A lot of people think that sucralose is only related to Splenda; however, did you know that sucralose is mainly used in the manufacture of processed food, even in sport nutrition products because it is very sweet?
People are increasingly consuming artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and sucralose as well as the non-nutritive sweetener stevioside, derived from the stevia plant. The problem with sucralose or any artificial is that when exposed to high temperatures, it generates chloropropanols a potentially toxic class of compounds which cause oxidative stress in the body – it is thought to be damaging the DNA.
Another possibility is that our bodies have evolved to metabolize sugars in a way that's triggered not by calories or the sugar molecule but by the perception of sweet taste. Dr. Sean Wharton, an internal medicine specialist in Toronto who works with patients on weight management and management of diabetes, said he generally tells people to avoid artificial sweeteners. But he's not convinced the sweeteners cause Type 2 diabetes.
"ey may lose weight for a little while and go back up for lots of other reasons, not just because of sugar or sweeteners," said Wharton. "There's psychological issues, there's other medical issues, family issues. These people tend to be at risk in the first place. So we can't use these studies to say that these sweeteners are the problem."
A good alternative to artificial sweeteners is to use natural sweeteners such as raw honey, maple syrup, dates, coconut sugar, blackstrap molasses and the right kid of Stevia.
When it comes to Stevia, not all stevia products are created equal. There is a big difference between consuming real stevia and chemically processed stevia products like Truvia. Green leaf stevia is the least processed of the stevia types. The leaves are basically just dried and ground into powder form.
Try to switch to natural sweeteners and use less of it if your goal is weight loss.
Reference:
1. Why caution may be warranted when consuming artificial sweeteners, CBC News, Jul 17, 2017
2. 5 Benefits of Stevia + Potential Side Effects, Dr. Axe.
