Is Stevia Better for You Than Sugar?

You’re not alone if you find yourself craving sweet treats throughout the week. Unfortunately, eating too much sugar — particularly added sugar — can be bad for your health. This means that it’s in your best interest to use healthy sweeteners whenever you can. To know what sweetener is right for you, though, you need to compare the most widely available options. In the U.S., that includes artificial sweetening products like stevia. To see if a sweet dietary change is right for you, though, start with the comparison of stevia vs sugar. 

Many foods contain natural sources of sugar. For example, almost all fruits contain a natural sugar called fructose. The modern food industry also adds sugar to a wide variety of products — from soda to baked goods. Foods that contain natural sugars are usually better for you than foods that contain added sugars.

Artificial sweeteners, meanwhile, are chemical substances that can be used in place of added sugars. Some artificial sweeteners — like stevia — are specific chemicals that are extracted from natural sources and purified. Most of these chemicals are vastly sweeter than sugar. 

In some cases, natural sweeteners are a healthier way to give foods a sweet taste compared to packing in added sugars. However, some natural sweeteners come with health concerns of their own. Consumers need to stay informed so they can make the best decisions for their overall health. 

The term stevia refers to a number of sweet chemicals that companies extract from a particular group of plants. It can also refer to the plants themselves.  

All stevia plants belong to the Asteraceae family — which also contains sunflowers. There are over 1,900 genera in this plant family. The species that most companies use to create stevia extracts is called Stevia rebaudiana. 

Stevia also goes by a number of additional common names, including: 

• The sweet herb of Paraguay
• Sugar leaf
• Candy leaf
• Honey leaf

The South American Guarani people have consumed parts of the stevia plant for over 1,500 years. They ate the leaves as a snack, brewed them in teas, and used them as sweeteners in cooking.

Today, companies around the world extract a number of different sweet chemicals from stevia and use them to create liquid extracts, powders, and pills. These are then added as sweeteners to many different products. 

Some people even take stevia in the form of a daily supplement. Try looking for these stevia products at health food stores.  

Specifically, the sweet chemicals in stevia are called steviol glycosides. Scientists have found over 40 different steviol glycosides in this plant so far. The plant’s most common chemical extract, though, is called rebaudioside A. It’s 300 to 450 times sweeter than sucrose.

Other sweet chemicals that are extracted from stevia include: 

• Stevioside
• Rebaudiosides B,C,D,E, and F
• Steviolbioside
• Isosteviol

In general, artificial sweeteners are types of low- or no-calorie chemicals. Most stevia extracts are examples of no-calorie sweeteners — but grinding up the entire leaf would provide a few calories. Nevertheless, stevia is better for some people than a more calorie-rich sugar. 

In fact, research shows that using stevia instead of regular sugar can benefit your health in a wide variety of ways. Incorporating stevia into your diet can: 

• Help lower your blood pressure
• Make you feel full — which could help you lose weight
• Provide a sweet taste without significantly affecting your blood sugar — which is helpful for people with diabetes

Switching to stevia may even help with your risk of tooth decay. It’s also a much healthier alternative to sugar if you have either diabetes or cancer. In fact, some researchers believe that it’s the healthiest sweetener available for people who have been diagnosed with cancer. 

When stevia was first introduced to the U.S. there were early reports that it could cause cancer. However, large studies have disproved these early results. Both the U.S. National Cancer Institute and Cancer Research UK have since stated that stevia products do not seem to cause cancer.

Instead, the potential side effects that are most commonly associated with stevia include nausea and feeling uncomfortably full. 

Even though you need sugar to survive, studies have found that having a lot of added sugar in your diet is one of the worst choices you can make for your overall health. In fact, it’s even worse for you than eating a lot of saturated fats. 

In comparison, all of the research that’s been done on stevia to date is fairly promising in terms of effects on your overall health. 

If you want to be a little healthier, avoid added sugars. Look for foods with added stevia instead. 

Your doctor might be the first one to recommend using stevia-sweetened products in your diet. However, people with certain health considerations need to be more cautious when it comes to choosing stevia. Talk to a medical professional about stevia if you’re: 

• Pregnant or breastfeeding
• Taking medication to lower your blood pressure
• Taking medication to lower your blood sugar
• Allergic to sunflowers, marigolds, ragweed, or other plants in the Asteraceae family

Always talk to your doctor before using stevia as a dietary supplement. Pure stevia extracts are more potent than the little bit of stevia that’s used in — for example — a baked good. This difference can have unexpected effects on your body. Supplements may interfere with the activity of prescription medications and complicate existing health conditions.   

For most people, though, choosing stevia over sugar is a positive dietary choice. Just keep in mind that everyone’s body is different, and be sure to keep in touch with your physician about dietary changes.