Neither stevia nor honey is universally "better"; the best choice depends on your goals: Stevia is superior for zero calories, no blood sugar impact (great for diabetes/keto), but can have an aftertaste and fewer nutrients. Honey offers more flavor, antioxidants, and some vitamins/minerals but adds calories and affects blood sugar, requiring moderation, though it's generally seen as a more wholesome natural sweetener than processed sugar.
If sugar is a main concern for you, then stevia is going to be the better sweetener for you. Stevia has no added or natural sugar, making it a completely sugar-free product. Honey, while not containing any processed sugar, contains natural sugars that could still affect someone with dietary restrictions.
Stevia's cons include potential digestive issues (bloating, gas), an unpleasant bitter aftertaste for some, and that many products mix it with other sweeteners like erythritol (linked to heart risks) or fillers (maltodextrin) that can disrupt gut bacteria; it can also be expensive and difficult to bake with, and raw forms lack FDA approval, raising concerns about kidney/reproductive health.
Stevia (Pure Via, Sweet Leaf, Truvia)
Stevia is a sweetener from a plant native to South America. Stevia is safe to consume during pregnancy.
Stevia disrupted fertility, reducing pregnancy rates, litter size, and male offspring, while extending gestation. Prolonged exposure worsened these effects, highlighting stevia's impact on reproduction and prenatal development.
Stevia has been shown to be safe in more than 200 studies, and JECFA has established an ADI of 4 mg/kg body weight per day, expressed as steviol equivalents, to guarantee this safety to consumers.
Though widely available throughout the world, in 1991 stevia was banned in the U.S. due to early studies that suggested the sweetener may cause cancer.
Saccharin
Outdated animal studies have linked saccharin to bladder cancer. Saccharin is approximately 300-400 times sweeter than table sugar, meaning you only need a small amount. You can find it under the brand names Sweet 'N Low, Sweet Twin, and Necta Sweet. The sweetener contains no calories.
Stevia is a zero-calorie natural sweetener. High-purity stevia (95% or more) is safe to add to foods for most people. However, some high-purity stevia products may contain extra ingredients, such as artificial sweeteners. Stevia can cause side effects like stomach pain, cramps, nausea, vomiting, bloating, or gas.
Yes, honey is generally considered healthier than refined sugar because it contains beneficial antioxidants, enzymes, vitamins, and minerals, plus it has a lower glycemic index, causing a slower rise in blood sugar; however, it's still a sugar, so moderation is crucial as both add calories and affect blood glucose. While honey offers added nutrients, it's not a "health food," but a more natural sweetener with a slight nutritional edge over empty-calorie sugar.
Quick healthy tips to reduce sweetener intake
Although stevia is the safest sweetener, according to Wilson, all sweeteners should be consumed in moderation. “I challenge people to replace artificial sweeteners from their diets,” Wilson says. Here are a few tips, to help reduce your sweetener intake.
Monk fruit and stevia are both natural and calorie-free sweeteners. Monk fruit may have fewer reported side effects compared to stevia. Stevia and monk fruit have different tastes; some people might prefer one over the other.
However, honey itself is another form of sugar, and it should be consumed only in moderation, experts say. Studies show added sugars can be empty calories that increase the risk for obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure and cavities.
These honey substitutes can work for a variety of diets and recipes:
Honey also has a lower glycemic index (GI) than table sugar. The GI measures how quickly a carbohydrate raises your blood sugar levels. Honey has a GI score of 50, while sugar has a GI value of 80. That means honey (like all carbohydrates) raises blood sugar quickly, but not quite as fast as white sugar.
Though stevia was initially banned in the U.S. because some studies suggested it may be linked to cancer, it's no longer prohibited. In fact, in 2008, stevia was granted GRAS status by the FDA - which stands for "Generally Recognized As Safe."
Some sweeteners known as polyols (such as sorbitol, xylitol and erythritol) can have a laxative effect if consumed in large amounts.
Our Coca‑Cola Classic taste is not sweetened with aspartame. Depending on where you are in the world, we use either high fructose corn syrup or cane sugar to give you that refreshing taste you love. Yes. We sweeten Coke Zero Sugar in our bottles and cans with a blend of aspartame and acesulfame potassium (or Ace-K).
Stevia's cons include potential digestive issues (bloating, gas), an unpleasant bitter aftertaste for some, and that many products mix it with other sweeteners like erythritol (linked to heart risks) or fillers (maltodextrin) that can disrupt gut bacteria; it can also be expensive and difficult to bake with, and raw forms lack FDA approval, raising concerns about kidney/reproductive health.
Stevia and monk fruit are both naturally derived from plants and some people feel they have a flavor very similar to regular sugar. The FDA says these sweeteners are “generally regarded as safe,” which means they are safe to use for their intended purpose.
Stevia may also: Affect the healthy bacteria in your stomach, causing gas and bloating. Raise heart attack and stroke risks, because it's often mixed with erythritol, which has been found to increase these risks.
Mild Interactions of stevia include:
Side effects might include bloating, nausea, dizziness, and numbness. There isn't enough reliable information to know if whole stevia or stevia extracts are safe or what the side effects might be.
We assessed preclinical studies (in vivo, ex vivo) examining the use of stevia during the last decade. Randomized clinical trials have not been performed yet in humans, and to date, there is no evidence about stevia's meaningful impact on the composition or function of the gut microbiota [27,28,29,30].