Sucralose is an artificial sweetener found in products including Splenda.
In 2023, researchers from North Carolina State University investigated a related substance called sucralose-6-acetate. The substance can be found as an impurity in finished sucralose.
The study, published in the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, exposed human blood cells to the substance in laboratory experiments. The researchers found signs of damage to the cells’ DNA.
Experiments with intestinal tissue also showed that both sucralose and sucralose-6-acetate could affect the intestine’s protective barrier.
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However, the experiments were conducted in a laboratory. They therefore did not show that people experience the same damage from normal consumption of sucralose.
Later studies
In 2026, regular sucralose was examined in several tests for genetic damage. Most showed no signs of mutations or chromosome damage, according to a study published in Food and Chemical Toxicology.
Another 2026 review, published in Endocrines, compiled results from 23 studies on sucralose and factors including blood sugar. The findings were mixed.
Some studies found negative changes, while others found no effect.
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Overall assessment
EFSA, the European Food Safety Authority, reviewed the research on sucralose in February 2026. The authority maintained the acceptable daily intake at 15 milligrams per kilogram of body weight.
In 2023, researchers found DNA damage in laboratory experiments involving sucralose-6-acetate, but there is no evidence that normal consumption of sucralose causes the same DNA damage in humans.
EFSA continues to consider sucralose safe under its currently authorised conditions of use.
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This article is made and published by Ida-Marie Palm Varbæk, who may have used AI in the preparation.