What Is Sucralose?
For many people looking to reduce the amount of sugar in their diet, alternatives such as sucralose-based sweeteners offer the alternative they’re looking for. If you’re thinking of making use of sucralose or products that use it, or you simply want to find out more about what it is, you’re in the right place. We’re going to cover each of the most important things you’ll need to know about sucralose.
It’s understandable that people want to find out more about a sugar substitute before using it. The messaging around the safety, benefits and drawbacks of things such as these can be very contradictory. The guide below will clear a few things up for you and provide you with the most up to date information you need to know regarding sucralose, so read on now if you want to find out more. By the time you reach the bottom of this guide, you’ll understand everything there is to know about sucralose and what it can offer you.
What is Sucralose?
At the most basic level, sucralose is an artificial sweetener, and it’s used to add sweetness to a variety of drinks and foods. It’s been a popular basis for a wide range of sweetener products, and we’ll come to some of those later in this piece, but the most commonly known among them is Splenda. One of the things that makes sucralose a useful and popular sweetener is the fact that it doesn’t come with the bitter after taste that often comes with some artificial sweetener.
One of the things that makes sucralose different to some other sweeteners is that it’s not metabolized. In other words, when it’s consumed, it simply passes through your body without ever being digested. This is beneficial from a health point of view because it means that the body never takes on any carbohydrates, while you still benefit from the sweet taste that you’re looking for. And because there are no carbs in sucralose, it also means that there are no calories, so you don’t have to put up with a calorie intake spike.
Sucralose is made from sugar but using a specific chemical process that involves removing hydrogen-oxygen groups from the sugar and replacing them with chlorine atoms instead. When the process for creating sucralose was first found, it was stumbled upon by accident. But when the substance was tasted, scientists noticed its sweet properties. This all happened in a lab setting in the 1970s involving British scientists. It was then found that sucralose was actually hundreds of times sweeter than sugar itself, making it a potentially very useful ingredient for manufacturers and individuals to use.
Once these discoveries were made, a range of different food companies began the process of testing the substance, ensuring it was safe for consumption and developing ways to use it in food products. That’s what led us to the present day. Sucralose is now used in a wide variety of food and drink products that we all consume on a regular basis. It stands as one of the most popular and widely used artificial sweeteners in the United States at the moment. And that’s built on the back of a strong reputation that goes back many years at this point.
How is It Different to Sugar?
So what makes Sucralose different to sugar and why do we need replacements for sugar in the first place? Starting with the second question, there are many reasons why we might want to reduce our sugar intake. By doing so, we take on less calories and gain less weight. Therefore, it can be argued that these sugar alternatives have a crucial part to play in the battle against obesity in this country and around the world. Some people also have to reduce their sugar intake because of conditions such as diabetes, and things like sucralose can make life much easier.
In terms of what makes sucralose so different to sugar is the way in which it doesn’t contain any calories. And that’s something that comes down to the fact that it’s not metabolized and digested at any point in the consumption process as it moves through your body. There is simply no way for the sucralose itself to convert to calories and cause weight gain. None of that is true for sugar, which is a major point of difference between the two.
Sugar is a natural substance and this is one of the things that some people might say it has in its favor. When compared to chemically altered and man-made substances such as sucralose, it’s certainly been around for a whole lot longer. We understand more about sugar than we do about artificial sweeteners and how they interact with the body. Although research shows us that sugar can be problematic when consumed excessively, that’s not the case for sucralose. No research suggests any problems arise from consuming lots of sucralose, although everything is best consumed in moderation.
So in summary, sugar and sucralose don’t have a lot in common in terms of how they interact with the body. They’re very different and that’s what makes sucralose useful as a sugar alternative. What they do have in common in their taste and flavor. Both are very sweet, sucralose even more so than sugar. That’s why a small amount of sucralose is enough to act as a replacement for sugar in all kinds of recipes and mass-produced food and drink products.
Swapping Sugar with Sucralose & Its Different Uses
Sucralose is very often used as a sweetener that can be added to drinks and is sold in sachets for those purposes. It’s very commonly used in this way by people who are used to adding sugar to their tea or coffee but want to make a healthier replacement in order to reduce their sugar and calorie intake. Making this kind of swap as part of your day to day routine is definitely considered a healthy change to make, and it makes it possible for people with diabetes to enjoy sweet drinks which might not otherwise be possible.
