Get to know sucralose, a calorie-free artificial sweetener

Sweet foods such as cakes can be very alluring at times. However, for diabetics this is certainly a torture when they want to eat sweet foods, but they have to endure it. Enjoy cake with reduced sweetness? Of course the enjoyment will decrease. In fact, you can't say that he is enjoying the cake.

Maintaining the intake of sugar that enters the body is the main thing that must be considered especially for diabetics. So, can a person with diabetes be unable to eat cakes and other sweet foods?

Luckily, artificial sweeteners are now easy to find and commonly used in everyday life. Its ability to replace the role of sugar without including the bad effects brought about by ordinary sugar makes this food additive often used in everyday life. One of the artificial sweeteners that are also commonly used in food and beverage products is sucralose.

What is sucralose?

Sucralose is an artificial sweetener which has a sweet taste level that is 600 times sweeter than regular sugar. This sweetness is far above aspartame, a fellow artificial sweetener. With a very high sweetness content, that is, similar to aspartame, only a small amount of this sweetener is needed to be added to food and drink to produce the desired sweetness.

This artificial sweetener is also a calorie-free sweetener. Sucralose that enters the body works by passing through the body without being digested, so it does not affect blood sugar levels and calorie intake into the body. Its calorie-free nature is said to make you free from weight gain due to excessive sugar consumption. Various properties that then make this material safe for consumption for diabetics.

The difference between this artificial sweetener and aspartame lies in its resistance to hot temperatures. Sucralose is often used in the cooking process because of its heat resistance. The use of these additives in the daily cooking process, even to roasting, will not change the form of the substance so that it remains safe for consumption.

This artificial sweetener has been widely used and you can find it in various food and beverage products. Starting from chewing gum, gelatin, to frozen packaged foods, they have used this substance as a food additive.

Unlike other synthetic sweeteners, sucralose does not leave a bitter taste on the tongue even though it has a very high sweetness. This sweetener is commonly known as Splenda. Its use has been approved as a safe artificial sweetener by the American FDA, the Food and Drug Association (FDA), for food products since 1999.

Is it true that sucralose has no effect on diabetics?

Although it is claimed to be an artificial sweetener that is calorie free and does not affect blood sugar levels, in fact sucralose has an impact on the body. The resulting impact depends on each individual responding to this material.

Side effects that can occur are increased blood sugar and insulin levels. Based on a study conducted in America as described on the Healthline page, it is said that the effect of sucralose on blood sugar and insulin levels in the body depends on the habits of each individual in consuming artificial sweeteners (not just sucralose).

Those who have or are accustomed to consuming artificial sweeteners will not experience changes in blood sugar or insulin levels in their bodies. Increased blood sugar and insulin levels associated with the use of sucralose are usually found in those who are not used to consuming artificial sweeteners.

Is it safe to consume sucralose?

The use of artificial sweeteners is declared safe by the FDA. However, the safe claims issued remain balanced with various controversies against the adverse effects of consuming this artificial sweetener. The FDA itself then imposed restrictions on the use of sucralose in everyday life.

The recommended amount per day to consume sucralose is five milligrams per kilogram of body weight. So, if you weigh 50 kilograms, the amount of sucralose you can consume on a daily basis should not exceed 250 milligrams.

If you have doubts about consuming this artificial sweetener, especially if you are on a diet, it's a good idea to consult with your doctor or nutritionist to determine the right dosage.

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