Guest guest Posted July 2, 2003 Report Share Posted July 2, 2003 Wed, 2 Jul 2003 14:41:58 -0500 HSI - Jenny Thompson Just Passin' Through Just Passin' Through Health Sciences Institute e-Alert July 2, 2003 ************************************************************** Dear Reader, Last night my husband came home beaming. He'd just made a miraculous discovery: Atkins brand ice cream. This is by no means the first Atkins product to come in the door since my husband started his Atkins diet just a couple of weeks ago. So far he's sticking with it and losing some weight, but I'm a little concerned about all the Atkins snack products. Atkins Endulge (the product name of the ice cream) has only 4 grams of net carbs per serving. But like other Atkins snacks, it contains sucralose - the artificial sweetener known better by its brand name Splenda. So while I'm convinced that the " Atkins Nutritional Approach " is basically a good idea (it's not for everyone, of course, but no diet is), I'm also wary of the long-term consequences of my other half ingesting all this sucralose. ----------------------------- You are what you absorb ----------------------------- Sucralose is a relatively new sweetener - it was only approved for use in the U.S. in 1998. Since then, two camps have developed: one camp says sucralose is perfectly safe and offers " proof " in the FDA approval based on a review of more than 100 studies, while the other camp argues that some of those studies clearly did not support the safety of sucralose, while most of them used animal, not human, subjects. And then there's the processing of sucralose. Simply put, sucralose is chlorinated table sugar. To say chlorine is toxic is to put it mildly. But some in that first camp (such as Johnson & Johnson, the makers of Splenda) claim that the chlorine processing is not a problem because sucralose passes through the human body without being absorbed. A similar claim is also made on the Atkins web site, which states that sucralose is " inert " in the digestive system, and passes quickly through the body without accumulating in tissues. According to the sucralose " Final Rule " issued by the FDA, however, the body may absorb from 11 to 27 percent of ingested sucralose. And research from the Japanese Food Sanitation Council doesn't even agree with that assessment; it estimates that perhaps as much as 40 percent is absorbed. In addition, the Sucralose Toxicity Information Center (STIC) has determined that once sucralose is absorbed, as much as 20 to 30 percent may be metabolized by the body, where it accumulates in the gastrointestinal tract, as well as the liver and kidneys. And what it may be doing there, over a long period of time, with more added daily, is the unknown factor of sucralose. STIC research in the 90's demonstrated that years of sucralose use may lead to immune system and neurological disorders. I suspect that, in the end, the reality of sucralose's safety will fall somewhere in between the predictions of the two camps. To date, the only real complaint that most people have about sucralose is that it may cause stomach pains and gas. Nevertheless, I personally don't want to be a part of this lab experiment as it unfolds. Unfortunately, my husband already is. ----------------------------- Processed beyond recognition ----------------------------- Caramel nut chews, peanut butter cups, wafer crisp bars, deluxe fudge brownies, dessert cake rolls, caramel nut clusters, cheesecake, chocolate fudge sauce, jelly beans, salt water taffy, peanut brittle - this is just a partial list of snack and dessert products containing sucralose that are offered by Atkins. And it's not my intention to pick on Atkins, it's just that this is what my cupboards at home are filling up with. There are hundreds of other brand name products lining grocery shelves that have " sugar free " on their labels, and sucralose inside. You can argue that sucralose is probably a better choice than aspartame - the other major sugar substitute. And from what I've read about aspartame, I would agree with that. But in addition to the safety questions, processing is also an important concern. Anything that contains sucralose has to be considered highly processed. And while our bodies can digest foods that have undergone a wide variety of processing, the cumulative side effects of eating processed foods often lead to chronic health problems. Of course, the obvious and preferable choice is fresh whole foods. ----------------------------- You scream, I scream... ----------------------------- A colleague of mine once pointed out that snacks and desserts (such as ice cream, candy bars, potato chips, etc.) are not food - they're entertainment for the taste buds. That's not entirely true (some