Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards

I think you may be right. If you're having one diet soda a day with Splenda, you're probably ingesting very little of it. If you substitute Splenda for all your sugar and you end up eating a lot of it, things might change.

For me what's worrisome about artificial sweeteners is that most of their volume passes through the digestive system without being absorbed. I think that's what can cause problems for IBS - my gut is not going to be happy about having an inert foreign substance meandering through. If you're only ingesting a tiny bit of Splenda, that's not much inert substance to be handled by your gut.

I'd say if someone is stable and using an articial sweetener is important, then Splenda in moderation is worth a (cautious) try. Even if other artificial sweeteners are a problem, Splenda may not be - the different sweeteners have different chemical make-ups.

Having said that, I don't use artificial sweeteners and don't plan to. I also, however, don't have one of the medical conditions that makes sugar a forbidden substance. If I did, I imagine I'd give Splenda a try.

I also don't use stevia. It is my understanding that stevia has not been subjected to rigorous scientific studies to determine whether it is safe. For me, it's as much of a crap-shoot as Splenda.

There's an interesting article on Splenda here. Among other things, it touches on the fact that we simply do not know what the effect will be of using Splenda in more and more everyday foods.

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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]

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