TLDR:
🚫 May negatively affect gut health
🚫 Can cause allergic reactions
🚫 May lead to increased insulin resistance
You may have heard of sucralose, the artificial sweetener that's widely used as a sugar substitute. Because it has virtually no calories and is cheap, brands love using it as a sugar-free alternatives.
But even though it doesn't have calories, there have been some studies that have raised red flags about its safety:
Disrupting Healthy Guts
A study published in the journal "Nature" in 2014 showed that artificial sweeteners, including sucralose, can disrupt the balance of bacteria in the gut, leading to negative health effects.
Potential Allergic Reactions
In 2007, a study published in the journal "Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology" reported that sucralose can cause allergic reactions in some individuals, including itching, hives, and difficulty breathing.
Increased Insulin Resistance
A study published in the "Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health" in 2013 suggested that consumption of artificial sweeteners, including sucralose, may lead to increased insulin resistance and potential development of type 2 diabetes.
Bottom Line
I know, I know, all this science talk can be overwhelming, but the bottom line is this: why risk it when there's a sweeter option out there like monk fruit? It's got no risks, no side effects, no problems, and all the sweetness you could ask for.
So why don't companies use it? The answer is money. Compared to monk fruit, sucralose is cheap. Like really cheap. Sucralose costs less than $10 per pound while monk fruit costs upwards of $200 per pound.
At Atlas, we use the latter, despite it costing 20x more, because there are some things that are more important than money (like the health of our customers).
Bar Brands Containing Sucralose
Quest
ONE
Barebells
Pure Protein
Sources
Bassian, C., Rance, F., & Gautier, M. (2007). Anaphylaxis to sucralose. Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, 99(4), 427-429.
Schiffman, S. S., Rother, K. I., & Lau, J. (2013). Aspartame, low-calorie sweeteners and the consumer: a review of the literature. Journal of toxicology and environmental health, Part B, 16(7), 399-451.
Suez, J., Korem, T., Zeevi, D., Zilberman-Schapira, G., Thaiss, C. A., Maza, O., ... & Elinav, E. (2014). Artificial sweeteners induce glucose intolerance by altering the gut microbiota. Nature, 514(7521), 181-186.
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