Customer Reviews

Splenda® Is It Safe Or Not?

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

From one review:

"The addition of chlorine, a known poison is one of the most unpalatable aspects of this sweetener opines Dr. Hull. Pointing out differences between chlorine occurring naturally with the man made version in sucralose, she leaves no stone unturned in explaining the potential harmful effects of ingesting a compound containing man made chlorine."

There's no such thing as "man-made" chlorine. Chlorine is an element.

From another review:
"Splenda is chlorine-based, the same as the basis of DDT."

Picture, if you will, two highly dangerous substances: first, the metallic element sodium, so violently reactive it ignites when exposed to air. The second: chlorine, a deadly gas. Put the two together, add a little energy, and POOF! What do you get? Sodium chloride, or common table salt, not only not poisonous, but a necessity of life.

Hull's argument that Splenda is unsafe because of its reliance on chlorine betrays a lack of understanding of high school chemistry. However, this isn't surprising: "Dr." Hull obtained her "Doctorate" from "Clayton College Of Natural Health", a distance learning college that is only accredited by, in their website's own words, "the American Association of Drugless Practitioners and the American Naturopathic Medical Accreditation Board. These are private, professional associations that offer accreditation in naturopathy and other areas of natural health. Both are private accrediting associations designed to meet the needs of non-traditional education and are not affiliated with any government agency." In short, it's not recognized by any educational accreditation organization. The only "Doctor of Nutrition" program they offer is "Doctor of Philosophy in Holistic Nutrition", whose courses include such titles as "Cancer: Prevention and Politics" and "Nutritional Healing: Ayurvedic Perspectives", with the only chemistry involved "Chemistry Fundamentals". I don't know for sure, but I wouldn't be surprised if her Masters, if not her Bachelor degree too, came from this outfit. Ironically, the web site for her aspartame book claims "Dr. Janet Hull's aspartame expertise is based on her professional background." Well, that's enough reason not to read the book right there. I should also mention that this "college" teaches courses in "iridology", the claim that the state of health of an individual can be determined by the patterns of their iris. It is also "accredited" by an iridology association. To quote from Wikipedia: "It has been pointed that the premise of iridology is at odds with the notion that the iris does not undergo changes in an individual's life. Iris texture is a phenotypical feature which develops during gestation and remains unchanged since birth. There is no evidence for changes in the iris pattern other than variations in pigmentation in the first year of life, eventual freckles and variations caused by glaucoma treatment. This stability of iris structures is at the foundation of iris recognition for identification purposes.... Scientific research into iridology has shown mostly, but not entirely, negative results. However, all double blinded, rigorous tests of iridology have failed to find any statistical significance to iridology.... In a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association... three iridologists incorrectly identified kidney disease in photographs of irises and often disagreed with each other. The researchers concluded: 'iridology was neither selective nor specific, and the likelihood of correct detection was statistically no better than chance.'" In other words, "Dr." Hull's "college" is accredited by, and teaches the beliefs of, quacks.

For the reviewer who couldn't figure out whether she was a firefighter or a doctor, according to her official bio she's both. And so much more: " She holds a Doctorate in Nutrition, a Master's Degree in Environmental Science, is an international geographer and geologist, a former university professor, firefighter and Hazardous Waste Specialist and Emergency Responder. She is a Licensed Certified Nutritionist, certified fitness professional, author and aspartame victim."

Folks, I would recommend taking this information along with that of several other reviewers' (short book, half of it recycling material on aspartame from her last book, etc) and decide to spend your money elsewhere. There are other books written by competent, qualified researchers with bona fide credentials that document the health effects of aspartame. And it would seem that the only one warning about Splenda would be "Dr." Hull, at least for now (although, unlike aspartame, a lot of positive research exists on Splenda). And don't forget to laugh the next time someone tells you to avoid Splenda because it "has chlorine it it" (I've seen one other unqualifed website make that argument). The chlorine is a part of the sucralose molecule, just as it is in table salt, and it's the chemical properties of the molecule that is the question.

