A recent study of the artificial sweetener Splenda showed that, in animals, the sugar alternative reduced the amount of helpful bacteria in intestines by 50 percent, contributed to increases in body weight, and affected the body in such a way that crucial health-related drugs could later be rejected.
However, the study was disputed by Splenda manufacturer McNeil Nutritionals, which noted that the study was funded in part by the sugar industry.
The study, conducted by Duke University in North Carolina and published by the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health Part A, was conducted over a 12-week period and used male rats. Its findings led the Minneapolis-based Citizens for Health to warn against the sweetener and to urge the Food and Drug Administration to require a warning label on packaging for Splenda.
