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Is Stevia Better for You Than Sugar?

Stevia, in particular, has gained popularity among fitness devotees and dieters thanks to its calorie count (zero) and its plant-based origins. Over the past few years, major companies like Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have caught on, releasing products that use it as a sweetener. But for all the hype, scientists say stevia falls short of the reputation it’s gained as a natural, healthy sugar alternative.

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 A New Study Links Stevia and Monk-Fruit Sweeteners With Heart Disease

The sweeteners contain erythritol, which has been linked to stroke, heart attacks, and blood clotting.

 Are There Downsides to the Sweetener Stevia?

Major health and food safety organizations generally regard stevia, a sweetener made from a plant native to South America, as safe. But some researchers warn that we don’t have enough evidence to fully understand how products like stevia, so-called nonnutritive sweeteners that have no calories, affect the body.

 Sugar substitute found in Stevia linked to cardiac issues

A new study has linked the sugar substitute found in Stevia and many Keto diet products to an increased risk for blood clots, heart attack and stroke. Researchers found that those with higher levels of the sweeter erythritol in their blood had an elevated chance of suffering major cardiac events, including death.

 The Truth About Stevia—The So-called "Healthy" Alternative Sweetener

Stevia’s history goes back to ancient times. Grown naturally in tropical climates, stevia is an herb in the chrysanthemum family that grows wild as a small shrub in Paraguay and Brazil, though it can easily be cultivated elsewhere. Paraguayans have used stevia as a food sweetener for centuries while other countries, including Brazil, Korea, Japan, China and much of South America, have a shorter, though still long-standing, record of stevia use.

Articles of Interest

Everything You Need to Know About Stevia Sweeteners

Stevia sweeteners are derived from the leaves of the Stevia rebaudiana (Bertoni) plant, an herbal shrub native to South America. The stevia plant has been used for food and medicinal purposes for hundreds of years, and its leaves and crude extracts have been sold as a dietary supplement. Stevia sweeteners are made by extracting steviol glycosides from the leaves of the stevia plant and purifying them to remove some of the bitter attributes found in the crude extract.

Health Controversy: Is the New Stevia Sweetener Fab or Frightening?

A few years ago I was at a garden store and a sales clerk picked a leaf off of a stevia plant and said "try this." Reluctantly, I put it in my mouth--and to my amazement it was delicious. A green leaf that was sweeter than sugar? I was floored. Now, you can find the natural sweetener in all kinds of products. But is it safe?

How 'Natural' Is Stevia?

It may be sweet and calorie-free, but extracting that flavor from a plant requires serious chemical interventions.

Stevia Leaf to Stevia Sweetener: Exploring Its Science, Benefits, and Future Potential

Despite the fact that the safety of stevia has been affirmed by several food regulatory and safety authorities around the world, insufficient education about stevia's safety and benefits, including continuing concern with regard to the safety of LNCSs in general, deters health professionals and consumers from recommending or using stevia.

Stevia Update: The Science Behind the Sweetener

Most experts agree that more studies are needed on stevia’s long-term safety and potential health benefits, particularly when it comes to weight gain and diabetes. Conclusions drawn from the symposium were that data on stevia for limiting energy intake and benefiting weight management, as well as for its effect on the gut microbiome, are limited.

Stevia: a Sweetener That's Not a Sweetener

For centuries, sweet has meant sweet as sugar. Now a growing number of diet-conscious Americans are turning instead to stevia, a shrub native to South American containing sweeteners that are essentially calorie free.

Stevia: Is It Safe?

I got really excited the first time I discovered stevia--the super-sweet plant that is being called on to sweeten all sorts of products now. It's 200 times sweeter than sugar, and it seemed like a great (all-natural and calorie-free!) alternative to artificial sweeteners, but I quickly learned that stevia isn't free of controversy. And, now there are new, and kind of alarming, health concerns to consider.

Sucralose: 5 Reasons to Avoid This Artificial Sweetener

The quick answer to the common question “is sucralose safe?” is no. From metabolic syndrome to digestive problems and weight gain, sucralose doesn’t do you any favors. In fact, it impacts your health negatively in a number of ways.

The Case Against Stevia

There is no perfect definition of “natural,” but, under most reasonable definitions, many versions of stevia fail to qualify. “I know the stevia producers say it’s not artificial because it’s extracted from plants, but really it’s not,” as Marion Nestle, an N.Y.U. food researcher, says. “It’s mostly synthesized.”

Truvia Vs Stevia: Which is better?

The debate between Truvia Vs Stevia as to which of them is better is more than just a matter of a few calories. Both of them are marketed as a substitute to high caloric and sugar-laden table sugar. Both of these are considered healthier options in comparison to other natural sweeteners like neotame, aspartame and acesulfame potassium. Therefore, the bottom line is that whether you take stevia or Truvia, you don’t have to worry whether these artificial sweeteners are safe or not. Having said this, there are some fine distinctions between Truvia and Stevia.

Resources

Stevia.com

Stevia.com is a comprehensive online resource for the world’s foremost plant-based stevia sweetener. Brought to you by Truvia®, stevia.com is meant to provide truthful, accurate information ranging from common forms of consumption to its’ historical roots.

Truvia

We believe sweetness was meant to be enjoyed. That’s why we created products that allow you to reduce sugar, not flavor. Whether you prefer our plant-based stevia leaf or monk fruit sweetness , we’re proud to offer calorie-free, zero sugar products that don’t sacrifice great tasting sweetness.