Are 'natural' sweeteners really healthy?

Sales of stevia sweetener — led by Truvia — have eclipsed sales of artificial sweeteners including aspartame, sucralose and saccharin.

“Natural” reigns when it comes to food and beverage trends, and the low- and no-calorie sweetener category is no exception. Sales of stevia sweetener — led by Truvia — have eclipsed sales of artificial sweeteners including aspartame, sucralose and saccharin.

The popularity of artificial sweeteners has dwindled among concerns that they don’t help with weight management and could even cause weight gain. Natural sweeteners have the health halo of being plant-based, but are they as innocent as they seem?

What’s the difference?

Stevia leaves have been used as a sweetener since the 16th century, but the extract has only been approved as a U.S. food ingredient since 2008. Leaves from the stevia plant are harvested, dried and steeped in hot water. The resulting liquid is filtered to isolate the sweet compounds called glycosides, most commonly stevioside and rebaudioside A (also known as reb A).

Stevia is 200 to 300 times as sweet as sugar and is low enough in calories that it can be called “zero calorie.” However, some of the compounds tend to have a bitter aftertaste.

Monk fruit is a melon from China. The sweet component, mogroside V, is extracted and is 150 to 250 times as sweet as sugar. It contains 2 calories per teaspoon so it can be labeled as “zero calorie.” Monk fruit tastes different from sugar and can have an aftertaste.

Which is best for you?

A review found that natural and artificial sweeteners are often reviewed as one group instead of separate compounds, which makes it challenging to tease out whether some are better than others.

Stevia has been determined to be safe for use by the general population, including children. Animal studies suggest stevia extracts are nontoxic.

Monk fruit sweetener is generally recognized as safe by the FDA, but, overall, the research is too young to be able to say much about how it affects human health.

What’s the bottom line?

Do stevia and monk fruit sweetener help people lose weight? So far, the evidence doesn’t support the idea.

Stevia and monk fruit are natural, but the extracts in the sweeteners have been processed and refined. “Natural” doesn’t automatically mean “better.” For example, whole stevia leaves and crude stevia extracts aren’t approved for use in food because of concerns related to kidney health.

It’s also important to consider how you’re using the products. Are you putting them in your coffee so you can have that extra doughnut? Then you’re missing the point. Low-calorie sweeteners should be used as a tool to help lower the added sugars in your diet. Another strategy: Choose foods such as fruit more often to get fiber and nutrients along with natural sugars.

Read more at StarTribune