candy, and breakfast bars(4). Why choose Splenda sweetened products over sugar sweetened products? Well one of the biggest reasons is because Splenda is a no calorie sweetener and; thus, won't add to your daily intake of calories whereas sugar would (3). It also has the added benefit of being 600 times sweeter than that of sugar (1), so you can get more for less!

Splenda has all of these qualities mainly because it is made from sugar. By removing OH branches in a sugar molecule and replacing them with chlorine atoms sucralose, otherwise known as Splenda, is created (2). Because Splenda maintains its double sugar structure it still has many of the same qualities as sugar, such as  taste, sweetness, and appearance (1). However, the body does not breakdown sucralose so you get the sweetness without the added calories (2). Splenda is a safe alternative for everyone to use and is ideal for diabetics (2). 

1) Sweetners. Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology [Online]; Wiley & Sons, Posted    March 24, 2006. http://library.mtroyal.ca:3108/doi/10.1002/0471238961.19230505120505.a01.pub2/full     (accessed Nov 1, 2012).

2) Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splenda (accessed Nov 1, 2012). Splenda.

3) Splenda Home Page. https://www.splenda.ca/healthcare-sucralose-excellent?.            gclid=CKe52vvivLMCFc5cMgodjw8Aqw  (Accessed Nov 1, 2012)

4) Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sucralose  (accessed Nov 1, 2012). Sucralose.

5) Artificial Sweeteners .New Harvard Guide to Women's Health.[Online] 2004.             http://library.mtroyal.ca:2144/entry/hupwh/artificial_sweeteners