Summarise the points made in the lecture, being sure to explain how they cast doubt on the specific points made in the reading passage.

Many studies have found sucralose to be perfectly safe for people to consume. And it is useful for people who are trying to lose weight. The reading’s arguments against using sucralose can all be changed.

First, about sucralose affecting the thymus. If you look closely at the studies of sucralose consumption, there were no effects on the rats at all until they were eating extremely large quantities of sucralose. In order for a human to eat the equivalent amounts that affected the rats being studied, a human would have to consume about 4000 packets of sucralose per day for a month.

Second, sure, some organ chlorines are toxic. If they are consumed, they are digested and stored in fat tissue, and they continue to build up in the fat tissues till they reach toxic levels. But studies show sucralose is a bit different from the other organ chlorines. Sucralose is not absorbed by the digestive system very well and so it does not accumulate in the body’s fat tissue. Since sucralose is not absorbed well by the digestive system and doesn’t build up to dangerous levels in fat tissue, it is unlikely to have the toxic effect that the other organ chlorines do.

Finally, there is the argument that many people who use artificial sweeteners in their drinks end up eating lots of real sugar in food like cake, and so they negate the benefits of using the sweetener. Well, that argument may hold true for many artificial sweeteners but sucralose has a unique property that makes it different. Most artificial sweeteners break down if they are heated too much, but sucralose does not break down when heated. That means that unlike other sweeteners, sucralose can be used to bake things, like cakes and cookies, for example. People craving something sweet can turn to cakes or cookies baked with sucralose, which helps them keep their diets on track.