snacks contain genuine nutrients), but it makes the point that snacking on sucralose sweetened ice cream is a world away from snacking on, say, a red bell pepper. I know - except for their color, red bell peppers are no fun. It's hard to imagine a family going for a ride on a summer evening and stopping off at a fresh vegetable stand for a red pepper " treat. " But this is the age of an American obesity " epidemic. " And poor nutrition is one of the two primary causes. (The other, of course, is lack of exercise.) As a nation, if we pass on the whole foods and reach for the processed treats, we'll never see the rates drop for chronic diseases, cancer, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, etc., etc., etc. Of course, taking a pass on treats begins at home. The tough part now will be convincing my husband that a red bell pepper (one of the veggies high on Atkins' low carb list) can be as tasty a treat as Endulge ice cream. ************************************************************** ...and another thing Last week I answered a question about the aluminum content of deodorants ( " McMedicine " 6/25/03), which brought this additional question from an HSI member named Betty: " I know about the aluminum in regular deodorants, but the makers of the Thai deodorant stones, which contain alum, insist that it isn't the same thing as aluminum chlorhydrate, and the alum molecule is too large to be absorbed by the skin. I don't know what to believe, so I'm asking you. Is the deodorant stone a safe alternative or is it just as bad as conventional deodorants? " Betty, I think you may be just fine with the deodorant stone. Alum is a natural mineral salt, and is in no way related to aluminum chlorhydrate or aluminum zicarnium, the two most common active ingredients in commercial deodorants. But more than just deodorizing, these two synthetic compounds are antiperspirants, which block pores and keep them from doing what they're supposed to do: perspire. The mineral salts in the deodorant stone kill odor-causing bacteria without blocking perspiration. Try as I might, I can't find any warnings or dangers concerning the mineral salt deodorant stone, and there don't seem to be any published studies. But a friend of mine named Jim started using a deodorant stone about five years ago, and he tells me that he wouldn't consider using anything else now. So, in the interest of e-Alert research, I asked Jim to reveal some details. He told me that when he used typical commercial deodorants, his skin would often break out into a painful rash. He tried a number of products touted as " natural, " but still experienced the rash. He was skeptical about trying a deodorant stone, wondering if it would really work. The stones are considerably more expensive than most deodorants (generally about $7 or $8), and he didn't want to waste that much money on yet another failed natural product. Finally, however, he tried one. No rash developed. It was very effective in controlling odor. And one stone usually lasts about 10 months, making it well worth the expense. The only drawback is that you still perspire. But Jim considers that a small price to pay to be free of his rash. And, of course, he's also not absorbing any aluminum. So don't fear the alum. Unless it has an " inum " on the end. To Your Good Health, Jenny Thompson Health Sciences Institute ************************************************************** Sources: " What is Sucralose and is it Safe? " Lynn Grieger, ivillage.com " The Sucralose Toxicity Information Center " Holistic Healing Web Page, holistic.med.com " The Potential Dangers of Sucralose " Dr. Joseph Mercola, 12/3/00, mercola.com " Sweeteners - FAQ " atkins.com Copyright ©1997-2003 by www.hsibaltimore.com, L.L.C. The e-Alert may not be posted on commercial sites without written permission. ************************************************************** Before you hit reply to send us a question or request, please click here http://www.hsibaltimore.com/ealert/questions.shtml ************************************************************** ************************************************************** If you'd like to participate in the HSI Forum, search past e-Alerts and products or you're an HSI member and would like to search past articles, visit http://www.hsibaltimore.com ************************************************************** To learn more about HSI, call (203) 699-4416 or visit http://www.agora-inc.com/reports/HSI/WHSIC313/home.cfm. ************************************************************** Gettingwell- / Vitamins, Herbs, Aminos, etc. To , e-mail to: Gettingwell- Or, go to our group site: Gettingwell SBC DSL - Now only $29.95 per month! 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