There’s a range of commercial uses for sucralose as well. It’s used in the mass production of many food and drink products. Many of these products are marketed specifically at people looking for healthier options, diet foods and low calorie drinks. By making use of artificial sweeteners like sucralose rather than sugar, the overall calorie content of these food and drink items can be lowered and sold to people looking to make these kinds of improvements to their health.
Sucralose is not considered to be a good sweetener to use for baking and cooking though. It is heat resistant but some studies have shown that at very high temperatures, it begins to break down. This then allows it to combine with other ingredients and in some cases create harmful substances as a result. This is something that still needs to be researched in more depth before concrete conclusions can be drawn on the usefulness of sucralose in baking and cooking.
There are many uses for sucralose and new research and studies are still being done to get the bottom of just how flexible the substance can be as a sweetener and a replacement for sugar. Right now, though, it’s believed that the substance is best used as a sweetener in drinks and things such as yogurts and oatmeal. These are all examples of things that interact with sucralose at much lower temperatures, and that means there’s no risk of harmful substances being produced.
Is Sucralose Bad for You and is it Safe?
As mentioned above, the main concerns relating to the safety of sucralose relates to how it’s used at very high temperatures, and that’s not something that applies to how sucralose tends to be used in practice. It’s also important to understand that food and drug regulators have tested and considered the research around sucralose and any other substances that are allowed to be used in the production of food and drinks for sale in the United States.
There’s no evidence to suggest that it has any direct harm on the body when used correctly. There are some questions as to what kind of impact it has on the metabolism. This is because when the body is expecting the calories that usually come after a sweet taste in the mouth, and then those calories aren’t delivered by the sucralose, it can cause some disruption to the regular and smooth functioning of the body’s metabolism. Again, this is something that needs to be researched in more depth.
Studies into sucralose have been going on for a few decades at this point, so there is a body of evidence that suggests its general safety. It’s not a brand new ingredient and none of the studies show there’s anything to be worried about providing sucralose is used in the correct way. There have been over 100 of these studies and counting so far, so the body of evidence is growing all the time and can’t be ignored.
How Sucralose Impacts Blood Sugar
For many people, one of the things that is most important to understand about sucralose is the impact it has on blood sugar levels. This is obviously something that’s particularly important to people who are living with type 1 or 2 diabetes. Diabetics need to regulate their blood sugar levels carefully in order to avoid the complications that are commonly associated with diabetes. And that’s why diabetics are also more likely than the average person to be interested in using sucralose as a replacement for sugar.
It allows them to get that sweet taste that they might be looking for and craving without necessarily having to take more sugar into the body that would have the potential to raise their blood sugar levels and cause them health problems. But does sucralose have any impact at all on blood sugar? It’s an important question and it’s one that’s a little more difficult to answer than you might immediately think.
Sucralose doesn’t contain any carbohydrate, so it stands to reason that it shouldn’t cause a spike in blood sugar levels when consumed. By and large that’s true, and it’ll certainly have much less of an impact on blood sugar and insulin levels on the body than regular sugar would. Nevertheless, some studies have shown that people who don’t often consume artificial sweeteners experience a slight elevation in blood sugar and insulin levels after each time they do consume them.
People who consume substances such as sucralose on a more regular basis are far less likely to experience any impact on their blood sugar levels after consuming it. It was found that people with obesity were also more likely to experience a spike in blood sugar levels after consuming foods or drinks with sucralose in it. All of this has to be weighed against the fact that any increase in blood sugar level is minimal compared to the increase caused by the consumption of sugar.
Its Impact on Weight
The way in which sucralose can impact weight is a complicated area. Many products that contain sucralose present and market themselves as aiding weight loss, and it’s certainly true that they can. After all, most foods can be consumed as part of a healthy diet that can lead to weight loss alongside the right lifestyle changes. So from that point of view, there’s no reason at all why foods containing sucralose cannot be used to positively improve a person’s weight.