This book and others like it posit that in the case of Splenda, the government is colluding with big industry to put an unsafe product on the market to line the pockets of manufacturers and politicians. That may well be true but it's funny to say that and ignore what's obvious to anyone who's studied the ag industry in the US:

1) The sugar industry in the US is huge. It receives a subsidy that costs US taxpayers/consumers approximately $2 billion annually (see the Cato Institute report, "A Sweet Deal for the Sugar Industry"). This subsidy--like many of the other farm subsidies--was originally intended to help small farmers but now (acc. to the GAO) goes primarily to large, corporate farms. To make sure this subsidy stays sacrosanct, the sugar industry dolls out hefty sums of money every campaign cycle. (For a more detailed description of the sugar industry's campaign donations, visit the Open Secrets website.)

2) The sugar industry is taking a big hit as more people learn about the dangers of a high-sugar diet and the Splenda craze hits full swing

3) The sugar industry is fighting back with a PR blitz to improve its image with consumers (a la the tobacco industry and the oil companies) at the same time it is attacking the image of its competitors and fighting health experts: "In a legendary battle two years ago, the industry tried without success to stop the World Health Organization from recommending people consume no more than 10 percent of their daily calories from added sugars." (Quoted in the Sacramento Bee article from July '05).

4) Books like Dr. Hull's come out with scary but scientifically-questionable claims about sugar's chief competitor

I'm not questioning Dr. Hull's motives, just stating that it's worth taking everything in this debate with a grain of salt. Exceptions do exist, e.g. Ralph Nader, but for the most part these days it seems like everyone claiming to be the little guy fighting the big guy is actually being paid by the big guy's equally big competitor.

I am a very health concious person who pays close attention to what I ingest at all times. This book is absolutely horrible and filled with critical misunderstandings. I have never read anything so abviously trying to fit an agenda(Dr. Hulls book sales I think) in my entire life. Any science she actually quotes is taken out of context completely. She uses examples that quote results from experiments using more splenda in a small animal than a human will consume in a lifetime. From the information I read after this book, Splenda has completed 20 years worth of experiments and for the most part, except in HUGE quantities, it has been determined safe to use. Why and what she is trying to accomplish is a mystery to me, but I feel safer about eating Splenda after reading this junk. I suggest if you do read this book to at least look at other sources for your information so you get the whole picture. I would save my $20 though...

Buy this book and be afraid... nothing is safe. This book is supposed to be about Splenda - unsafe according to the author, safe according to regulators worldwide - but more than half of the book is what she wrote about Aspartame (I know because I read the other book). What a rip off!!

Now I'm no scientist but I know that these ingredients are completely different but not so according to the writer. But then she makes loads of wacky connections in this book so one big one makes little difference.

This book contains less than 50 pages about Splenda (sorry 89 if you include the Splenda product list!) and then repeats a load of articles about other things that are all available on the internet.

Wish I hadn't wasted my money.

Having spent some time reading such books at the Tipping Point and others, I started grabbing books with scientific claims (and have at least a passing interest in Splenda as I occasionally use products containing it) because I feel much of the science in these books tends to be snippets taking out of context. The only thing I can say is that after reading this book and looking for other materials on the safety of Splenda, is that the author obviously has done no actual research, rather she attempts to take other studies completely out of context to fit her agenda (which seems to be cashing in on the popularity of splenda - Ironic, don't you think?)

I think at the least Amazon should reference this book in an urban myths section, or perhaps file under "bunk science." All in all, I feel better about the cranberry juice made with splenda I drank while reading this book.

This book is highly informative though the author does not answer the question "Splenda: Is It Safe or Not?" in her own words. The previous reviews seem to be from people who don't want to lose their sweetener options and possibly from people who DID NOT read the book. The reality of this book is that Dr. Hull examines the corporations own reports and findings.

Just like the opening of the aspartame issue some 20 years ago, this is information that may be hard to swallow (and we shouldn't swallow the chlorine in splenda) but it is supported by the corporations' reports themselves. Finally, the world is reexamining the aspartame issue by arguing about it in UK Parliament. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before people have more and more reactions to the chlorine in Splenda and make the connection.

Thank you Dr. Hull for this informative book.

This is the second book by Dr.Janet Starr Hull that I've read, and it is every bit as good as her first. It provides a comprehensive analysis of the health risks posed by the new artificial sweetener Splenda. And while it is very informative, the facts are often conveyed through personal narrative, making it a thoroughly enjoyable read. She gives practical, real-world suggestions on how to avoid Splenda and other dangerous chemical sweeteners. Healthier, more natural alternatives are suggested as part of a balanced nutritional regimen. I very much appreciated the earnest tone of the writing as well. Dr.Hull conveys a sincere concern for the health of her readers and never sensationalizes the dangers of Splenda and similar chemical sweeteners.

