We have all heard about the dangers of too much sugar in your diet. “Sugar will rot your teeth and give you diabetes.”
My parents used to tell me that all the time as a kid. Also, both of my sisters went to dental school, so I’ve heard how bad it is for your teeth a lot.
Sometimes that sweet craving is too strong to ignore, though … Even for my sisters. We all get those cravings from time to time, and I’m no different.
It’s really easy to over-consume sugary treats and drinks. If you have two 20 oz sodas during a movie, for instance, you may have just had 154 grams of sugar.
That alone is 616 calories, which is about an average meal for me. It’s understandable why people want to chill out on their sugar consumption.
That’s where some popular sugar substitutes come in, and can be quite helpful.
If you're looking for a way to cut back on your sugar intake while still enjoying something sweet, zero-calorie sweeteners can be a great option.
The market for sugar substitutes has gone up over the years as people try to step away from regular sugar. People don’t want cavities, or the extra calories that come with sugar.
There are two popular choices among zero-calorie sweeteners: sucralose and stevia.
Stevia has become something of a household name. Sucralose is becoming more popular too, though. I’m sure some of you have come across sucralose and wondered:
What is sucralose? Is sucralose stevia?
Let’s take a look at what these sweeteners are, the benefits of each, and how they stack up to each other.
What Is Sucralose?
You may be more familiar with sucralose by its brand name, Splenda. If this helps, it’s the yellow packet you see on the table at some restaurants and diners.
Sucralose is derived from the sugar sucrose, which is table sugar you can buy at the store. This sugar is then modified to prevent our digestive enzymes from breaking it down.
That’s why it’s considered a zero-calorie sweetener. We don’t end up breaking it down, so we don’t absorb the calories from it.
But, we can certainly taste its sweetness. In fact, sucralose is about 600x sweeter than table sugar (1).
With that being said, that means you don't have to use a lot of sucralose to get your desired level of sweetness. That’s one reason why it’s become so popular.
So many products nowadays use sucralose as a sweetener instead of sugar. Diet sodas and energy drinks are very popular today, and most of them use sucralose.
Many supplements also use sucralose instead of sugar to keep the calorie count to a minimum. It’s not a natural sweetener though, so it's man-made.
Does that mean it’s not safe?
No, in fact, there have been over 100 safety studies over 20+ years showing sucralose to be safe (1). It’s also been approved by the FDA since 1998.
So, unless you have a specific allergy or intolerance to it, you likely don’t have anything to worry about.
Benefits of Sucralose
So, what are the benefits of sucralose?
Well for one, we don’t absorb any calories from sucralose (2). This is very advantageous for anyone trying to lose weight.
You can have something sweet, and not feel guilty about messing up your diet!
This is true not only with diet soda and sugar-free candy, but with other things too. In my experience, sucralose-sweetened protein powders can help a lot in this area.
I’ve trained more clients that want sweets at night than ones that don’t.
A delicious, sweet dessert-flavored protein shake can be of tremendous help. The protein fills you up, and the sweet flavor fills the craving for sweets.
I’ve noticed this myself, and there is actually research to back this up!
A study looked at overweight adults and how different sweeteners affected them. Over time, some of the groups gained weight, and some had no body weight change.
Only one group lost weight, and that group was the sucralose group (3).
Now, I don’t believe sucralose directly caused an increase in fat burning by itself. They actually found that the sucralose group ended up eating fewer calories.
Eating less calories is how you lose weight in the first place!
So having the right zero-calorie sweetener could help you hit your sweet tooth, and maybe eat less too!
Another benefit is the minimal impact that sucralose has on blood sugar and insulin. This is one reason the FDA considers sucralose safe for diabetics and children (4).
No one wants to cut out things that taste sweet forever. With sucralose, you don’t have to.
What Is Stevia?
Like sucralose, stevia is a zero-calorie sweetener that can also be used as a substitute for sugar.
However, stevia is naturally sourced. So, instead of it being an artificial sweetener like sucralose, it’s a natural sweetener.
It's a concentrated extract made from the leaves of the stevia plant. This plant is most commonly found in Brazil and Paraguay in the Amazon rainforest.
Stevia is also popular among health-conscious people. The people who choose stevia over sucralose generally like it because it's natural.
Benefits of Stevia
The biggest appeal of stevia is how it's natural, and not artificial like sucralose. Otherwise, it also sweetens things up without the added calories.
Stevia is also sweeter than sugar, just like sucralose. To be more precise, it’s roughly 250-300 times sweeter (5).
