Chemical Found in Common Sweetener Damages DNA
By: Matt Shipman (matt_shipman@ncsu.edu) and Susan Schiffman (ssschiff@ncsu.edu)
*Link to full study: https://news.ncsu.edu/2023/05/genotoxic-chemical-in-sweetener/
A new study finds a chemical formed when we digest a widely used sweetener is “genotoxic,” meaning it breaks up DNA. The chemical is also found in trace amounts in the sweetener itself, and the finding raises questions about how the sweetener may contribute to health problems.
At issue is sucralose, a widely used artificial sweetener. Previous work by the same research team established that several fat-soluble compounds are produced in the gut after sucralose ingestion. One of these compounds is sucralose-6-acetate.
“Our new work establishes that sucralose-6-acetate is genotoxic,” says Susan Schiffman, corresponding author of the study and an adjunct professor in the joint department of biomedical engineering at North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “We also found that trace amounts of sucralose-6-acetate can be found in off-the-shelf sucralose, even before it is consumed and metabolized.
“To put this in context, the European Food Safety Authority has a threshold of toxicological concern for all genotoxic substances of 0.15 micrograms per person per day,” Schiffman says. “Our work suggests that the trace amounts of sucralose-6-acetate in a single, daily sucralose-sweetened drink exceed that threshold. And that’s not even accounting for the amount of sucralose-6-acetate produced as metabolites after people consume sucralose.”
For the study, researchers conducted a series of in vitro experiments exposing human blood cells to sucralose-6-acetate and monitoring for markers of genotoxicity.
“In short, we found that sucralose-6-acetate is genotoxic, and that it effectively broke up DNA in cells that were exposed to the chemical,” Schiffman says.
*ANOTHER SOURCE ARTICLE:
Chemical Found In ‘Widely Used Sweetener’ Damages Human DNA, New Study Says
According to a new study, a chemical that forms when humans digest a certain type of “widely used” sweetener is “genotoxic,” meaning it damages DNA.
That chemical is also said to be found in the sweetener itself in trace amounts and researchers claim “the finding raises questions about how the sweetener may contribute to health problems.”
North Carolina State University shared the findings of its new study in a news release. It names “sucralose,” said to be the most widely used artificial sweetener in the United States, as the “issue.”
By Zachary Rogers (https://katu.com)
Previous work from the new study’s research team “established that several fat-soluble compounds are produced in the gut after sucralose ingestion,” according to NC State’s news release, adding that “one of these compounds is sucralose-6-acetate.”
The new work now “establishes that sucralose-6-acetate is genotoxic” according to Susan Schiffman, corresponding author of the study and an adjunct professor in the joint department of biomedical engineering at North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who is quoted in the release.
According to Healthline.com, “Splenda” is the “most common sucralose-based product.”
Sucralose has been sold under other brand names as well, such as Cukren, Zerocal, Nevella, Canderel Yellow and SucraPlus.
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