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Stevia- Herbal Medicine's Sugar
Stevia--Herbal Medicine's Sugar
Is This Herbal Sweetner Safe?
Author: Lisa Barger March 1, 2007 Source
Is stevia an effective herbal sugar substitute? Why doesn't the FDA allow stevia to be marketed as
a food additive?
Dr. Andrew Weil calls stevia, "safe for diabetics," (1) and Dr. Michael Murray gives it a
recommended use level of "liberal". (2) So why has the Food and Drug Administration refused to
approve stevia as a food additive? As it turns out, there's more to stevia than meets the eye. Here
is what science says about one of the most popular herbal sugar substitutes, stevia.
What Stevia Is
Native to Brazil and Paraguay, stevia is an herbaceous plant in the aster or sunflower family. The
Native people of that area have used stevia for centuries as both a food source and as a beverage
ingredient but it was only in the 1980s that the rest of world caught on and began exploiting stevia
for its potential as an alternative to sugar.
What Makes Stevia Sweet
Stevia's sweetness comes from two chemical components, stevioside and rebaudioside, found
mainly in the plant's leaves. Stevioside is estimated to be 200 times sweeter than sucrose while
rebaudioside is even sweeter. (3) This gives stevia tremendous potential as a low-calorie sugar
substitute.
Is Stevia Safe?
Despite stevia's long record of use in South America and its widespread use today, stevia has
never been granted the status of "Generally Recognized as Safe", or GRAS, by the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration. Though stevia enjoys wide acceptance in many other parts of the world, here
in the U.S., stevia must still be marketed as a dietary supplement, and not as a food additive. Why?
As it turns out, a handful of studies have suggested that stevia may not be as safe as its
proponents claim. A 2007 Brazilian study determined that stevia had potential to cause liver, brain,
spleen and blood cell lesions in laboratory animals. This study confirmed the findings of a number
of previous studies questioning stevia's long-term safety, especially when used in excess.
On the other hand, a 2003 review-study looking strictly at real-life consumption of stevia, not
perfusion or injection experiments, found stevia perfectly safe for diabetics, phenylketonuria
patients and those simply wishing to avoid artificial sweeteners while dieting. This study also went
on the say that no evidence of allergic reaction was found. (5)
Can Stevia Help You Lose Weight?
For someone with the correct motivation, stevia appears to be a valuable tool in the fight against
extra pounds. However, low-calorie sweeteners like stevia can also encourage some dieters, at
least unconsciously, to fall into a fall sense of security and over-indulge in low-calorie snacks and
soft drinks. Clearly, if stevia is used for weight loss it must be part of a conscientiously-appplied
dietary plan.
References
1. Weil, A (2002). Aspartame: Can a Little Bit Hurt?. Retrieved February 24, 2007, from DrWeil.com
Web site: http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/id/QAA106654
2. Murray, M (2004). A Quick Guide to Non- and Low-calorie Sweeteners. Retrieved February 24,
2007, from DoctorMurray.com Web site: http://www.doctormurray.com/newsletter/2-3-2004.htm
3. Blumenthal, M (1995). FDA Lifts Import Alert On Stevia: Herb Can Be Imported Only As Dietary
Supplement; Future Use As A Sweetener Is Still Unclear. Retrieved February 25, 2007, from
herbalgram.com, Web site: http://herbalgram.com/default.asp?c=l07
4. Nunes, A, Ferreira-Machado, Stevioside, Nunes, R, Dantas, F, De Mattos, J, &
Caldeira-de-Araujo, A (2007). Analysis of genotoxic potentiality of stevioside by comet assay. Food
Chemistry Toxicology.
5. Geuns, J (2003). Stevioside. Phytochemistry.
Is This Herbal Sweetner Safe?
Author: Lisa Barger March 1, 2007 Source
Is stevia an effective herbal sugar substitute? Why doesn't the FDA allow stevia to be marketed as
a food additive?
Dr. Andrew Weil calls stevia, "safe for diabetics," (1) and Dr. Michael Murray gives it a
recommended use level of "liberal". (2) So why has the Food and Drug Administration refused to
approve stevia as a food additive? As it turns out, there's more to stevia than meets the eye. Here
is what science says about one of the most popular herbal sugar substitutes, stevia.
What Stevia Is
Native to Brazil and Paraguay, stevia is an herbaceous plant in the aster or sunflower family. The
Native people of that area have used stevia for centuries as both a food source and as a beverage
ingredient but it was only in the 1980s that the rest of world caught on and began exploiting stevia
for its potential as an alternative to sugar.
What Makes Stevia Sweet
Stevia's sweetness comes from two chemical components, stevioside and rebaudioside, found
mainly in the plant's leaves. Stevioside is estimated to be 200 times sweeter than sucrose while
rebaudioside is even sweeter. (3) This gives stevia tremendous potential as a low-calorie sugar
substitute.
Is Stevia Safe?
Despite stevia's long record of use in South America and its widespread use today, stevia has
never been granted the status of "Generally Recognized as Safe", or GRAS, by the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration. Though stevia enjoys wide acceptance in many other parts of the world, here
in the U.S., stevia must still be marketed as a dietary supplement, and not as a food additive. Why?
As it turns out, a handful of studies have suggested that stevia may not be as safe as its
proponents claim. A 2007 Brazilian study determined that stevia had potential to cause liver, brain,
spleen and blood cell lesions in laboratory animals. This study confirmed the findings of a number
of previous studies questioning stevia's long-term safety, especially when used in excess.
On the other hand, a 2003 review-study looking strictly at real-life consumption of stevia, not
perfusion or injection experiments, found stevia perfectly safe for diabetics, phenylketonuria
patients and those simply wishing to avoid artificial sweeteners while dieting. This study also went
on the say that no evidence of allergic reaction was found. (5)
Can Stevia Help You Lose Weight?
For someone with the correct motivation, stevia appears to be a valuable tool in the fight against
extra pounds. However, low-calorie sweeteners like stevia can also encourage some dieters, at
least unconsciously, to fall into a fall sense of security and over-indulge in low-calorie snacks and
soft drinks. Clearly, if stevia is used for weight loss it must be part of a conscientiously-appplied
dietary plan.
References
1. Weil, A (2002). Aspartame: Can a Little Bit Hurt?. Retrieved February 24, 2007, from DrWeil.com
Web site: http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/id/QAA106654
2. Murray, M (2004). A Quick Guide to Non- and Low-calorie Sweeteners. Retrieved February 24,
2007, from DoctorMurray.com Web site: http://www.doctormurray.com/newsletter/2-3-2004.htm
3. Blumenthal, M (1995). FDA Lifts Import Alert On Stevia: Herb Can Be Imported Only As Dietary
Supplement; Future Use As A Sweetener Is Still Unclear. Retrieved February 25, 2007, from
herbalgram.com, Web site: http://herbalgram.com/default.asp?c=l07
4. Nunes, A, Ferreira-Machado, Stevioside, Nunes, R, Dantas, F, De Mattos, J, &
Caldeira-de-Araujo, A (2007). Analysis of genotoxic potentiality of stevioside by comet assay. Food
Chemistry Toxicology.
5. Geuns, J (2003). Stevioside. Phytochemistry.