Sucralose

Studies in people

• Open question

  Blood sugar and gut hormones²

  Scientists do not yet know whether sucralose changes blood sugar, insulin, or gut hormones, because studies give mixed results.

• Open question

  Insulin response and sensitivity³

  Studies of sucralose give mixed results, so scientists do not yet know whether it changes how the body handles insulin.

• No harm found

  Cancer risk⁴

  Sucralose has been tested for cancer in animals and people, and studies found no sign of it.

• Concern

  Brain response to food⁵

  In people, sucralose changed brain activity linked to how much they valued food pictures.

• Open question

  Sweeteners in breast milk⁶

  Sucralose and ace-K passed into breast milk after mothers drank diet soda, but scientists do not yet know if this affects babies.

• No harm found

  Blood sugar control⁹

  In men, sucralose taken at mealtimes made no difference to blood sugar or insulin levels.

• Concern

  Heart and blood health¹⁰

  In people, drinking sucralose-sweetened juice daily raised homocysteine and cholesterol levels.

• No harm found

  Blood sugar and gut germs¹¹

  In healthy men, eating sucralose for a week did not change blood sugar, insulin, or gut germs.

Animal and lab studies only

• Concern

  Fat cell growth²¹

  In lab studies, sucralose increased fat-cell markers and changed some inflammation-linked signals.

• Benefit

  Weight gain and blood sugar²²

  In animal studies, sucralose led to less weight gain and better blood sugar in mice fed a high-fat diet.

• Concern

  Gut health in babies²³

  In animal studies, sucralose during pregnancy changed gut bacteria and gut cells in baby mice.

Study type not stated

• Open question

  Gut bacteria¹²

  Scientists do not yet know whether eating sucralose changes gut bacteria in people, since studies give mixed results.

• Concern

  Gut bacteria and cells¹⁴

  Sucralose has been linked to shifts in gut bacteria and to oxidative stress in some studies.

• Concern

  Gut bacteria and cancer treatment¹⁵

  Sucralose changed gut bacteria and weakened cancer treatment response in mice and patients.

• Concern

  Sweetener and heart risk¹⁶

  Sucralose is a sweetener, and studies suggest it may be linked to higher heart risk, but the cause is not yet known.

• Concern

  Weight and blood sugar¹⁸

  Sucralose may affect weight, blood sugar and gut germs, but scientists do not yet know for sure.

• No harm found

  Tooth decay¹⁹

  Sucralose itself does not feed the mouth bacteria that cause tooth decay, though some sucralose sweeteners with added fillers do.

Found in some samples or products

These come from where it was grown, how it was processed or cooked, or what it was made into. They are not about the ingredient itself, so the signal does not count them.

• Cooking and breakdown¹⁷

  Sucralose can break down when cooked or baked, possibly forming other chlorine-containing compounds.

• Gut lining and DNA²⁰

  In lab studies, sucralose-6-acetate, a impurity in sucralose, damaged DNA and weakened gut lining.

How it’s made and used

• How the body handles it⁷

  Most sucralose passes straight through you, with only a small amount absorbed and later leaving in urine.

• Sweet drink cravings⁸

  In people, drinks paired with sucralose were liked just as much as those paired with sugar.

• Sweetness and baking¹³

  Sucralose has no calories, is about 600 times sweeter than sugar, and stays stable when heated in baked or fried foods.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.

Expert panels that weigh all the research. Shown for context: the signal at the top does not count them.

• UN and WHO food additive experts (JECFA), 1990

  Acceptable daily intake: up to 15 mg per kg of body weight.