A report highlights the dangers of heating food and food products with artificial sweeteners, in particular, sucralose.
Sucralose is used by millions as a substitute for sugar. There has been a lot of research about the dangers of artificial sweeteners and how they may negatively affect your body. It has been suggested that sucralose has some cancer-causing potential, and this might specifically occur when foods containing sucralose, such as canned vegetables and baked goods, are heated.
The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) has assessed the currently available data. It was found that the dangers of artificial sweeteners like sucralose occur when the food is heated to a gradual temperature of 120 degrees Celsius or higher. This high temperature causes sucralose to be dechlorinated.
When using sucralose in cooking or baking, a temperature between 120 degrees Celsius and 150 degrees Celsius, can lead to the formation of potentially dangerous compounds. One limitation to this study is there is not enough data or research to support this finding. This study provides a foundation for future studies to examine the dangers to the human body with use of artificial sweeteners like sucralose particularly when heated.
Written by Nicole A. Brown, MS
References
Bundesinstitut fur Risikobewertung. (2019). Harmful compounds might be formed when foods containing the sweetener Sucralose are heated. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.17590/20190409-142644
Fiack, S. (2019). Harmful compounds might be formed when foods containing the sweetener sucralose are heated. BFR Federal Institute for Risk Assessment. Retrieved from https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-04/bfif-hcm041219.php
