There are many reasons people choose to use substitute. It could be health issue (diabetes) or it could be diet issue. Whatever reason it is, it is often not easy to find the right sugar substitute.
Early studies in 1969 found cyclamate caused bladder cancer in laboratory animals. While in 1977, studies found saccharin increase chance for bladder cancer significantly in laboratory animal. Although there is no clear evidence it will affect the same way in human body, it casts a shadow over artificial sweeteners.
Sucralose, marketed as Splenda, is approved by FDA in 1998 as sugar substitute. Sucralose is solely made from sucrose. It is safe for diabetics and non-diabetics. Moreover, it does not affect insulin levels. As it is zero calorie (2-4 calories per serving to be exact), it does not promote cavities. The idea of sucralose is it modified sucrose, kept the sweet taste from sucrose but human body would pass it out of the body. Therefore, there is no calorie taken by human body.
Today, it has shown a widespread of contaminant of watershed due to artificial sweetener sucralose, as it is passed out of human body, it does not decompose in room temperature and stay in watershed.
Among all synthetic sweetener, finally there is a natural sugar substitute: stevia. Stevia is extracted from stevia rebaudiana, a plant native in South America. The leaves have been used for over 1500 years by Guaraní people of Brazil and Paraguay called it ka’a he’ê – sweet herb. Stevia has been commercially used as sweetener in Japan since 1970s. Today it is one of the biggest consumer in the world, account 40% of world consumption.
Stevia contents zero calorie, it has 30 to 150 times sweetness of sugar. Studies so far found no health concern and considered safe for people who are pregnant or who have diabetes. It rarely causes side effect but more studies need to be done.
Currently commercial use for whole-leaf stevia is still prohibited, more researches to be done. Though it is unlikely to cause harm using raw leaf, It is not suggested if you are pregnant.
Stevia has been a natural sweetener for over a thousand years. Instead of making good uses of existing natural resources, we spent our resources, knowledge, energy and time to make synthetic ones. We should rethink how we are seeing the world.