Intestinal Metabolism and Bioaccumulation of Sucralose in Adipose Tissue in The Rat

What is it about?

This study investigated the artificial sweetener sucralose for potential metabolism in the rat, utilizing the natural isotope pattern of the threefold chlorinated synthetic chemical sucralose and UHPLC massspectrometry. By using a new extraction scheme, two new metabolites were found in the rat excreta, after the animals were repeatedly dosed with sucralose. Prior to dosing the rats were acclimatized in a sucralose free environment, and thus served as their own control group in the study. After dosing was discuntinued, the rats still excreted sucralose and the two new metabolites for a significant period of time, and sucralose remained in the adipose fat tissue at the end of the study.

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Why is it important?

The original FDA approval of sucralose as an artificial sweetener was based on the originally submitted data, which claimed that sucralose rapidly passes through the body unchanged and is not metabolized nor is it incorporated into any tissue. Apparently the original studies were performed with improper study design, extraction schemes and detection techniques to detect the metabolites. Our new study provides strong new evidence that sucralose is indeed metabolized in the rat, and it bioaccumulates in the adipose fat tissue. The rat was determined by the FDA to be the test system of choice to extrapolate to humans.