So, it's not quite as sweet as sucralose, but still plenty sweeter than table sugar. This means it also doesn’t take very much to get things to your desired level of sweetness.
Similar to sucralose, stevia has little to no impact on blood sugar or insulin levels (5).
What’s the Big Difference?
When it comes to sucralose vs stevia, what’s the difference?
Both sucralose and stevia serve pretty much the same purpose. They act as sugar substitutes that can be enjoyed without adding calories to your diet.
The main differences between the two are their origin and taste.
Stevia comes from a plant, and sucralose is a modified form of sugar. Stevia is natural, and sucralose is artificial.
But, why would anyone choose sucralose over a natural sweetener like stevia? Wouldn’t the natural one be the obvious choice?
Well, their taste is why some choose sucralose over stevia. There are 2 things that separate sucralose and stevia regarding their taste.
Sucralose is sweeter than stevia and tastes more like real sugar.
In high doses, stevia can taste bitter.
The bitterness has to do with some of the other chemical compounds in the stevia plant. With that being said, it’s only noticeable in higher doses.
So, when it comes to sweetening something with stevia, most of the time you wouldn’t notice anything. If you keep adding more stevia though, you can only get it so sweet before it gets a little bitter.
With sucralose in high doses, it will just keep getting sweeter.
So if the taste is all you’re after, most people would choose sucralose. Stevia is a fine option though, and can still make things taste great!
Both have been generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the FDA as well. Unless you notice you have a sensitivity to them, both are likely fine to use.
Ultimately, the choice between stevia vs sucralose comes down to personal preference.
No matter which option you prefer, both can be a safe and effective solution to limiting your sugar intake. They have for me, and I know they can for you too!
Sucralose vs Stevia: Which Do You Prefer?
Whether you prefer a natural sweetener like stevia or an artificial sweetener like sucralose ... Both can help satisfy your sweet tooth.
You can add these sweeteners to your favorite drinks and snacks while limiting the number of added calories. After all, that’s the main reason everyone is looking for zero-calorie sweeteners.
You can find both types of sweeteners at pretty much any grocery store too. So they’re both easy to find and easy to use!
If you’re having trouble picking between the two, this is how I weigh my options:
Do I want an artificial sweetener that tastes closer to real sugar?
Do I want a sweetener that tastes less like real sugar, but is natural?
At the end of the day, the choice is completely up to you!
When it comes to which sweetener you like in your supplements, we’ve got you covered on both sides!
At 1st Phorm, we're committed to helping real people earn real and long-term results with their health and fitness. We know you don't take any shortcuts with your goals, which is why we don't take any shortcuts with the supplements to help you reach them.
On top of that, we offer an entire selection of supplements sweetened with stevia and sucralose.
You can shop all of our stevia-sweetened supplements here.
The rest of our high-quality supplements come sweetened with sucralose, which you can shop for here.
Whether you're looking to lose body fat, gain muscle, or just look and feel your best ... We're here to help!
With that being said, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out.
We have a full team of NASM Certified Personal Trainers and Nutrition Coaches right here in St. Louis, Missouri that is dedicated to helping you reach your goals! Just give us a call at 1-800-409-9732 or send us an email at CustomerService@1stPhorm.com any day from 6 AM to 10 PM Central.
References:
(1) Food Insight. “Everything You Need to Know about Sucralose.” Food Insight, 13 May 2024, foodinsight.org/everything-you-need-to-know-about-sucralose/.
(2) Pang MD, Goossens GH, Blaak EE. The Impact of Artificial Sweeteners on Body Weight Control and Glucose Homeostasis. Front Nutr. 2021 Jan 7;7:598340. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2020.598340. PMID: 33490098; PMCID: PMC7817779.
(3) Higgins KA, Mattes RD. A randomized controlled trial contrasting the effects of 4 low-calorie sweeteners and sucrose on body weight in adults with overweight or obesity. Am J Clin Nutr. 2019 May 1;109(5):1288-1301. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/nqy381. PMID: 30997499.
(4) Grotz VL, Munro IC. An overview of the safety of sucralose. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 2009 Oct;55(1):1-5. doi: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2009.05.011. Epub 2009 May 21. PMID: 19464334.
(5) Peteliuk V, Rybchuk L, Bayliak M, Storey KB, Lushchak O. Natural sweetener Stevia rebaudiana: Functionalities, health benefits and potential risks. EXCLI J. 2021 Sep 22;20:1412-1430. doi: 10.17179/excli2021-4211. PMID: 34803554; PMCID: PMC8600158.
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