saccharine

A new study confirms that artificial sweeteners are bad for you, with research showing that products like sucralose (Splenda) are toxic to the gut.
Scientists at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel, and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore looked at the effects of FDA-approved artificial sweeteners and sports supplements on E. coli bacteria and found that they could have toxic effects on the bug, and therefore human health.
Ariel Kushmaro, a professor at Ben-Gurion University and author of the study, said:

Artificial sweetener use increased 200% among children and 54% among children from 1999 to 2012. Health experts are especially concerned about the spike in use among kids because the scientific community still doesn’t know the full health repercussions of long-term, low-cal sweetener use. [1]

New research shows that women who regularly consume sodas may be lowering their chances of getting pregnant.
For the study, researchers interviewed 524 women undergoing in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment about their food and beverage consumption. They found a link between low-calorie sweeteners, such as saccharine and sucrose, and reduced fertility rates. [1
Source: Time
The study was presented on 17 October 2016 at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine congress in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Determined to be up to 150 times sweeter than sugar, stevia has been touted for many years as a natural substitute for white refined sugar as well as the various artificial sweeteners.
Stevia has the added benefits of being pH-stable, heat-stable, and non-fermentable. The two primary active compounds — stevioside and rebaudioside — are known as steviol glycosides.