I was looking up stuff on Splenda online and its scary what they say about it....does anyone know if its really dangerous or not?

The things said that really bother me is that it shrinks the thymus gland by up to 40% and that it enlarges the liver and kidneys.

Is there any truth to these things?

I have grown to really like Splenda a lot and I never liked any artificial sweetener ever before....I hope its not true.

I'm no scientist, but how much splenda did they feed to the animals? 1 package in their morning coffee? I guess I am more of a realist, everything in minimal amounts should be okay, well except for lead (haha).

I think that people should be alot more concerened with exposure to their household cleaners, etc. If it really bothers you then cut out the Splenda and use Stevia (a natural herb) instead.

It only bothers me if it really causes those problems in humans.

My Mom was one of the ones that got breast cancer from cyclamates (sp?) back when she was just 31....my Aunt had 8 breast tumors and at age 13 I had a breast tumor... only my Moms was cancerous, but we all lived on the Diet rite back then that was sweetened with it... so I guess I am a little leery of artificial sweeteners in the first place....it tasted good like Splenda does and we had several a day, every day.... it was banned back then and none of us ever had any repeat tumors after stopping the cyclamates.

I want Splenda to be a safe artificial sweetener, but I don't know if any will prove to be, other than stevia.

Do you know if stevia is actually good?....I might give it a try.

My mum has little stevia pills for her coffee, it is very sweet, but good, a little goes along way.

I don't like Stevia very much. I think it tastes weird. Other people seem to like it or maybe they've just gotten use to the taste after awhile.The only time I use it is when I mix it with another kind of sweetner. I mix Splenda and Stevia and Maltital and Sweet 10 and Equal and Sweet and Low. If I'm making a gallon of sweet tea, I might use a combination of all, or just mix a couple together if it's a small serving of something. It seems like when I mix the different kinds of sweetners they all act together and make things better tasteing and much sweeter. Anyway, you might want to experiment a little and see what happens. Also, if you're worried about any kind of sweetner being bad for you, at least you're not using as much of it. I could be wrong but that's the way I look at it.

I wonder too about all these artificial sweeteners - I used to drink fresca that was sweetened with cyclamates and that was banned back in around 1970 - it put me off all diet drinks -(most have that awful aftertaste) My hubby swears the artificial sweeteners dont 'taste' and one day yrs ago made me a coffee using some - I knew instantly much to his surprise.

My mum always said use the real stuff in moderation and avoid all artificial things which I have always done til I started lc'ing.

I bought splenda but dont like it - I still get that taste.I drink cofees and herbal teas as they come but need a sugar substitute for recipes. Maybe I will try the stevia..

I tried to get use to stevia in my coffee, but the weird aftertaste I never got use to..

The fact is, Splenda simply hasn't been tested enough one way or another. It was rushed through the FDA approval process. I think we're still learning as a society to be wary of the next big artificial sweetener.

Listen to your body - if you have any peculiar symptoms after starting Splenda, you may want to stay away from it. If you feel fine - then stick with it. Some people are very sensitive to it. I find that it makes my skin itch. It's possible that people with allergies to chlorine will have strong reactions to Splenda because it is a chlorinated molecule. It's kinda funny - in another thread yesterday about "Frankenfoods" a taste tester said that a Splenda product tasted like a swimming pool.

Anyhow, I think it's probably best to stay away from artificial sweeteners as much as possible. I know it's contrary to low carb living, but Dr. Andrew Weil says that unrefined cane sugar is likely healthier than aspartame from a holistic point of view. I have a big sweet tooth, but it has really been curbed on this WOE. I don't drink any sodas, but ocassionally indulge in a candy or cookie sweetened with maltitol or xylitol. I find that most of the time when I "jones" for chocolate it is because I am tired or emotionally vulnerable.

I have a friend that is a brain surgeon. He eats splenda and has even more horrifying things to say about aspartame. He is an absolute health nut so if it is good enough for a highly trained health professional ... it is good enough for me!

One other thing ... we are only supposed to have a little of it a day ... SO ... moderation is everything as far as an artificial sweetner goes.

Splenda has been approved here in Canada much longer than the US. I'm not aware of any negative reports, but try to moderate my use to be on the safe side.

I, too, have heard horrible things about aspartame. Pilots are warned not to drink too much diet soda prior to flying because it has caused adverse affects on brain function.

Yes ... my friend said it builds up deposits on the brain stem. UGH!

after reading all this so glad i just don't use any sweeterners ....

Thanks for all the replies... I ordered some pure stevia and I am going to try to get used to it once I get it....at first I wasn't crazy about Splenda and now I love it, so I think I can make the switch.

I read the woes on Splenda also -
I use Stevia and actually like it better than Splenda -
I perfer the liquid my self -it doesn't seem to have an after taste -
Hope this helps
Sharon