Stevia: The dietary supplement Coca Cola wants

Stevia is the newest trend in non-caloric sweeteners, but unlike the more popular Splenda and Sweet’n Low…Stevia isn’t a sugar substitute.

“I don’t know that there are dangerous compounds in there, but there are a lot of compounds that haven’t been identified yet," Chemistry Professor James Kallermerten.


And that’s why Stevia is labeled under a dietary supplement…because the FDA hasn’t yet approved it.

“Consumers really like Stevia right now because it’s all natural, there’s no side effects, it’s zero glycemic index and it has good taste,” says Tracy Bowers, team leader of Wegmans' natural foods section.

Stevia is derived from a plant native to Paraguay and has been used as a sweetener for centuries, but has yet to be mass marketed to the American public.

Nearly two years ago, the sugar free foods market accounted for almost 6 billion dollars. And now Coca Cola is trying to tap into the market by getting Stevia FDA approved.

“There are protocols that you have to go through to make sure that things like this are safe. You need to first of all identify the compounds so that you can test these compounds for toxicity in the short term and the long term," Professor Kallermerten.

However, dietician Jodi Kearns says sugar substitutes are beneficial for some people.

“They’re sweeteners that do not have any calories, any carbohydrates and they do have a role in the meal planning for the common person with diabetes and also for the person trying to lose weight.”

But how healthy are artificial sugars? According to the FDA, a person weighing 150 pounds can safely have about 18 sodas filled with aspartame in one day, or up to 12 packets of Sweet’n’Low, or 6 cans of you favorite Splenda beverage.

“Your liver’s actually amazing at taking compounds that are totally strange compounds to the body and breaking them down and turning them into something your body can excrete, says Professor Kallermerten.”

Splenda is marketed as the sugar substitute made from real sugar, but after visiting a laboratory, Splenda grows three chlorine molecules. Professor Kallamerten says products with chlorine molecules are questionable.

“Typically chlorinated compounds are not particularly healthy. They tend to be what we call alkylating agents and alkylating agents are often associated with cancer,” Kallamerten.

And the professor says aspartame, which is found in Equal and NutraSweet, really doesn’t look like a sugar-like molecule, but it resembles sugar just enough to trick the brain.

So next time you shop for sugar keep in mind what is FDA approved and what you may be ingesting. Chemists go by the rule; if you don’t know what it is, then don’t put it in your mouth. For NCC News. I’m Ashley Prchal.