Jan 6, 2009 4:49 pm US/Eastern
New Natural Sugar Subsitutes Hit Store Shelves
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
To satisfy America's sweet tooth without expanding her waistline, the artificial sweetener industry has been racing to develop sugar substitutes with even fewer calories than what's in those little pink and yellow packets.
If you're looking for a sweeter new year, the latest crop of all natural sugar substitutes is hoping to lure consumers away from sugar.
"Sugar substitutes are a way for companies to deliver sweet products to their consumers while claiming they are not as bad for you," said Camille Chatterjee, REDBOOK Health Editor.
Americans spend $3 billion a year on them.
The latest sweet tooth satisfiers have names like Sweetleaf and Truvia. They claim to be all natural, made from a Central American herb called stevia that is up to 40 times sweeter but has zero calories and won't cause a jump in your blood sugar.
"So you don't have the highs and lows which is what makes you want to eat more," Chatterjee said.
Then there's Whey Low, a combination of three natural sugars that claims when blended together can't be completely absorbed by the body -- and has only four calories per teaspoon. Sugar has almost four times as much with 15 calories per teaspoon.
Xylitol is a naturally occurring sugar alcohol. Weighing in at only nine calories a teaspoon, it's found in lots of sugarless gum and packaged products. Many of these are marketed as not causing a spike in your blood sugar, but doctors say few of us are medically affected by it.
"Most people are not getting that spike; What we need to worry about is diabetics and pre diabetics," said Dr. Carla Wolper from St. Luke's Hospital Obesity Research Center.
Wolper says even children can benefit, but only if they're already overindulging in sugary drinks.
"It's a question of what behavior people want to try and change," she said.
However, be prepared to pay a hefty price. These sweeteners can be 30 times as expensive as sugar.
Also, you get no benefit from eating raw sugar or brown sugar. You get the same calories, so pay extra only if you like the taste.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
CBS News Interactive: Healthwatch
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