At the same time, there are also studies to suggest that consuming sucralose itself is not going to be the thing that decides whether a person is likely to lose weight or not. That’s also something that shouldn’t be seen as much of a surprise. Sucralose alone is not going to cause a person to lose weight because it’s not a magic bullet cure for obesity and weight related issues. It certainly can help people looking to lose weight, but it’s not a fix by itself.
The main weight loss-related benefit that comes from eating and drinking products that contain sucralose is that it’s an alternative to sugar. And in a contest between whether consuming more sugar or consuming more sucralose will help you in your attempts to lose weight, sucralose is the obvious winner. With the right approach, swapping out sugar for sucralose can definitely offer the outcomes you’re looking for, as long as a realistic overarching approach to weight loss is adopted.
Studies that have looked at the specific and direct impact of sucralose consumption and weight loss have found it hard to identify a correlation. They certainly don’t cause weight gain, but it’s not clear how much of a link between weight loss and using sucralose products there is. So as long as you’re not using it in the expectation of losing weight as a direct result of doing so, you shouldn’t be disappointed by the potential benefits it has to offer.
Is Sucralose Keto-Friendly?
There are many sweeteners out there that people on a keto diet can use, but not all of them are as good at eliminating carbs as sucralose is. For many people who are on a keto diet, the focus is on reducing carb intake as much as possible, and as we’ve already discussed in this guide, sucralose doesn’t contain any carbs at all. It can be consumed without ever being digested in the body’s digestive system, meaning there is really no risk involved with choosing to use sucralose on a keto diet.
It’s certainly considered a keto-friendly option by most people who are involved in the online keto community and people who are simply choosing to follow this kind of lifestyle in order to improve their health. There’s also the fact that sucralose is very easy to use and can be substituted for sugar in a 1:1 way when using a sucralose-based product such as Splenda. It’s that kind of ease of use that helps people to avoid mistakes.
One thing to be aware of, and something we’ve already mentioned in this guide, is the way in which sucralose is hundreds of times stronger and sweeter than sugar. This isn’t a problem when using a product such as Splenda, but if you’re using pure sucralose, you have to be very careful so as not to overpower the food or drink you’re putting it into. If you’re not careful, you could end up making it a lot sweeter than you intended to. Only a very small amount will be needed.
Does Sucralose Break a Fast?
Related to the question of whether sucralose can be used as part of a keto diet is the question of whether sucralose breaks a fast. Many people who use a keto diet, as well as plenty of don’t, make use of intermittent fasting techniques. This is when you go without consuming food for a certain number of hours in order to reduce weight gain and improve the health of your body. There are studies to suggest that this kind of fasting can help healthy living and weight loss.
So does sucralose break a fast? Well, first of all, we need to define what that actually means. When you consume something other than water or simple black coffee, it’s considered as breaking a fast. And as a result, many people have a black coffee for breakfast and maybe don’t eat for the first time until later in the day when they’re fasting. They, therefore, want to know whether it’s a good idea for them to use sucralose as part of a morning coffee routine without breaking their fast.
The fast is only seen to be working and offering maximal benefits if it’s adhered to carefully. Unfortunately, there’s not much consensus here. Although, if you want to choose a sweetener that’s going to have as little impact as possible, it’s best to choose one that doesn’t contain any carbohydrates, and as we’ve discussed, that’s something that certainly does apply to sucralose. It’s not going to inject you with carbs and immediately wreck a fast.
Nevertheless, as we’ve discussed earlier in this guide, it is possible for artificial sweeteners to cause a small spike in blood sugar levels and insulin. And that will genuinely be indicative of a fast being broken. It’s also true that as your body gets more used to artificial sweeteners in your diet, those impacts will be lessened and made negligible. So it’s up to you whether you want to use sucralose as part of your diet while you’re fasting; it’ll certainly be better than using sugar in your morning coffee though.
Is Splenda Sucralose?
The short answer to this question is yes, Splenda is a sucralose-based artificial sweetener that’s very widely used as a replacement for sugar. It’s especially common for people to use Splenda as a way to sweeten drinks such as various varieties of tea and coffee. Splenda has always emphasized the health benefits that come with choosing their products over sugar in terms of reducing carb and calorie intake when compared with sugar. It’s something they’ve found vast commercial success from over the years.
