Not surprisingly, have come a ton of different sugar substitutes on the market.
Truvia is one of them.
It is actively marketed as a natural sweetener based is good for controlling blood sugar Stevia.
But Truvia is very healthy, and is as natural as they say?
We will see.
What is Truvia?
Truvia is a sweetener from Cargill and Coca-Cola developed jointly.
If you do not know, Cargill [1] is a huge company that makes ingredients and additives for some of the largest food companies in the world.
Truvia was launched in 2008 and is today the second largest sales sweeteners [2] in the United States (shortly after Splenda [3] ).
Of a mixture of three components, namely of:
- Erythritol: a sugar alcohol.
- Rebaudioside A: a sweet compound from the plant Stevia isolated, Rebiana classified label ( 1 ).
- Natural flavors do not know exactly what that means.
Truvia is often confused Stevia [4] , a natural sweetener from the leaves of Stevia.
This is not surprising considering that even as Truvia sweetener "Stevia" and a name that sounds similar
, Truvia and Stevia, however, are not the same.
Conclusion: Truvia is a sugar substitute second most popular in the United States. Contains erythritol, rebaudioside A, and "natural flavors".
Stevia sweetener Truvia No. The only small amounts of rebaudioside A
"The best sweetness comes from nature. Truvia natural sweetener is delicious sweetness that comes from the leaves of the stevia plant."
This quote from the Truvia website [5] is terribly misleading.
Truvia contains only one component of the stevia plant, and certainly not health benefits.
Stevia leaves contain two sweet compounds [6] , stevioside and rebaudioside A [7] .
Stevioside has two (but not rebaudioside A) associated with health benefits such as blood sugar levels and lower blood pressure ( 2 , 3 ).
However, no stevioside in Truvia, only small amounts of purified rebaudioside A, which was not associated with health benefits.
Therefore, the marketing of Truvia as a sweetener Stevia "based on" is very questionable.
Conclusion: comprises rebaudioside A in Stevia Truvia used. Not contain stevioside, stevia compound that provides health benefits.
Erythritol is the main component
The main ingredient in Truvia is actually erythritol [8] .
Erythritol is a sugar alcohol that is found in some natural foods such as fruits , [9] . It can also be extracted and purified for use as a sweetener in foodstuffs.
After Cargill site [10] , do erythritol by the processing of food grade corn starch that is fermented with yeast to create a broth.
Then, it is further purified to create erythritol.
Erythritol is a sugar alcohol, [11] , since the molecule is a hybrid of a carbohydrate and alcohol (ethanol, as it is only received by the nature of the alcohol is consumed).
The chemical structure of sugar alcohols gives them the ability to stimulate the sweet taste receptors on the tongue.
Sugar alcohols are common in the western diet and include xylitol , [12] , sorbitol and maltitol, to name a few.
But erythritol seems to be quite different from the others. It has a unique chemical structure that will not break our bodies and digest.
Is through your system and urine virtually unchanged, so it has almost no calories and no adverse effects on the metabolism of excess glucose [13] ( 4 ).
Several long-term studies on the metabolism and toxicity has no negative effects consuming erythritol, at least in laboratory animals ( 5 , 6 ).
Conclusion: Erythritol is the main ingredient in Truvia. There are no negative effects on metabolism, such as sugar, and is considered safe.
"Natural flavors" in Truvia
The final ingredient in Truvia are "natural flavors". They are something of a mystery.
What is the added flavors are and how they are created, are not indicated on the label or website.
But they are not required by law to disclose who they are, and the combination of these "flavors" with rebaudioside A was patented in 2009 by Cargill.
However, it is likely that natural flavors are probably not natural. The term is largely unregulated by the FDA.
A company is free to qualify as any natural taste, and which is chemically equivalent to a natural fragrance.
Conclusion: What is "natural flavors" means not disclosed. However, it is likely that a variety of chemicals that are not really "natural".
Truvia has almost no calories and has no effect on blood sugar
Truvia is nothing like sugar, since it together almost exclusively of erythritol.
Compared to table sugar [14] , which has 4 calories per gram, erythritol is 0.24 calories per gram.
