More than 500 million people worldwide have diabetes, 90% of whom have type 2 diabetes. Patients need to control blood sugar fluctuations for life, and traditional sugars (such as sucrose and fructose) are listed as dietary contraindications because they directly cause blood sugar to rise. However, human's physiological demand for sweet taste is difficult to eliminate, and sugar substitute products came into being. Sucralose, as a fourth-generation sweetener, has attracted wide attention for its "zero calories and high sweetness" properties ?13.

2. Metabolic characteristics and safety of sucralose
1. Metabolic advantage
The molecular structure of sucralose is modified by chlorination, which is not decomposed by human digestive enzymes. About 85% of sucralose is excreted directly through the intestine after ingestion, and the remaining 15% is metabolized into non-toxic compounds by the liver and excreted in the urine. Clinical studies have confirmed that its glycemic index is 0, and there is no direct correlation with insulin secretion ?12. For example, a 2024 controlled trial by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) showed no significant changes in fasting blood glucose and A1C levels in 50 patients with type 2 diabetes who consumed sucralose drinks for 30 consecutive days ?5.

2. Dialectical analysis of security disputes
Although mainstream research supports its safety, there are still concerns about potential risks:

? gut microbiota impact ? : A 2024 study published in Nature Microbiology showed that daily intake of more than 15g of sucralose inhibited the activity of probiotics such as bifidobacterium, resulting in a 20%-30% decrease in gut microbiota diversity ?37;
? Drug interactions ? : When combined with the anticoagulant warfarin, sucralose may reduce drug bioavailability by 12%-15%. ?27 should be taken 2 hours apart;
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processing by-product risks ? : high temperature baking (> 150℃) may produce trace amounts of chloropropanol ( < 0.1 ppm ), long-term accumulation of liver and kidney toxicity ?38.
Third, the scientific strategy of sugar substitution
1. Dosage control is adapted to the scene
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that people with diabetes consume no more than 9mg/kg of sucralose daily (about 540mg for a 60kg adult). Scenarios need to be distinguished in practical applications:

? drink seasoning ? : 300ml diet drink contains about 30mg sucralose, which is only 5.5% of the safe limit ?16;
? baked goods ? : Choose the pastry made by low temperature process (< 120℃) to avoid by-product ?38.
2. Integrated diet management
Sugar substitutes are not a substitute for overall sugar control:

? balanced nutrition ? : Combine whole grains (GI below 55) and dietary fiber (25-30g daily) to delay glucose absorption ?46;
? blood glucose monitoring ? : The blood glucose was detected 2 hours after eating sugar substitute foods, and an individualized response archive ?58 was established.
4. Industry norms and consumer education
1. Standardization of food labeling
The revised version of China's General Rules for Nutrition Labeling of Prepackaged Foods in 2025 requires that foods containing sucralose should be marked with the warning "Diabetic patients need to control total carbohydrate intake" and indicate the additive content (mg/100g) ?24.

2. Market chaos response
In 2024, the General Administration of Market Supervision found that 18.7% of "sugar-free" preserves actually added glucose, posing as sucralose. Consumers should choose products with SC certification and complete test reports ?78.

5. Future Development Direction
1. Technological innovation
In 2025, Jinhe Industrial launched the "directed chlorination" process to reduce the residual amount of sucralose chloropropanol to 0.01ppm, and extended the intestinal release time through microcapsule technology to reduce bacterial disturbance ?18.

2. Evidence-based medical research
The International Diabetes Association has launched a 5-year "sugar replacement and metabolic syndrome" tracking programme to assess the long-term safety of sucralose in 100,000 people with diabetes ?