Stevia Leaf Benefits

Stevia is a botanical sweetener that comes from the leaves of the Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni plant. The plant is native to South America. It has a pleasant, sweet taste and no calories. Stevia contains the steviol glycosides, stevioside and rebaudioside A. Glycosides, common in plants, contain sugar molecules. Tests on animals and humans show stevia is safe for you to consume. Stevia is widely available and completely natural. As with any supplement or change of diet, ask your doctor if stevia is right for you.

Weight Loss

Use stevia in place of sugar to help you to lose weight, says Stephen Anton, Ph.D., and colleagues in the August 2010 journal "Appetite." They gave experimental subjects a snack sweetened with either stevia, aspartame or sucrose. Aspartame is a common artificial sweetener. The snack was given 20 minutes before a meal. Researchers measured how much food was eaten at the meal in each of the three experimental conditions. Subjects given the stevia and aspartame sweetened snacks ate significantly less, than those in the sucrose group. Therefore, they concluded, stevia can help reduce your daily calorie intake. Note that you may not get the same results.

Satisfying

Stevia sweetened foods will satisfy your hunger as much as sugar sweetened ones. Anton's 2010 study, found that participants in all three experimental conditions had similar appetites before testing. Those in the group given the stevia sweetener felt as satisfied with their food as those in the sucrose group. The study concludes that if you use stevia, you won't miss the sugar, although your results may not be the same.

Diabetes

The use of stevia may help prevent or treat diabetes. In the 2010 study by Anton, glucose levels among experimental participants given the stevia, were more stable. Following a meal, the glucose levels of those who took stevia didn't go up as high as it did in those participants taking the sucrose or aspartame. According to research published in the "Journal of Pharmacy & Bioallied Sciences" April to June 2011, stevia may also help repair cells in your pancreas. The pancreas is the organ that secretes insulin. Insulin is responsible for helping to control your blood sugar. Your results with stevia may vary.

Safety

Based on the research as of July 2011, stevia appears to have health benefits. It's not known to cause harm. According to the American Pregnancy Association, stevia is safe to use when you're pregnant. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved stevia for use as a sweetener. You can buy stevia in either liquid or powder form.