How many calories are there in stevia sweetener?

Sugar substitutes, which can be used to reduce the calorie content of a diet and the glycaemic load of food, have both synthetic and natural ‘representatives’. An example of a natural sweetener is stevia, which is extracted from leaves and is available in many grocery stores in the form of tablets, powder or crystals, and sometimes even as a ready-made solution.

1. What is stevia?
2. How sweet is stevia?
3. Does stevia have calories?

What is stevia?

Stevia is the common name for a sweetener based on bioactive glycosides found in the leaves of the green stevia rebaudiana shrub. These compounds are collectively called steviol glycosides, but this group also includes steviosides, rebaudiosides and dulcosides. In addition to activating the receptors responsible for sweet taste perception, steviol glycosides also have health-promoting properties. Similar to many other plant-derived glycoside compounds, the glycosides characteristic of stevia have antioxidant properties.

How sweet is stevia?

According to various estimates, stevia can be characterised by a sweetness level ranging from 150 to 400 times that of table sugar. However, it activates the sweet receptors in the mouth with a slight delay compared to the sweetness provided by sucrose. This makes the taste last longer. Stevia can be used for sweetening on its own, but a certain level of synergy in shaping the sweetness of a given product has been demonstrated when mixed with erythritol or sucralose.

Combining stevia with other sweeteners is recommended, among other things, because in large doses it can leave a slightly bitter aftertaste. In addition to being sweeter than sugar, stevia is also relatively stable when heated and resistant to low and high pH levels. Using it instead of sugar helps prevent tooth decay. During thermal processing at high temperatures, it does not form compounds that are harmful to health, such as those formed when frying or baking products containing sugars.

Does stevia have calories?

Since the body cannot obtain energy from glycosides, stevia is categorised as a calorie-free sweetener. The upper tolerable intake limit is approximately 4 mg of steviol glycosides expressed as steviol equivalents per kilogram of body weight per day, but this is considered a very high level of consumption. It is rarely necessary to use such large amounts.

The properties of stevia may be particularly appreciated by people on weight-loss diets related to obesity, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome in general. According to some observations, it may also have a beneficial effect on appetite control, so it can be used, for example, in the form of a sweet drink before a meal. There is also evidence of the anti-inflammatory effects of the bioactive compounds present in stevia. Adding this sweetener to foods high in carbohydrates may reduce the risk of hyperglycaemia.