Splenda makers on trial for misleading advertising claims; health officials warn that the long term effects of Splenda consumption are unknown

• Courtroom battles between the makers of Splenda (search) and Equal (search) have many questioning the safety of artificial sweeteners.
• Since early 2000, McNeil Nutritionals has been advertising that its product --- Splenda --- is "made from sugar so it tastes like sugar."
• McNeil Nutritionals shot back with a countersuit implying the case against them was more about corporate sour grapes than truth in consumer advertising.
• "Splenda is not sugar --- and to piggyback it on to the reputation of the centuries' old profile of sugar is more than misleading, it could come back to haunt us, perhaps sooner than we think," says Restuccia, a nutritionist at the Center for Obesity Surgery at New York Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center in New York City.
• "Sugar may have it's health drawbacks, but at least we know we're not in for any major surprises --- and we just can't say that about Splenda yet --- so to imply that it's got the same profile as sugar is misleading and that is important today, as well as in the long run, " she says.
• "It's not like you're going to be using a teaspoon in your coffee once in a while --- it's going to be everywhere, in everything, which makes it even more important for people to understand what they are and are not getting with this product," says Restuccia.
• Also important to note: Experts say we have almost no data on the way in which artificial sweeteners interact with each other --- particularly at high amounts.
• You may be surprised to see saccharin (search) on that list.
• Another sweetener receiving much publicity of late is stevia (search), an herbal sweetening ingredient used in food and beverages by South American natives for many centuries and in Japan since the mid-1970s.