If you find ever find yourself seeking out Sugar-Free and/or Diet items at the grocery store, then this book is an absolute MUST.

People who are hooked on Splenda hate this book, I understand. I was interested in it because my wife and I both experienced the side effects of Splenda at different random times.

First, there is a common misconception about the author's connection of chlorine to the ills of Splenda. Splenda and salt both contain chlorine, but Splenda is a synthetic chlorocarbon like DDT, salt is a natural chlorocarbon. The difference between the two is significant. Dr. Hull points out that naturally occurring chlorine breaks down quickly when released into the environment, while synthetic chlorine take years to break down and can even become toxic before they break down. Thus synthetic chlorine is used in DDT, because if its ability to last and become toxic. Unfortunately synthetic chlorine is also used in Splenda, which is alarming for a host of reasons that Dr. Hull lays out in this book. So the argument that since salt contains chlorine

In my own family I can say that we have had direct experience with Splenda and its side effects. I always got mild headaches when I had artificial sweeteners, but it was after a bout with meningitis that I became particularly vulnerable. Now even small amounts of Splenda give me a migraine. My neurologist said that this was common with many of his patients. What shocked me most was how many things actually contained Splenda. Chewable vitamins, many sport drinks, chewing gum, I can't name how many times I have eaten something, gotten a headache, then gone back to check the ingredients and find sucralose in it.

Years later my wife started law school and started to drink Splenda drinks while she studied. We noticed that she would get very anxious every time she drank it. We cut it out of her diet and she was back to normal. Again, if she accidentally ingests Splenda she feels anxious. Several times she has eaten something, felt anxious, only to go back and find sucralose contained in something she had eaten.

There are people out there who consume Splenda in alarming amounts, Splendaholics if you will. These people have more than two teaspoons of Splenda daily. I find that they hate hearing about the truths revealed in this book, so don't even bother trying to tell them about the dangers of Splenda, they will have to find it out for themselves. For those who are open minded though, this book is very helpful.

This book sent me reeling after months of thinking I'd found the perfect sugar substitute. Dr. Hull covers every base and made a clear case against the use of Splenda. Her thorough research, clear explanations about the components of Splenda and previous experience with aspartame really makes her an authority on artificial sweeteners.

After reading this book, I realized there's no free ride in the health journey.

Splenda® , Is it Safe or Not? By Dr. Janet Starr Hull examines in detail, the entire process of manufacture of Splenda® , the artificial sweetener being hailed as a safe alternative to natural sugar. Studying even finer details of lesser known investigations conducted to establish safety of this product, Dr. Hull comes to the conclusion that Splenda® is not the perfect substitute for sugar as is made out to be.


Dr. Hull painstakingly details disturbing research findings that have been glossed over or conveniently forgotten while trumpeting the goodness of sucralose. According to her the chemical cocktail involved in reorganizing the structure of sugar to make it a viable alternative for natural sugar could in fact do more harm than good.


The addition of chlorine, a known poison is one of the most unpalatable aspects of this sweetener opines Dr. Hull. Pointing out differences between chlorine occurring naturally with the man made version in sucralose, she leaves no stone unturned in explaining the potential harmful effects of ingesting a compound containing man made chlorine. What is alarming is that some food products even without the label of `Sugar Free' might actually contain artificial sweeteners exposing unwary consumers to the undesirable side effects of these chemically altered foods. A list of products containing sucralose at the time of writing the book has been compiled and included to depict the wide area already covered by this sweetener.


A step by step detoxification program to pull out toxins accumulated in body from contaminated food and environment as also natural, safe alternatives to sugar find mention in the book. Dr. Hull warns of the dangers of consuming faux food or technologically modified food products which trick the body making it crave for real food. Also included are real life stories of men, women and children who have had to face ill health with symptoms that perplexed doctors and in some cases, even led to life threatening situations simply because they consumed food containing artificial sweeteners. Like Sweet Poison also authored by Dr. Janet Hull, this book is an eye opener to all those who are keen to know the real truth about the safety of artificial sweeteners and will help consumers take a decision on whether or not they want an unnatural sugar to be part of their diet.--Fehmida Zakeer