During pregnancy and breastfeeding our concerns of health and nutrition are often heightened by our sense of responsibility to our children. While lactating it is important to understand what ingredients pass into our breast milk, which ones to embrace, avoid, or take in cautiously. Stevia is a natural sweetener. No current studies show whether or not it is safe to use while breastfeeding.
Significance
In the US, many people, especially women after child birth worry about being at a healthy weight. Finding substitutes to food items like sugar are often not only of interest to those seeking weight loss, but also to those with health concerns such as diabetes. If you are concerned about weight loss while breastfeeding, start with reducing unnecessary sugars and fats in your diet. Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database recommends avoiding products containing stevia while pregnant and breastfeeding, due to the lack of data.
History
Stevia, an herb also known as yerba dulce, is native to South America and has been used as a sweetener there for hundreds of years. The most popular type is stevia rebaudiana from Paraguay. According to the Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English, stevia leaves are the source of a noncaloric sweetener. David Bender writes in "A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition" that stevioside, 300 times sweeter than sucrose, and rebaudioside, 400 times sweeter than sucrose, are derived from stevia leaves. Since 2008, the FDA deemed Stevia, in the form of rebaudioside A, generally recognized as safe, or GRAS. Prior to 2008 in the US, stevia was marketed as a dietary supplement only, not as a food additive.
Considerations
Some consider stevia safe to consume in moderation while lactating, others suggest avoiding stevia consumption.Your consumption of stevia while breastfeeding should be based on recommendations by your health care provider, lactation consultant, and the research you have accessed. David Schardt, of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, published a 2008 article in the "Nutrition Action Health Letter" explaining that studies show DNA mutation in rats, but no increased tumor growth, from the use of stevioside in their drinking water. Studies done with rebaudioside, funded by commercial interests, show that rebaudioside does not affect blood sugar levesl. This makes stevia-based sweeteners appealing to those with diabetes. Rebaudioside has not been independently researched to see if it causes cancer.
Effects
According to the Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, stevia can cause adverse reactions, such as gastrointestinal upset, bloating and nausea. Other side effects include headache, myalgia, dizziness and numbness. If you are allergic to the Asteraceae, or Compositae plant family, such as ragweed and marigolds, you may want to avoid consuming products with stevia.
Interactions
If you are taking any herbs, supplements, or drugs consult with your health care provider to see if stevia is an appropriate choice while breastfeeding. The Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database suggests that stevia can have additive properties to herbs, supplements, and drugs that affect hypoglycemic, hypertension, and diabetic issues. In addition, if you are taking lithium, and planning on using stevia on a regular basis, your dosage may need to be lowered.
References
- Encyclopedia: A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition: "stevia leaves": D. Bender: 2005
- Encylopedia: Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English: Stevia
- Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database; "Stevia;" 2010
