Chemical in common sweetener damages DNA

RALEIGH, North Carolina – A new study has found that sweeteners used as an alternative to sugar are harmful to health.

According to a study conducted by researchers from North Carolina University, chemicals produced after sweetener is digested damages DNA.

Researchers say the commonly used sweetener sucralose releases harmful chemical called genotoxic in the digestive system.

A press release issued by the University Wednesday said the same research team had previously found several fat-soluble compounds in the gut after ingesting sucralose.

One of those compounds is sucralose-6-acetate.

Susan Schiffman, leader of the research team, said the research found that sucralose-6-acetate becomes a harmful genotoxic compound.

“Our new work establishes that sucralose-6-acetate is genotoxic. We also found trace amounts of sucralose-6-acetate in off-the-shelf sucralose, even before it is consumed and metabolized,” she said. 

She said the European Food Safety Authority has set a threshold of 0.15 micrograms per person per day for all genotoxic substances.

However, her team found that sucralose-6-acetate releases more genotoxic substances than the threshold.

She said sucralose-6-acetate can effectively break down DNA in cells exposed to the chemical.

These research findings have raised several concerns about the potential health effects of sucralose and its metabolites.

“When we exposed sucralose and sucralose-6-acetate to gut epithelial tissues – the tissue that lines your gut wall – we found that both chemicals cause leaky gut. Basically, they make the gut wall more permeable, damaging the ‘tight junctions’ where cells in the gut wall connect,” Schiffman said.

According to the researchers, it is time to review the safety and regulatory status of sucralose, as evidence is accumulating that it poses significant risks.