Splenda Vs Sweet'N Low

There is much controversy surrounding the use of artificial sweeteners. Both Splenda and Sweet'N Low are major competitors in this artificial sweetener market, and each has its advantages and disadvantages. While I do not believe that it is possible to give an unequivocal answer to the question of which product is the better product overall, what follows is a summary of the advantages and disadvantages of each brand of artificial sweetener. I have used both products extensively and I feel that each has strengths over the other in some areas and weakness in other areas. I will leave it up to the individual to decide which factors are more important when faced with the decision to use Splenda or Sweet'N Low.

I shall begin with Splenda. An immediate advantage of Splenda, which is primarily a sucralose based product, is its relationship to genuine sugar. My understanding is that sucralose is essentially a sugar model that has a chlorine atom bonded to the molecule. This allows the sucralose molecule to pass through one's digestive system without being digested as easily as regular sugar. The chemistry aside, the Splenda packaging proudly boasts that Splenda "is made from sugar, so it tastes like sugar." While the reasoning behind this statement may not hold up in court, Splenda is at least correct in claiming that it is the most like actual sugar of any of the artificial sweeteners, including Sweet'N Low or Equal.

Splenda also has advantages in baking, and one is able to use Splenda in the majority of recipe that call for sugar without too much trouble. My wife bakes with Splenda quite regularly, and while it is obvious that the end result is not equivalent to a product made with actual sugar, it is a close enough approximation that still has acceptable flavor.

As for the disadvantages, there are a number of health concerns about the use of Splenda, largely having to do with the fact that not all of the chlorinated atoms get expelled from the body. Despite the FDA's acceptance of Splenda as safe for human consumption, the lack of long term research about the effects of Splenda in the long-term causes criticisms from Splenda's detractors. There is very little positive evidence that Splenda causes actual harm, but the worry is that any damage done might only become apparent in the long-term and would not be detectable yet given Splenda's still-young shelf-life.

Turning to Sweet'N Low, an immediate disadvantage to Sweet'N Low is its less-than-genuine flavor compared to Splenda. In many cases, this is enough to decide the issue if one wants a genuine sugar taste. However, my own tastes vary in this respect. There are certain food or drink items in which I prefer the more artificial taste of Sweet'N Low over and above the more genuine taste of Splenda. In some beverages in particular I enjoy the more saccharine taste of Sweet'N Low. For example, in iced tea I enjoy the saccharine sweetness of Sweet'N Low and find actual sugar to not be as complimentary to the flavor of the tea. Similarly in diet soda, I prefer diet colas that use saccharine to those that use sucralose. This is largely a matter of personal preference, but I would hate to see the demise of saccharine just to attain a more genuine sugar taste with Splenda. Each has its appropriate sphere in my experience, which is why I cannot give a unified answer to the question of which product is outright better than the other.

As for the reasons against Sweet'N Low, there have been persistent worries since saccharine's introduction in the early part of the 20th century that saccharine was unhealthy. Much of this worry has centered on the possibility that saccharine causes cancer. While I am unqualified to evaluate these claims, all that is currently known is that different studies have reached contradictory results and there is no present knowledge as to whether saccharine actually causes cancer.

In conclusion, the choice between Splenda and Sweet'N Low will largely be based upon personal preference and individual tastes. Any unified answer to the question of which product is better would be unfair to the positive attributes of the other product. I myself enjoy both Splenda and Sweet'N Low, depending upon what I am using the sweetener in. I encourage you to try both brands and to decide for yourself based upon your own individual taste buds. Worries about the health dangers seems to be premature in both cases, but the probability is not zero in either case at this point; so if this is a major concern for you, then it is probably best to avoid artificial sweeteners altogether.