Many compounds that occur naturally can affect many different aspects of your health, including your blood pressure. Stevia is a naturally occurring substance that is somewhat sweet. Stevia may affect your blood pressure levels, but it appears to lower blood pressure, not increase it. Talk to your doctor before taking stevia or any other "herbal" product.
What Is Stevia?
Stevia is derived from the plant Stevia rebaudiana, a plant native to Paraguay and Brazil. Stevia has a naturally sweet taste but cannot be broken down by the body as a source of energy; as a result, it can be used as a sweetener that adds no calories. Stevia contains many different substances, including the substances stevioside, dulcoside A, rebaudioside A and B and many minerals, such as calcium, iron, phosphorus and sodium.
Stevia and Blood Pressure
Some of the compounds found in Stevia may affect your blood pressure, though it does not increase it. A 2003 article in "Clinical Therapeutics" examined the effects of stevioside on over 150 people who had high blood pressure. This study found that people treated with 500mg of stevioside three times per day over the course of two years had lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels, suggesting that stevioside actually lowers your blood pressure.
Safety
The Food and Drug Administration has approved only highly refined stevia extracts as artificial sweeteners due to safety concerns regarding whole-leaf or crude stevia extracts on blood glucose levels, blood pressure, kidney health and the reproductive system. However, the World Health Organization notes that there is no evidence that stevia or its extracts cause any severe side effects, though some patients do note nausea, muscle tenderness, abdominal fullness and general malaise, though these effects are relatively minor.
Considerations
Stevia has not been shown to increase blood pressure, so if you are concerned about high blood pressure, stevia is most likely safe for you to take. However, talk to your doctor before using stevia, as it may cause your blood pressure to drop too much or have other unexpected effects. Always talk to your doctor before taking any herbal supplement and do not use stevia as a substitute for your doctor's care or any medications that you have been prescribed.
References
- Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center; Stevia; 2010
- "Clinical Therapeutics"; Efficacy and tolerability of oral stevioside in patients with mild essential hypertension: A two-year, randomized, placebo-controlled study; Hsieh et al.; November 2003
- MayoClinic.com; Stevia: Can It Help With Weight Control?; Katherine Zeratsky; 2010
- World Health Organization; Safety Evaluation of Certain Food Additives; 2006
