The headlines say that an Italian group has found a link between sucralose (Splenda) and an increased risk for certain cancers in mice. The study behind the headlines, however, says something a little different.
The study authors (Sofritti et al.) packed some Swiss mice with sucralose at four different doses: 500, 2000, 8000, and 16,000 parts per million (ppm or mg/kg). In safety studies, the no-observed effect level for sucralose, which is derived from sucrose, was 500 milligrams per kilo of body weight per day, so the feds cut that down 100 fold to establish an OK daily human intake of 5 mg/kg. The daily intake of the animals in this latest study is unclear.
