Americans have used numerous artificial sweeteners over the past thirty years or so. Back in 1957, saccharine came into the forefront as the most popular sweetener. Saccharine is 300-500 sweeter than sugar and is better know as Sweet'N Low. In the mid 1970's, saccharine was linked to cancer in rats and raised some concern for consumers.
Aspartame (aspartyl-phenylalanine methyl ester) is marketed as Equal and NutraSweet. It was discovered in 1965 but was not approved by the FDA until the early 1980's because of conflicting studies and the possible health risks. Aspartame became somewhat popular and was considered a safer and better tasting alternative than saccharine. It is thought that a component of aspartame forms formaldehyde in the human body and now is unofficially linked to a variety of health problems.
Sucralose (Splenda) was approved by the FDA in 1998. Sucralose is marketed as being "made from sugar" and tastes very similar to sugar. Splenda became a huge commercial success and is also used in baking since the sweetness does not break down by heat. A bit of controversy is that sucralose also contains chlorine. What is unknown is how much chlorine is being absorbed into the body and is there any harm.
Unlike the sweeteners above, Stevia comes from the leaves of a shrub grown in Paraguay and Brazil and is touted as 100% natural. The sweet substance is 200-300 times sweeter than sugar, is calorie free, non toxic and has a glycemic index of zero. Stevia is not a newcomer to the sweetener category. In fact it has been used for hundreds of years by South Americans and Asians to sweeten teas and food. Stevia is not approved by the FDA so it is sold as a dietary supplement. Stevia has only recently been used in North America. It is usually mixed with other "filler" sweetener compounds mostly to equal the volume of sugar, and perhaps to increase profits for the manufacturers.
Personally, I have avoided saccharine for many years and most recently aspartame, due to its health risks. I have been an avid sucralose user over the years but recently began using stevia. I have noticed a few changes since switching from sucralose to stevia. I used to have joint pains in one of my hips and an elbow. This was somewhat chronic but seemed to come and go with no explanation. These pains have gone away since using stevia. I am not 100% positive that sucralose was the cause, but it's a hunch.
I also like the way 100% pure stevia tastes and it's very economical since 1/32 of a teaspoon equals a teaspoon of sugar. To date, it is the most natural and safest sweetener available. There are now many manufacturers with stevia products. However, many manufacturers are falsely selling a stevia product since most of their product consists largely of artificial sweeteners including maltodextrine, maltitol, honey powder, inulin, erythritol, dextrose and others. Make sure to read the label for any additional additives. It is a shame that many of these products are touted as "stevia" products.
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