Is Splenda making you sick? If you think so, a national consumer group wants to hear about it.

Citizens for Health announced a hot line -- 1-888-774-2255 -- for consumers to call if they believe they are suffering side effects from the use of the artificial sweetener Splenda.

The group is also calling for the government to take action against McNeil Nutritionals, the manufacturer of Splenda.

In April 2006, Citizens for Health submitted a Citizens Petition to the Food and Drug Administration calling on the agency to revoke its approval of sucralose, the sweetening component of the artificial sweetener Splenda.

"I encourage consumers to contact us if they have suffered any side effects from the use of the chlorinated artificial sweetener Splenda and to join us in demanding that FDA immediately conduct case studies on possible side effects from its use," Citizens for Health board Chairman Jim Turner said in a news release.

The maker of Splenda disputes Citizens for Health's claims. In a statement, McNeil Nutritionals said it is "extremely proud of the strong pre-clinical and clinical database that supports the safety of sucralose, the sweetening ingredient in all Splenda Sweetener Products."

The company said the safety of sucralose is well documented in more than 100 scientific studies conducted over a 20-year period.

The company also asks that consumers report product experiences directly to McNeil Nutritionals, since it has the ability to monitor reports to identify and correct any potential issues.

Earlier this month, a federal judge in Philadelphia ruled that McNeil Nutritionals must defend its advertising tagline that the product is "made from sugar so it tastes like sugar."

The Merisant Company, which makes rivals Equal and NutraSweet, charged that McNeil Nutritionals has misled consumers by suggesting in its ads and packaging that Splenda is a natural product and contains sugar.

At the time of the ruling, McNeil said in a statement that the claims against it were without merit and that the company planned to vigorously defend itself.

"We are pleased the judge recognized the severity of these allegations and has ruled that a case should go to a jury trial," Turner said. "We also ask the FTC to review claims that the popular slogan 'Made from sugar, so it tastes like sugar' has led consumer to believe that Splenda is somehow more natural then other artificial sweeteners."

Additional Resources:

• FDA Announces Sucralose Approval
• Citizens For Health's Petition To FDA
• BusinessWeek: How Far from Sugar Is Splenda?