It is almost impossible enough to eat affect your body weight.
And because erythritol is not metabolized by the body cells, no effect on blood sugar and insulin, cholesterol, triglycerides, or other biomarkers ( 7 , 8 ).
For those who are overweight, have diabetes or questions to the metabolic syndrome, Truvia (or erythritol plain) is a good alternative to sugar.
Conclusion: it Truvia virtually no calories. Erythritol is not metabolized by the body and has no effect on blood sugar or other health markers.
Truvia was on the court "natural" claims
Unfortunately, the exact chemicals are used in the manufacturing process, paten Truvia public are unknown.
But on the basis of refined ingredients in Truvia, it is clear that some things about it is "natural."
In 2012 [15] and 2013 [16] two class action lawsuits against Cargill were "naturally" filed misleading marketing and use of the word.
Costumes argues that rebaudioside A and erythritol used "highly processed" and produce erythritol is derived from GMOs [17] corn.
Cargill decided amicably.
However, they are intentionally misleading consumers and the use of the word "natural" in all marketing materials.
Conclusion: Cargill, the company that makes Truvia has been sued for its misleading use of the word is settled out of court, but are still using the word in their materials "natural" marketing ..
Are there side effects?
Certain ingredients have been studied, but have never examined the effects of self Truvia sweetener.
In a human test four weeks with high doses of rebaudioside A, no side effects were found.
This study was funded by Cargill, the company that Truvia (makes sponsored 9 ).
A recent study has revealed that controversial erythritol uptake is toxic to the fruit fly. The authors have even as a pesticide with respect to the environment (recommended 10 ).
These results concern, but it is not really relevant to humans or other mammals, they are very tolerant erythritol.
But the main concern of sugar alcohols such as erythritol, is that they cause digestive problems.
It seems that erythritol is better tolerated than other sugar alcohols, because most of it is absorbed and then urinated out. Not reach the large intestine in substantial quantities ( 11 ).
One study showed that gastrointestinal symptoms only occurs when the intake of 50 grams of erythritol as a single dose, a very large amount (it is 12 ).
Another reason is that it was at least four times the amount of erythritol diarrhea, compared to sorbitol, a sugar alcohol (causing 13 ).
Tolerance varies between individuals, so take this with a grain of salt. If you have had problems with sugar alcohols in the past, then be very careful with Truvia.
That is, the regular use of Truvia should not cause digestive problems for most people, at least if consumed in reasonable quantities.
Conclusion: The most important ingredients in Truvia is safe for consumption, with little or no gastrointestinal side effects. However, tolerance can vary between individuals.
Truvia is fine, but certainly not "natural"
Although marketing applications are wrong and "natural flavors" mystery is a bit disconcerting Truvia seems particularly well.
It contains almost no calories [18] does not affect the velocity of the blood sugar and insulin, and have little or no side for most purposes.
Certainly it is better than sugar, and seems better tolerated than many other sweeteners to be.
So if you like the taste of Truvia and tolerate you want in your life, then I see no good reason to avoid it.
Although it is not a natural sweetener [19] and the marketing behind it is questionable seems to be healthier than many other sweeteners.
REFERENCES
- ^ Cargill (en.wikipedia.org)
- ^ second bestselling sweetener (www.foodingredientsfirst.com)
- ^ Splenda (en.wikipedia.org)
- ^ Stevia (authoritynutrition.com)
- ^ Website (truvia.com)
- ^ sweet compounds (en.wikipedia.org)
- ^ rebaudioside A (en.wikipedia.org)
- ^ erythritol (authoritynutrition.com)
- ^ fruits (authoritynutrition.com)
- ^ Cargill site (www.cargillfoods.com)
- ^ sugar alcohol (en.wikipedia.org)
- ^ xylitol (authoritynutrition.com)
- ^ excess sugar (authoritynutrition.com)
- ^ table sugar (authoritynutrition.com)
- ^ 2012 (www.foodnavigator-usa.com)
- ^ 2013 (www.foodbusinessnews.net)
- ^ GM (en.wikipedia.org)
- ^ calories (authoritynutrition.com)
- ^ natural sweetener (authoritynutrition.com)
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