Stevia Liquid Extract Dietary Supplement

Stevia is a natural food supplement that is created from the leaves of a shrub from South America that is related to the daisy. Stevia is mainly used as a sweetener, but proponents also credit it with other health benefits. You can purchase stevia in your local grocery store or at natural food stores in powder or liquid form.

Uses

Stevia is sold as a sweetener in the United States and many other countries. Stevia is all natural and in its concentrated liquid form it is up to 300 times sweeter than pure sugar. Use Stevia in most recipes in place of sugar, except for meringues and creme brulee because stevia does not caramelize. In September of 2009, the United States Food and Drug Administration approved some forms of stevia as "generally recognized as safe," which may prompt more manufacturers to use it commercially as a sweetener in foods.

Benefits

Stevia is used as a sweetener because it is effective and does not raise the blood sugar. In addition, stevia proponents such as James A. May, who has written several books on the subject, claim that using stevia regularly in place of sugar can also lower blood sugar and lessen the incidence of diabetes and dental cavities. In addition to its uses as a sweetener, researchers at the Institute of Chemical Biology in Calcutta claim that stevia may be an important source of antioxidants, as well.

Risks and Drawbacks

Stevia has been recognized as generally safe by countries around the world, but high doses have been shown to affect fertility in laboratory animals. Its effects on humans at very high doses is not known, but stevia has been used widely in both home cooking and manufacturing in Japan for more than 30 years with no apparent risks to public health. Stevia has a licorice-like aftertaste that some people find unpleasant.

Future

As of the summer of 2011, stevia is still awaiting approval in many countries as well as the European Union. Manufacturers are working on ways to reduce the slightly bitter aftertaste and ways to regulate the purity of stevia so that home cooks can use it in place of sugar in their recipes. Whether stevia will catch on as a sweetener remains to be seen, especially in light of its many competitors such as agave syrup and Splenda, or sucralose.