Stevia can make your life a lot sweeter -- 300 times sweeter than sugar, according to FamilyDoctor.org -- and it contains zero calories. It is commonly used as a sweetener in diet beverages in the United States. Stevia is derived from a natural source, a plant called Stevia rebaudiana, but claims that it is a natural sweetener are debatable.
Stevia
To make commercial stevia sweetener, two compounds -- Rebaudioside A, or Reb A, and stevioside -- are extracted from the Stevia rebaudiana plant and refined, a process that some would argue renders stevia an artificial product. Only highly purified Reb A has been sanctioned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in foods, and though some marketers would have you think the product is natural, the FDA has no official definition for the word "natural."
Uses
Stevia is used in beverages, desserts, gum, pastries and candy. Its advantage over sugar is obvious -- it provides sweetness with no calories -- and according to a study published in the journal "Appetite" in August 2010, it may help regulate blood sugar and insulin levels without negative side effects. Stevia has potential for use as a sweetener for diabetics and those on weight loss diets. It also doesn't cause cavities.
Safety
Stevia sweeteners derived from Reb A are "generally recognized as safe" by the FDA and have been since 2008. That same year, the World Health Organization decided to add a caveat, stating that you shouldn't consume more than 4 mg of stevia per kilogram of your weight each day. Whole-leaf stevia and crude stevia extracts have not gained FDA approval because of concerns over possible side effects related to kidney, cardiovascular and reproductive function.
Considerations
Though stevia is up to 300 times sweeter than table sugar, it doesn't taste exactly the same. Some people have reported experiencing an unpleasant aftertaste when using stevia, and it may not match well with every beverage or dish. Researchers from the Pennington Biomedical Research Center found that test subjects enjoyed stevia's flavor the least when comparing it to sucrose and aspartame.
References
- MayoClinic.com: Stevia: Can It Help With Weight Control?; Katherine Zeratsky; Nov. 18, 2010
- "Appetite"; Effects of Stevia, Aspartame, and Sucrose on Food Intake, Satiety, and Postprandial Glucose and Insulin Levels; Stephen D. Anton, et al.; August 2010
- FamilyDoctor.org: Stevia Sweeteners: What You Need To Know; January 2010
- American Dietetic Association: Stevia; Julie Upton; June 2009
- Wall Street Journal: FDA Clears Use of Herb as Sweetener; Betsy McKay; Dec. 18, 2008
- MayoClinic.com: Artificial Sweeteners: Understanding These and Other Sugar Substitutes; Oct. 9, 2010
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