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Is sucralose OK?

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Byebyetoast

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I'm newly diagnosed and was pleased to find Splenda. However, I've just read something suggesting that it can still raise glucose levels and contribute to fat gain.
Does anyone know what is generally recommended for type 2?

Many thanks.
 
You need to be careful with sweeteners and read the ingredients - Splenda is mostly dextrose and maltodextrin with a very little sucralose . The other ingredients provide volume because the sucralose is powerfully sweet. So while sucralose itself might be fine for you, the other sugars used to pad it out might not. I suspect that they label it as “suitable for diabetics” because they base a serving on 1/8 teaspoon, and not grams of the stuff as you might use in baking.

Personally I prefer a stevia/erythritol mix which is pretty clean-tasting and does not budge my blood sugar, but only your meter will tell you what your body can tolerate.

Amazon is a good source of alternative sweeteners.
 
Byebyetoast said:
I'm newly diagnosed and was pleased to find Splenda. However, I've just read something suggesting that it can still raise glucose levels and contribute to fat gain.
Does anyone know what is generally recommended for type 2?

Many thanks.
Click to expand...

The problem with Sugar and Various sweeteners, are they are both carbohydrates. So a can of 'drink' sugar free has sweetener right? But the human body takes nutrients from Carbohydrates and converts ALL the rest into (critical for life) Blood Glucose. Insulin from the pancreas (or like me injected), changes the Blood Glucose into a 'Battery'.. This then goes into every cell of the body to give it power to work. I prefer Splenda and its good in cooking too, and unlike aspartame (I'm allergic with a mouth and throat full of blisters), splenda does not have a bitter aftertaste (if your hot drink chills a bit). YES of course T1D & T2D watch your sugar, but as a Type 1 i was told in detail about the Carb conversion process. (See NHS Carbohydrates, scroll to Energy). SO high carbs is not ideal - Sweetener or Sugar, but sugar is metabolised faster. (Example) As a Type 1 a carrot, piece of broccoli, Sun Dried Tomato and Coffee - No sweetener all has no sugar.. BUT my blood rockets up 9 mmol/L .. As I have no functioning pancreas (immune system killed!) the body automatically converts carbs to nutrition and NEEDED blood glucose. I know vast numbers of Type 2's who are not told this, and the word 'sugar' is HYPED. *As I said, look up NHS Carbohydrates and scroll to Energy. *Balance of Carbs from wherever - is the key to balancing blood glucose T2D, (T1D Especially). Hope this helps, so many aren't told this biological fact!
 
I may have misread your post - apologies if I have. Are you saying that carbs are essential for type 2 for energy? I am a type 2 who is now now diabetes resolved and no longer on insulin and have a maximum of 20g of carbs a day.

I teach pilates six days a week and go for long walks with my dogs. In fact I have loads more energy than when I did eat carbs.

Apologies if I am derailing this thread.
 
My whey protein has it, doesn’t raise my BG at all. I read it’s not great for the gut though. Everyone’s different so you should test it on you
 

Indeed. I think it is pretty well understood these days that the amount of carbohydrate (of which sugar is just one source) consumption required for healthy living is precisely none. The body can derive almost all the energy is requires from fat metabolism. The brain has a small requirement for glucose but the body can manufacture this (gluconeogenesis) from alternative sources.

There are many people in life and on this forum who have been virtually zero-carb for the long term and are doing just fine. Our carnivore thread contributors, for example. So for T2, the amount of carbs we choose to eat really is a personal decision, the only ‘must’ for most of us is to reduce them considerably.

I think perhaps the NHS is taking its own sweet time to get with the LCHF programme!
 

The issue many don't know, T2D's especially, is ALL HUMAN LIFE is powered by blood glucose. Insulin then produces a 'battery' that makes every cell work. Over at least 98% of people get ALL their blood glucose from the Automatic Conversion of Carbs into Glucose. Without carbs and blood glucose YOUR DEAD!
A complex way to get blood glucose is increasing protein (too much will make 'your intestines block' to say it nicely). That way the body switches and uses more fat, rather than utterly concentrating on carbs, (it can also use proteins) this process goes via the liver not the pancreas.
Resting a T2D's Pancreas, but T1D's can via this way get too much protein and produce a toxin (Ketones we can't expel - complex!).
**A balance in food, as in life is always the key, It's just finding 'our' bodies balance.
>So sugar acts super fast, but Carbs metabolise slower, but into Blood Glucose too THAT POWERS EVERY HUMAN CELL.

