The typical American has a nagging sweet tooth. Ever since evidence has linked sugar to obesity and tooth decay, scientists have attempted to replace it with other sweet-tasting substances. One by one, sugar substitutes such as saccharin, aspartame and sucralose became available only to find that over time, they had harmful effects. The jury is still out on stevia, the latest attempt at filling our love for sugar.
Stevia
Stevia comes from the stevia rebaudiana Bertoni plant, native to South America. Because of its long history of use in Paraguay, it bears the nickname sweet leaf of Paraguay. Stevia is 200 to 300 times sweeter than sugar. It has several glycosides, as well as vitamins A, B and C; the minerals iron, zinc, calcium, sodium and potassium; and protein, according to Drugs.com. Unlike sugar, stevia does not have calories and does not decay teeth. Besides Paraguay, Brazil, Japan and parts of Europe have historically used stevia as a sweetener in tea, soft drinks, gum and desserts.
Other Uses
According to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, some recent studies have concluded that stevia may lower blood pressure. This evidence opens new doors to discovering whether stevia can have other effects on the cardiovascular system. Beth Israel further cites studies that suggest stevia may have slight beneficial effects on diabetes. Older studies have suggested that stevia may have birth-control effects in some people. Researchers are looking at whether stevia has antioxidant properties. Stevia also exhibits strong bacteria fighting qualities that appear promising.
Safety Issues
The issue of whether stevia causes infertility comes from its earlier evidence of contraceptive abilities. However, no strong evidence has emerged on this issue. Reports of nausea, abdominal bloating, muscle aches and weakness arose in studies, according to Sloan-Kettering Hospital. Each of these side effects responded quickly to treatment, with no lasting effects. Sloan-Kettering further states that because stevia may lower blood pressure and glucose levels, taking antihypertensive medicine or diabetes medicines may magnify these effects, causing very low blood pressure and blood sugar.
Precautions
To date, stevia has not been approved for use in children, pregnant and nursing women. Because you will see stevia in the contents of increasing numbers of food products, you should consult your doctor for guidance. The FDA has given stevia a "generally recognized as safe" (G.R.A.S.) status as a sugar substitute. This does not mean you will only see it in little packets for use in coffee. You will see it anywhere you would find sugar, such as in gum, desserts, cookies, cakes, ice cream and candy. Consuming stevia in moderation has not posed any problems yet; however, you should refrain from using products containing stevia if you are pregnant, nursing, diabetic, hypertensive or have kidney disease, as its safety has yet to be established in these populations.
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