Stevia vs Splenda

To be honest, sweeteners are in almost everything these days.

Can Aspartame really cause cancer?

Is stevia truly a healthier alternative?

Unfortunately, the argument isn’t as simple as natural vs. artificial.

Stevia (Natural)

Stevia has actually been used as a sweetener since the year 1600! It is 250-300x sweeter than sugar and yields 0 calories. There has been research suggesting stevia could cause DNA damage because of what happens during stevia metabolism, stevia breaks down into steviol, which was thought to be the culprit of possibly causing DNA damage. This has since been disproven.

Splenda (Artificial)

Splenda is a mixture of Sucralose and filler (maltodextose and dexose). Splenda had been shown to cause issues with gut health and weight gain, even in small doses. Changes in gut bacteria can cause problems with your immune system and ability to absorb nutrients. However, these studies were done on rat because what human would want to sign up for a year long study that resulted in digestive issues and weight gain?

After reviewing through the majority of the current Stevia & Splenda research, artificial sweeteners consumed in low-moderate doses should be perfectly fine. Just like other sweeteners or supplements, anything is high dose can potentially cause issues. If you are pregnant or on medication then you might want to consider removing sweeteners from your diet. Honestly, at the end of the day you should ask yourself if they are really necessary or if you have just fallen into a habit of using them. A little bit each day with your coffee, tea, or protein shake is just fine for most people! Don’t stress it.

Live your best life,

Justin Murphy