So if T1D (unless you've a low mmol/L readinh) or T2D's, reducing Carbs and increasing Protein (gently) makes the body find needed Blood Glucose from fat and protein, not Carbs (before we found sugar cane growing).
(Search Engine: NHS Carbohydrates and scroll to Energy). For T1D's as the years pass its all hyper complex, but you remember it as its critical! T2D's can control blood glucose by reducing carbs and increasing protein - Gently, Gradually, and monitor blood readings. "The human body is a complex chemistry machine".. {Re Sucralose I think it tastes better, and some have side effects or are allergic to aspartame - and as its not cane sugar, it does not go in hyper fast).

Just a walk, Exercise is good for all, it even increases 'happy' hormones in the brain! Good for the heart and blood.. Again balance and keep a close eye on blood readings. But just know its not just grown cane sugar that is sugar - the body creates it and needs it, but all in balance. (NHS Carbohydrates, Energy).
 
I agree with everything you say. The proof for me is how well my body runs on low carb and hopefully the NHS will catch up. Although I am very lucky that my DN 100% supports low carb/keto.
 

Hi and welcome to the forum @WestWay T1D

The human body may need glucose to survive, but that does not mean that we need to eat carbs in order to get that glucose.
The body can manufacture all necessary (small amounts of ) glucose from fats and proteins by
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluconeogenesis
Therefore, actually eating carbohydrates is not necessary, especially for a type 2 diabetic. Most type 2 diabetics have high insulin resistance and respond extremely well to the restriction (and sometimes elimination) of carbohydrates from their diet.

I am unclear what information you are quoting from the NHS (could you please provide a link next time?), but the NHS has been giving out dietary information that has, for decades, been encouraging type 2 diabetics to eat far more carbs than their bodies can handle, and there is now extensive and growing evidence that type 2s benefit from much lower carb intake, often down to keto levels, than the NHS has been 'pushing' for years.

@Byebyetoast - apologies for derailing your thread onto carb intake.
Regarding your original question about sucralose, it is one of those sweeteners that seems to get v mixed reception. Personally, I find it one of the v few sweeteners that I don't get a reaction to, so I am willing to have it occasionally. That means I buy own brand diet lemonade from Tescos, because all the branded drinks have used things like Aspartame or saccharine, both of which cause me insomnia and overactivity.

@WestWay T1D - if you would like to continue the discussion on gluconeogenesis and whether carbs are necessary, please start a new thread, so we won't derail this one further from Byebyetoast's query about sucralose? Thank you.
 
I have very mixed feelings about sucrolose and other sweeteners as for me they made it harder to give up sugar because they seemed to prolong my need for carbs and sweet stuff. I must emphasise that I am talking about me personally and that you may not get the same reaction.

Unfortunately I cannot remember if sucralose raised my blood sugars as I haven't used it for four years. I stopped because I was using too much of it and I didn't like that feeling of craving for sweet stuff. I had the same pronblem with xylitol.
 

I agree with you - any sort of sweet flavour whether or not it raises bg levels tends to exacerbate my desire for sweet food. I’m better off without anything ( sometimes easier said than done!)
 
DJC3 said:
I agree with you - any sort of sweet flavour whether or not it raises bg levels tends to exacerbate my desire for sweet food. I’m better off without anything ( sometimes easier said than done!)
Click to expand...
I am so pleased that I am not the only person that sweeteners affect in this way.
 
What sweetener you choose depends on what you fancy, and more to the point won't have any unpleasant side effects, e.g. gastic upsets or bloating, or as already suggested doesn't raise your glucose levels.

Personally I will only use erythrtitol and stevia as my alternative sweeteners, but this is my choice after having done some research several years ago when I discovered there were actually low carb alternatives to sugar, and these were the two generally recommended as safe for diabetics. Both have high carb content, but @WestWay T1D they are not digestible so should have no impact on glucose levels, and definitely don't affect mine. But again like sucralose, neat stevia is extremely sweet and may often include unsuitable bulking agents, so care needs to be taken over actual ingredients.

Although xylitol is another option recommended as safe for us diabetics, this is not the case for dogs, and even small amounts may be fatal.

Robbity
who has survived quite happily for over 6 and a half years on less than 50 g carbs a day whether they be starchy or sugary...
 
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