Dangers of Stevia
From LoveToKnow Safety
A lot has been said about the dangers of stevia, a naturally sweet herb housed in the sunflower family. Here we separate fact from fiction and give you the low-down on this controversial extract.
Stevia: The Basics
Native to subtropical and tropical South America and Central American, stevia is an herb extract with about 300 times the sweetening power of sugar. Widely used throughout Japan as a sweetener, stevia is now available in the United States and Canada as a dietary supplement, but not as a food additive or sweetener.
Before we address some of the dangers of stevia, let’s take a look at its reported medical benefits. These benefits include:
- It can help in the treatment and management of obesity.
- Stevia has negligible affect on blood glucose and may even enhance the levels of a patient’s glucose tolerance.
- Can help alleviate high blood pressure.
These beneficial medical factors help make stevia an attractive alternative to sugar, and a natural sweetener for diabetics and others who may be on a carbohydrate-controlled diet.
The Dangers of Stevia
All of these medicinal benefits notwithstanding, scientific reports have shown that the extract stevia may also be harmful when consumed. Some of these medicinal problems include:
| Danger | Description |
| Reproductive Difficulties | Stevia, or the singular stevioside, at least in some studies, seems to affect the male reproductive organs. This was the conclusion of a group of European scientists in early 2006.
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| Cancer | There have also, at least in preliminary studies, been links to cancer.
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| Energy Metabolism | Studies indicate that large amounts of stevioside can interfere with the absorption of carbohydrates in animals and disrupt the conversion of food into energy within cells. Scientists are particularly worried about this development, especially as it pertains to children. |
Friend or Foe?
Despite all of the scientific evidence, both positive and negative, no clear agreements have been drawn about the dangers of stevia.
On the one hand, stevia has been in wide use in Japan for the past 30 years, and to date, no evidence of any adverse reactions have surfaced during this time.
On the other hand, however, the Food and Drug Administration continues to firmly maintain that stevia is an unsafe food additive. Because of this classification, the FDA restricts the import of stevia as a food additive. The FDA position on stevia maintains that the toxicological information on stevia is too inadequate to determine its safety for consumption by the general public.
Opponents of this ruling argue, however, that it is not scientific evidence, but big money that allows the FDA to maintain this ban. They further argue that because stevia is a naturally occurring product, and therefore one that requires no patent to produce, no one company can capitalize on its development. Anyone, lay person or not, can harvest this naturally sweet plant.
The Future
As for the future of Stevia, Coca Cola plans to market stevia under the trade name of Rebiana and is currently patent-pending. This calorie-free food and beverage sweetener is also being marketed under the Cargill corporation, a food and agricultural provider. Likewise, both these companies hope that Rebiana will gain FDA approval as a food additive, and be widely marketed in the United States by 2009.
Comments
I have recently re-discovered stevia. I had tried it years ago when my sister's friend gave her a sample. I didn't like it then, but I tried it again. It tastes a bit different than sugar, but a lot better than Splenda, NutraSweet, Sweet 'n Low and all that other chemical garbage out there. I find it tastes best in tea. I hope the FDA does approve it as a food and bevarage additive. The US needs less sugar!!! I would LOVE to be able to drink sodas without worrying about how much sugar I just consumed. Honestly, all the claims of dangers in stevia can't be any worse than what is already out there!
-- Contributed by: KatieWe can also easily grow Stevia ourselves, therefore saving money and not purchasing sugar or expensive Splenda.
-- Contributed by: AubriellaI just heard the other day on the news, actually "20 20" that the FDA has been working with a skeleton team for quite some time. So their manpower is SPARCE! They can't get their job done in thousands of areas, let alone giving the green light on Stevia. This product is being purchased by people who educate themselves. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this product. If it helps cut down on sugar, which is a slow poison to the body, people would have to be out of their minds to NOT get stevia and learn to bake or cook with it. This is a miracle food! I have been using this product for quite a while. I really don't think people trust the FDA anymore. They need to hire alot more people there to do this immense job. The government could care less about the hiring of any more people. So, we are on our own. If people get better form eating stevia, of course they are going to IMPROVE their health. Oh no, the doctors don't want that. No more visits = no more money. Things have to get better. It can't get any worse than this. Well, I take that back. Yes it can.
I suggest those out there read about this product. I have, and I will never go back to sugar! The slow poison. I use to be in a lot of pain etc. I have nothing. I mean NOTHING.
-- Contributed by: Dee
