Hypoglycemia is the medical term describing an abnormally low blood sugar level. A reaction to diabetes medications, especially insulin, accounts for most instances of hypoglycemia. Low blood sugar is uncommon in nondiabetics, because your body has several metabolic mechanisms to protect against hypoglycemia. There is no credible evidence from robust clinical trials to indicate an association between consumption of Stevia-derived products and hypoglycemia.
Generally Recognized As Safe
As of June 2011, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration notes that five Stevia-derived sweeteners are "generally recognized as safe," or GRAS. The GRAS designation means that qualified experts agree that evidence indicates a substance is safe when used as intended. Because hypoglycemia is a serious, potentially life-threatening medical condition, a proven association between Stevia products and abnormally low blood sugar would prevent a GRAS designation. The fact that the FDA considers at least five Stevia-derived products as GRAS indicates lack of evidence to substantiate a link between these products and hypoglycemia.
World Health Organization Advice
The sweet chemicals harvested from the Stevia plant and used as sugar substitutes are called steviol glycosides. In May 2008, a joint committee of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization issued a fact sheet on steviol glycosides indicating an acceptable daily intake level of up to 1.8 mg per lb. of body weight. For example, if you weigh 150 lb., the acceptable daily intake of steviol glycosides is up to 270 mg daily.
European Food Safety Authority
In 2010, the European Food Safety Authority endorsed the same acceptable daily intake of steviol glycosides established by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization. In its report, the EFSA notes that doses of up to 1,000 mg of steviol glycosides daily over 16 weeks did not affect glucose metabolism or blood sugar levels among people with Type 2 diabetes or nondiabetics.
Products Containing Stevia
A growing number of reduced-calorie products contain stevia sweeteners, alone or in combination with sugar or sugar substitutes. Products that contain stevia sweeteners include certain brands of soft drinks, ready-to-drink flavored tea, vitamin water, energy and sports drinks, fruit drinks, powdered drink mixes, ice cream, yogurt and breath mints. When checking the ingredients for stevia sweeteners, look for the words steviol, stevioside, rebaudioside A, reb A and rebiana.
Tip
If you are not diabetic and have episodic symptoms suggestive of hypoglycemia, such as shakiness, irritability, confusion, sweating, nervousness, dizziness and hunger, see your doctor to determine the cause. Many conditions generate symptoms that mimic hypoglycemia.
References
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases: Hypoglycemia
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration: What Refined Stevia Preparations Have Been Evaluated by FDA to be Used as a Sweetener?
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration; How U.S. FDA's GRAS Notification Program Works; Paulette Gaynor, Ph.D.; December 2005/January 2006
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; Steviol Glycosides Fact Sheet; Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA); May 2008
- European Food Safety Authority; Scientific Opinion on the Safety of Steviol Glycosides for the Proposed Uses as a Food Additive; EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources Added to Food; 2010
- Calorie Control Council; Stevia: A Naturally Sweet Alternative; Beth Hubrich, M.S., R.D., et al.; December 2009
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