Today, Splenda has grown to become a global food giant that’s popular in countries all over the world. It’s easily the most popular and widely used sweetener in the United States right now, and that’s not something that looks set to change anytime in the near future. They create sugar replacement products of many different varieties, from brown sugar to powdered sugar and everything in between. Each of these sugar replacement products is made with sucralose at its core.
The company’s market share stands today at over 60% and has been around since 1999. Most people who use sucralose to improve their meals and to reduce their calorie intake will probably do so via Splenda because it’s the most popular and widely bought sweetener out there. Many people use it without knowing much at all about what sucralose actually is. Of course, sucralose is just part of what’s used to make Splenda products. Understanding the other ingredients and their impacts before buying is always a good idea.
Splenda has been around for a long time now and the brand is widely respected and regulated by the relevant authorities. It’s the kind of product that you can buy with confidence and know that you’re getting something safe, and that’s one of the things that’s most important there. That’s why it pays off to buy from a known brand that has a history and a reputation that you can check out before going ahead and making a purchase.
Is Sucralose Aspartame?
Aspartame is another type of sweetener that’s commonly used to replace sugar. So in answer to the question, no, sucralose and aspartame are not the same things. They both do similar jobs but there are some key differences between them and it makes sense to understand these before you can make an informed decision regarding which sweetener is going to be the right one for you to use moving forward. They’re not the same as they’re made in entirely different ways.
We’ve already covered how sucralose is made and the benefits it offers. Focusing on aspartame now, it’s known to contain both aspartic acid and phenylalanine amino acids. It’s also true that this is not a zero calorie option the way that sucralose is. So for people who are looking for the most keto-friendly option and the option that’s going to prevent them from piling on calories, it definitely makes more sense to choose sucralose if you’re looking to reduce your carb and calorie intake. Aspartame offers more of a natural approach.
It’s also the case that some people with particular health conditions should be careful about taking aspartame. For example, people with kidney issues should do what they can to keep their aspartame intake as low as possible as the substance is known to play extra strain on the kidneys, and that’s not anyone wants to be experiencing. Other than there though, there are not generally considered to be any safety issues regarding the safe use of aspartame so the average person without prior health conditions won’t need to worry about taking aspartame.
When deciding which artificial sweetener is going to be right for you, it’s important to consider the pros and cons of all the options out there. You want to make sure that you’re choosing the product that’s going to suit your needs best. Sucralose is often seen as the better option and is available via products such as Splenda. If you’re interested in using aspartame or trying it out, the most commonly used sweetening products out there that use it are NutraSweet or Equal.
Our Southern Breeze Sweet Tea Products Make Use of Sucralose
If you want to try out a range of great products that make use of sucralose-based artificial sweeteners, you shouldn’t hesitate to try out South Breeze Sweet Tea. It offers lovers of sweet tea everything they’re looking for in a quick, easy and convenient way. Our products allow you to get the most out of the very best iced tea out there, without any of the wasted time or messing around. The flavor is all there in the tea bag waiting to be unlocked when you add the water.
It’s not just about saving time and saving energy though. Because of the fact that our sweet tea products make use of sucralose, that also means that they contain zero carbs and zero calories. It's a healthy way to enjoy sweet tea. And let’s face it, sweet tea is usually not the healthiest drink out there. It’s often loaded with sugar and far too many calories, but we’re looking to prove that it doesn’t necessarily need to be that way in order to taste great and offer what you’re looking for.
When you buy from Southern Breeze, you’ll be buying from people who really know what they’re doing. We’re based out of Georgia, so we have a very strong understanding of what it takes to create truly delicious sweet tea and we understand the standards that need to be reached in order to satisfy our customers. We do all that while offering healthy and zero calorie products because it’s what we do better than anything else.
We’ve been delivering these products to customers since 2014, and in that time we’ve expanded our range and offered plenty of new flavors for customers to enjoy. It’s always been our mission to offer the joy and taste sensations that can be offered by the very best sweet teas in a package that’s free from guilt and lacking in calories. Take a look at the flavors we currently have available and don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any further questions about our products or how we can assist you. We’re always happy to help customers out and provide relevant details regarding our products.