Stevia vs Sucralose

by Erick Avila

When it comes to beverages, the old school way of thinking was that if a drink had any flavor, then it must have sugar. Over the years there have been several alternatives to sugar that have made their way into the beverage space, which have grown in popularity because they can deliver the sweet taste we like without the calories. Two sugar alternatives that have become especially popular are stevia and sucralose.

Let’s go over what these sugar substitutes are, to better understand how they contribute to the delicious taste you get in every sip of C4®

What is Stevia?

Stevia extract is a sweetener derived from Stevia rebaudiana, a plant native to South America. It’s estimated that stevia is about 400 times sweeter than table sugar, which is due to natural components that contribute to its sweet taste, known as steviol glycosides.[1] High-purity stevia leaf extract has grown in popularity because it’s an effective plant-based sweetener that isn’t metabolized by the body, so it’s considered to be zero calories.[2] Several independent scientific experts in the US and globally have concluded that stevia is safe for people of all ages, with high purity stevia leaf extracts being deemed GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) by the FDA.[3]

What is Sucralose?

Sucralose is an artificial sweetener based off table sugar. Sucralose is about 450-650 times sweeter than table sugar, which contributes to its popularity as a sugar substitute because of the small amounts required to sweeten a food/beverage.[4] Studies show that about 85% of sucralose is eliminated from the body unchanged and the remaining 15% gets eliminated after some metabolization.[6] Because of this, sucralose isn’t considered a calorie source for the body. Sucralose was first approved by the FDA in 1998, following extensive review by qualified experts of over 110 safety studies.[1]

 

What C4® products contain Sucralose?

C4® Energy
C4® Energy Non-Carbonated
C4® Smart Energy
C4® Ultimate
C4® Ultimate Non-Carbonated

Zero Calorie..Zero Sugar...Zero Compromise

Sugar-sweetened beverages are the largest source of added sugars in American’s diets.[6] Traditionally, many people have had to compromise between added sugar from their favorite sweetened beverages and taste, until now. As part of our mission to elevate your energy, our C4® Energy family of drinks deliver amazing taste with zero sugar and zero calories, so you don’t have to compromise.

References

[1] https://www.fda.gov/food/food-additives-petitions/additional-information-about-high-intensity-sweeteners-permitted-use-food-united-states
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4890837/
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3198517/
[34] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780123849472006772
[5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5152540/
[6] https://academic.oup.com/jncics/article/4/6/pkaa073/5896987?login=true