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$MINE Why DD is important when making statements such as Sucralose vs. Stevia.
FACTS hold more weight than opinions and do matter.
The noncaloric sweeteners stevia and sucralose are both many times sweeter than sugar. Sucralose is made by modifying sucrose (table sugar), and stevia comes from a plant native to South America. While stevia is commonly thought to be safer than artificial sweeteners like sucralose, this may not necessarily be the case.
Stevia Background
Although stevia's popularity may be relatively new to the United States, native South Americans have used it as a sweetener for hundreds of years. Stevia is obtained from an herb known as yerba dulce, which is grown in Paraguay, Brazil, Southeast Asia and other places. This sweetener has been praised as a safe and natural sweetener that can be used in place of more controversial artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame, saccharine, cyclamate and sucralose. When stevia was first introduced to the U.S. market, it was only available as a dietary supplement. In 2008, however, stevia became recognized as a GRAS (generally recognized as safe) food substance by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Stevia contains different chemical compounds that make it sweet, including its principal sweetening agent, rebaudioside A. These compounds make stevia about 100 times sweeter than table sugar.
Stevia Safety
Although stevia is assumed safe by many due to its status as a natural sweetener, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) notes that being natural does not guarantee safety. Both Canadian and U.S. regulatory agencies have rejected stevia in the past. In addition, a European Community scientific panel made the decision that stevia was not an acceptable food additive. Still, the FDA currently deems stevia safe. It is important to follow manufacturer-recommended serving sizes to help avoid side effects, however. According to WebMD, the side effects of stevia can include nausea, bloating, dizziness, muscle pain and numbness.
Sucralose Basics
Sucralose is the only type of artificial sweetener derived from real sugar molecules. It is created by substituting one part of a sugar molecule with chlorine to create a substance that is about 600 times sweeter than sucrose. Sucralose can be used as a replacement for sugar in nearly every kind of food or beverage. This sweetener first received FDA approval in 1998 for specific foods and then again in 1999 as an all-purpose sweetener. Sucralose also differs from other artificial sweeteners in that it passes through the digestive system without being metabolized, which is why it contains no calories.
Sucralose Safety
According to New York University Langone Medical Center, sucralose has been highly scrutinized by regulatory agencies for more than 20 years. More than 100 animal and human studies have led the FDA to the decision that sucralose is safe for human consumption. CSPI, however, has given sucralose a rating of "caution" based on an independent Italian study that found a link between sucralose and leukemia, in mice. CSPI does, however, note that sucralose may be safer than other artificial sweeteners. Columbia University reports that consuming artificial sweeteners can lead to laxative effects, including bloating, gas and diarrhea, in some people. This is why it is important to monitor your intake of artificial sweeteners like sucralose.
http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/stevia-vs-sucralose-10342.html