Here is some information from Dr.Audrey Somerfeld, from the Visalus Scientific Advisory Board:
People that are allergic to artificial sweeteners tend to be allergic to aspartame, which has phenylalanine compounds. Visalus doesn't use aspartame for this, and other reasons.
Visalus uses sucralose for taste, and also to keep the products diabetic friendly. It is unfortunate that there is so much confusion and misinformation about sweeteners. Sweeteners have received bad press, primarily because of aspartame, which degrades when heated, and can taste bad. Sucralose has been found safe both in hot and cold applications, and has had over 110 peer reviewed studies completed. This is why Sucralose has been approved by over 80 countries globally, and has even been approved by the WHO (World Health Organization). I like to say that many people feel the FDA approved drugs too easily (i.e. Vioxx, Phen Phen), so that if you trust other countries more (several globally are more stringent), then looking abroad is a good benchmark as well. Visalus uses a very small 0.03 grams per serving, which is about 1/3 of the amount in a diet cola.
To put that into context...the Vi-Shape shake is 99.9% natural by weight! A serving of shake is 26grams, so you can see .03 divided by 26...it's a tiny amount.
A key point of confusion is on 'chlorides'. The sugar molecule is attached to a chloride, and then people think that means chlorine like in a pool. This makes me smile, because it is part of that internet confusion.
Chlorides are found in table salt or sea salt as sodium chloride. It is also found in many vegetables. Foods with higher amounts of chloride include seaweed, rye, tomatoes, lettuce, celery, and olives. Chloride is needed to keep the proper balance of body fluids. It is an essential part of digestive (stomach) juices.
We know that several people would prefer to use Stevia or Xylitol because they are natural. Xylitol is a natural sugar alcohol. Unfortunately it causes diarrhea in approximately 20% of the population! To get the same amount of sweetness in Neuro, we would need about 1 tablespoon, which can be toxic or fatal to a 40 pound dog. It also has not been approved globally.
Stevia is a sweetener derived from a plant. It has only recently been approved in the U.S., and is still in process of being reviewed global, and some scientists are asking for more studies on high doses of stevia on the liver. The manufacturers of Stevia have recently published some safety data, and many countries are now re-looking it as a sweetener. It does impart a licorice type flavor and a bit of an aftertaste, that some people do not like. We have been trying to work with stevia in some new formulations, but are struggling to make them taste good.
I've been asked a lot about agave recently. Agave is about 90% fructose, which is similar to high fructose syrup. Fructose has many properties but one bad one is that it can (in certain doses) increase appetite and this is exactly opposite of what we want in a weight management product.
We do strive to make our formulas as natural as possible, while balancing taste, texture, safety, efficacy and stability. We are looking at some promising natural sweeteners coming on the market (there is one from Japan that is very promising). Our hope is that we will be able to replace sucralose to alleviate those concerns, but for now have not found a suitable substitute that tastes as good, has as much research, and has as much global approval.
In terms of things being 'safer' because they are natural, is not always true. Consider mushrooms. Many are medicinal and healing, but some are plain toxic. So natural is great, but we really need to ask about safety and dosage too.
I hope this helps!
People that are allergic to artificial sweeteners tend to be allergic to aspartame, which has phenylalanine compounds. Visalus doesn't use aspartame for this, and other reasons.
Visalus uses sucralose for taste, and also to keep the products diabetic friendly. It is unfortunate that there is so much confusion and misinformation about sweeteners. Sweeteners have received bad press, primarily because of aspartame, which degrades when heated, and can taste bad. Sucralose has been found safe both in hot and cold applications, and has had over 110 peer reviewed studies completed. This is why Sucralose has been approved by over 80 countries globally, and has even been approved by the WHO (World Health Organization). I like to say that many people feel the FDA approved drugs too easily (i.e. Vioxx, Phen Phen), so that if you trust other countries more (several globally are more stringent), then looking abroad is a good benchmark as well. Visalus uses a very small 0.03 grams per serving, which is about 1/3 of the amount in a diet cola.
To put that into context...the Vi-Shape shake is 99.9% natural by weight! A serving of shake is 26grams, so you can see .03 divided by 26...it's a tiny amount.
A key point of confusion is on 'chlorides'. The sugar molecule is attached to a chloride, and then people think that means chlorine like in a pool. This makes me smile, because it is part of that internet confusion.
Chlorides are found in table salt or sea salt as sodium chloride. It is also found in many vegetables. Foods with higher amounts of chloride include seaweed, rye, tomatoes, lettuce, celery, and olives. Chloride is needed to keep the proper balance of body fluids. It is an essential part of digestive (stomach) juices.
We know that several people would prefer to use Stevia or Xylitol because they are natural. Xylitol is a natural sugar alcohol. Unfortunately it causes diarrhea in approximately 20% of the population! To get the same amount of sweetness in Neuro, we would need about 1 tablespoon, which can be toxic or fatal to a 40 pound dog. It also has not been approved globally.
Stevia is a sweetener derived from a plant. It has only recently been approved in the U.S., and is still in process of being reviewed global, and some scientists are asking for more studies on high doses of stevia on the liver. The manufacturers of Stevia have recently published some safety data, and many countries are now re-looking it as a sweetener. It does impart a licorice type flavor and a bit of an aftertaste, that some people do not like. We have been trying to work with stevia in some new formulations, but are struggling to make them taste good.
I've been asked a lot about agave recently. Agave is about 90% fructose, which is similar to high fructose syrup. Fructose has many properties but one bad one is that it can (in certain doses) increase appetite and this is exactly opposite of what we want in a weight management product.
We do strive to make our formulas as natural as possible, while balancing taste, texture, safety, efficacy and stability. We are looking at some promising natural sweeteners coming on the market (there is one from Japan that is very promising). Our hope is that we will be able to replace sucralose to alleviate those concerns, but for now have not found a suitable substitute that tastes as good, has as much research, and has as much global approval.
In terms of things being 'safer' because they are natural, is not always true. Consider mushrooms. Many are medicinal and healing, but some are plain toxic. So natural is great, but we really need to ask about safety and dosage too.
I hope this helps!