Stevia, widely marketed as a sugar substitute, appears to have health benefits that go well beyond its use as a sweetener. The Food and Drug Administration has never formally approved the use of stevia in food preparations, but it did conclude in 2008 that there was no basis to object to such applications. In use by the indigenous peoples of Paraguay and southern Brazil for centuries, stevia also shows promise in the treatment of diabetes and hypertension.
A Superior Sugar Substitute
Stevia, extracted from the leaves of the Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni plant, an herb native to South America, is reputed to be 200 to 300 times as sweet as sugar, according to osteopathic physician Joseph Mercola and naturopathic practitioner Kendra Degen Pearsall, authors of "Sweet Deception." Perhaps more significant, they point out, stevia doesn't carry with it the health hazards that some have ascribed to aspartame, saccharin and sucralose, three of the best-selling artificial sweeteners on the U.S. market. Despite some very real health concerns about those sugar substitutes, Mercola and Pearsall contend that massive investments in their use have contributed to "corporate manipulation" of the FDA to downplay stevia as a potential rival.
Although it's been on the U.S. market since the mid-1990s, some consumers have resisted using stevia because early brands of the sweetener left a bitter aftertaste, according to widespread reports. In an article in the December 2009 issue of "Better Nutrition," Christine Gable points out that manufacturers more recently have uncovered Reb A, a compound extracted from the sweetest portion of the plant and lacking the bitter aftertaste. In shopping for stevia-based sweeteners, Gable suggests, look for brands that have Reb A, rebiana or rebaudioside on the list of ingredients.
Lowers Blood Pressure
Limited animal and clinical studies indicate that stevia lowers blood pressure by dilating blood vessels, according to Dr. Christine Horner, author of "Waking the Warrior Goddess." The dilation or expansion of blood vessels is accompanied by a commensurate decline in blood pressure, she explains. Horner cites results obtained in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, the findings of which were published in a 2000 issue of the "British Journal of Pharmacology." The study's test subjects, all of whom were diagnosed with hypertension, were given small amounts of stevia three times daily for a period of three months. At the conclusion of testing, the study recorded sharp declines in subjects' systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings.
Controls Glucose Levels
Stevia, unlike sugar and some of the other artificial sweeteners on the market, does not increase cravings for sweets, according to herbalist and naturopath Linda Page, author of "Diets for Healthy Living." More significant perhaps, says Page, the sweetener sharply increases glucose tolerance. Because of its ability to regulate blood-sugar levels, stevia is marketed in several South American countries to treat both diabetes and hypoglycemia.
In "Stevia: Nature's Sweetener," Rita Elkins suggests that cutting sugar consumption in half by "stretching" its sweetening power with stevia could dramatically reduce the risk of diabetes and hypoglycemia. Elkins also points out that stevia has the ability to sweeten foods "without adding calories or impacting the pancreas or adrenal glands."
References
- "Sweet Deception: Why Splenda, NutraSweet and the FDA May Be Hazardous to Your Health"; Joseph Mercola and Kendra Degen Pearsall; 2006
- "Better Nutrition"; Sweet on Stevia; Christine Gable; December 2009
- "Waking the Warrior Goddess"; Christine Horner; 2008
- "Diets for Healthy Living: Dr. Linda Page's Natural Solutions to America's 10 Biggest Health Problems"; Linda Page; 2005
- "Stevia: Nature's Sweetener"; Rita Elkins; 1997
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