Stevia and Sucralose both serve as sweeteners that can be added to food products. Stevia is extracted from stevia rebaudiana , a member of the chrysanthemum family and a wild herb native to Paraguay and Brazil. The leaves of the stevia plant contain glycosides that give it its sweet taste and lasts longer in your mouth than the sweeteness of sugar.
Stevia is 30 times sweeter than sugar and almost 300 times sweeter, once refined. Sucralose is derived from sugar and taste exactly like sugar.
Whereas sugar is extracted from sugarcane and sugar beets that are mostly grown in tropical climates. Most plants contain sugar in their tissues but only sugar cane contains enough to be efficiently extracted and turned into table sugar. Sugarcane or sugar beets release juices from its stalks and from this juice sucrose is extracted crystallized and dried.
Although all the three are sweetening agents they have different uses in your nutrition plans. Stevia contributes negligible amount of calories to your diet, which may be helpful for those who are trying to lose weight. Sugar on the other hand provides fuel to your body. Your body breaks down this sugar resulting in a quick burst of energy as glucose, which enters your bloodstream and then your cells.
Stevia is marketed as dietary supplement that help lower blood glucose and can be helpful for diabetes and regulating blood sugar level. Also having stevia does not lead to tooth decay as it provide fuel for plaque forming bacteria in your mouth. Sucrose of sugar offer fewer benefit than stevia. Its primary advantage is the energy it provides to your cells particularly from glucose.
Sucralose is the only type of artificial sweetener derived from sugar molecules. One part of sugar molecule is substituted with chlorine to create a substance that is about 600 times sweeter than sugar. Sucralose can be used as a replacement for sugar in nearly every kind of food or beverage. Sucralose is different from other artificial sweeteners, it passes through the digestive system , it does not get metabolized and it has no calories.
Health Drawbacks:
Consuming high doses of Stevia can cause digestive problems and sweetener might also intensify the effects of both diabetes and blood pressure medications.
.A refined sugar that contains calories if consumed in large quantities it can lead to health problems. Diets high in sugar cause tooth decay and a high intake is associated with obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.
There are several brands of stevia in the market and the sweetness can vary among them. Given that stevia is much sweeter than sugar, less is needed when using it as a sugar substitute.
Note that sucralose may be safer than other artificial sweeteners. Consumption of artificial sweeteners causes laxative effects , including bloating, gas and diarrhea, in some people. So it is important to monitor your intake of artificial sweeteners like sucralose.
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Last modified: June 25, 2017
