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Splenda is a newer artificial sweetener also known as Altern. Along with thousands of other food and beverage products, Splenda contains sucralose. It was approved as a food product in many countries through the 1990s.
Being newer, it hasn’t taken the beating the aspertame has, when it comes to questions about its safety. And, being newer, that’s part of the problem - there aren’t a lot of long term studies showing just how safe it is. To get in on the controversy, check out Splenda’s site (pro-Splenda), the discoverers of sucralose (pro-Splenda), website from the Sugar Association (anti-Spenda).
Of course Spenda isn’t just sucralose - it also contains maltodextrin and dextrose. There’s only a small amount of sucralose per teaspoon of Splenda because sucralose is incredibly sweet, and needs to be "diluted". Most of the calories in Splenda come from these added ingredients.
A report last September in Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain indicated that sucralose may trigger migraine attacks. What I want to know is, has this been a problem for you? Do you avoid Splenda?
And is this just about Splenda? Sucralose is in an increasing number of products - not all are "sugar free", and some even contain sucralose and aspertame.
What contains sucralose? Thousands of products including Diet RC Cola, Arm & Hammer Dental Gum for Kids, Atkins Diet shakes, Pedialyte Pops and Whitey’s Ice Cream. Everything from milk products to juices to sauces to baked goods to formed meat chunks - and the number of products is growing.
Do you avoid Splenda? Why or why not?
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July 24th, 2007 - 3:30 pm
Hi, James!
I’ve been using Splenda for everything for the last one to two years and haven’t noticed any difference with migraine attacks.
But I try to do everything in moderation, so I probably don’t use more than a couple of teaspoons of sweeteners a day. I use Splenda for baking and cooking, also, but again don’t really bake or eat that many sweets these days!
I, too, wonder what time will tell us for the new, seemingly healthier sweeteners… Another new one out is Stevia (I think that’s the correct spelling), which comes from a natural root, I believe.
I’ve just been eating more healthy food - more fresh fruits and veggies and less processed foods in general.
Cheers!
Betsy
July 27th, 2007 - 2:33 pm
Actually the article doesn’t report on a study and says one hasn’t been done yet. It gives one story of a physician who realized that sucralose triggered his migraines. The article then goes on to say
“websites devoted to revealing the harmful effects of sucralose explain that it may contribute in triggering migraine headaches”
and
“These websites are easily found by looking up sucralose on internet search engines. However, scientific evidence-based research is still lacking concerning this topic.”
July 28th, 2007 - 8:46 am
Yes, looks like I misread that one. What we have are observed cases where there seems to be a clear connection between migraine and sucralose.
Triggers will always be a difficult thing to study. Our limited understanding of migraine makes it difficult to understand the cause and effect, and why certain things are triggers for one person and not another.
Betsy, I certainly think you’re on the right track - moderation and a healthy diet will cover a multitude of sins!
March 15th, 2008 - 8:51 pm
I had recently started using protein bars for snacks. These bars taste incredibly sweet and I noticed Sucralose on the ingredients. Then, today, after not having a migraine for 20 years, I got a severe visual migraine (jazzy lights) within 20 minutes of consuming one. I think perhaps the level in my system increased over the last week to tipping point. All other food I consumed today was completely natural (eg frozen veg, chicken breast etc)
May 4th, 2008 - 11:19 am
Yes!!! Splenda triggers migraines in me. I used to chew sugar free gum and after about 5 minutes, I’d get this nauseous sick, kind of headache. I read an article about a top doctor in the area who treats migraines by helping patients avoid headache triggers. So I started making a mental note. My triggers are Splenda, red onions, some wines, swiss cheese(sometimes) and going without eating for more than 5 hours.
May 12th, 2008 - 12:49 am
A guest brought a delicious homemade cherry pie made from splenda for our after dinner desert. He is diabetic and has began substituting splenda for sugar when baking deserts. Dinner was good. We had some wine with chicken and a salad. Nothing new or different. When the pie was served, within about 20 minutes my head began to ache. This was odd as I don’t usually get headaches. I lost my ability to concentrate and needed to go lay down. The top of my head and upper neck area were tender to the touch. I was in agony. I was having a migraine headache. My vision was blurry. I asked my guest to go home early. I took 2000 mg of acetomenophen and that made the pain feel somewhat better but the pain continued.
The next day my gut feeling said it was the pie, so I had another another slice. And with that I had the same progressin from headache to migraine as the night before.
I did some internet searching to find out that this sort of thing is a not uncommon side-effect. This is just wrong and I think that Spenda should warm their potential customers of the side-effects of their product using labels or the media.
May 16th, 2008 - 10:14 am
I can categorically state without hesitation that Splenda is indeed a trigger for migraine in some people. It seems to be metabolised differently or I should say slower than other food triggers; it may not show until 36 to 48 hours after ingestion. The migraine resulting from it will likewise go on for longer than usual. So yes, Splenda can bring on mirgraine. Stay away from it!