Stevia accounts for nearly 40% of the sweetener market in Japan and is commonly used in various parts of South America. How safe is stevia? Does it really lower blood pressure and blood sugar levels?
Many of the studies were mostly done with humans who had mild hypertension rather than severe hypertension. And some of the studies were done with rats. Stevia also has sites online explaining warnings and side effects. Stevia also is used as a weight loss aid. It's also used for treating certain types of diabetes, high blood pressure and heartburn.
It's also used for lowering uric acid levels. And in folkloric medicine, stevia had been used in the past centuries for preventing pregnancy. Stevia also has been studied for increasing the strength of the muscle contractions that pump blood from the heart. You may want to check out the site, "Tropical Plant Database entry for: Stevia rebaudiana."
The site notes that Stevia's effects and uses as a heart tonic to normalize blood pressure levels, to regulate heartbeat, and for other cardiopulmonary indications first were reported in rat studies (in 1978). Following these studies, a crude extract of stevia demonstrated hypotensive activity in a 1996 clinical study with rats, showing that ". . . at dosages higher than used for sweetening purposes, [stevia extract] is a vasodilator agent in normo- and hypertensive animals." Also see, "Stevioside: Toxicological Aspects. - Cooking With Stevia and Stevia." And take a look at the site, "Stevia Questions and Answers."
See, "Effect of Stevia rebaudiana on glucose tolerance in normal adult humans. Braz J Med Biol Res 1986;19:771-4." Also see, "Stevia - What you need to know." Check out the site, "Stevia - Side Effects and Dangers." Stevia accounts for nearly 40% of the sweetener market in Japan and is commonly used in various parts of South America.
In humans, a hot water extract of the leaf has been shown to lower both systolic and diastolic blood pressure
Several earlier studies on both stevia extracts, as well as its isolated glycosides, demonstrated this hypotensive action (as well as a diuretic action). For the consumer, with any sweetener, the issue is safety and how the particular sweetener affects an individual's body. It comes down to choose what sweetener is best for you or no sweetener in savory foods. See the articles, "Stevia & Celery Lower Blood Pressure - Share The Wealth, " and "Stevia FAQ."
Many restaurants and eateries add sugar to carrot salad that already has been sweetened with raisins. The big question is why do some Sacramento restaurants add sweeteners to salads when they present salads in a buffet-type line?
Not all restaurants will tell you whether a sweetener is in the salad. Some restaurants merely add sugar to carrot-raisin salad. Even restaurants known for their so-called healthful foods add a variety of sugar to salads.
Why sweeten salads at all? They taste better savory. And if it's a fruit salad, the fruit, if ripe, will be sweet enough. Why addict people to sweets in the salad to keep them coming back and spending more money?
The problem is most restaurant managers have no idea which sweeteners cause the most problems to some customers. In the old days, with some eateries, a teaspoon of sugar per serving began to be added to salads to make carrot-raisin salad sweeter.
Soon sugar was being added to coleslaw to sweeten what normally would be a savory salad of grated cabbage and carrot flavored with salad dressing. At home, a healthier way to make coleslaw savory is by adding lemon juice or a salad dressing made from two tablespoons of lime juice mixed with a tablespoon of grape seed oil mayonnaise per serving. Or served without added fats.
If restaurants would simply leave out the sweetener from salads on buffet lines and let the customer choose what kind of dressing is wanted, there might be fewer adverse reactions to fresh vegetables in any given buffet line of salads in most eateries anywhere.
A Brazilian research group found that "water extracts" of stevia lowered plasma glucose levels and lowered blood pressure. Blood sugar was reduced by 35% six to eight hours after oral ingestion of a hot water extract of stevia leaf. Check out the studies, "A double-blind placebo-controlled study of the effectiveness and tolerability of oral stevioside in human hypertension." Br J Clin Pharmacol 2000;50:215-20, and also the study, "The effect of stevioside on blood pressure and plasma catecholamines in spontaneously hypertensive rats." Life Sci 1998;63:1679-84.
Stevia also has sites online explaining warnings and side effects. Stevia is used as a weight loss aid; for treating diabetes, high blood pressure and heartburn. It's also used for lowering uric acid levels. And in folkloric medicine, stevia had been used in the past centuries for preventing pregnancy. Stevia also has been studied for increasing the strength of the muscle contractions that pump blood from the heart. Check out the site, "Tropical Plant Database entry for: Stevia rebaudiana."
The site notes that Stevia's effects and uses as a heart tonic to normalize blood pressure levels, to regulate heartbeat, and for other cardiopulmonary indications first were reported in rat studies (in 1978). Following these studies, a crude extract of stevia demonstrated hypotensive activity in a 1996 clinical study with rats, showing that ". . . at dosages higher than used for sweetening purposes, [stevia extract] is a vasodilator agent in normo- and hypertensive animals."
In humans, a hot water extract of the leaf has been shown to lower both systolic and diastolic blood pressure
Several earlier studies on both stevia extracts, as well as its isolated glycosides, demonstrated this hypotensive action (as well as a diuretic action). For the consumer, with any sweetener, the issue is safety and how the particular sweetener affects an individual's body. It comes down to choose what sweetener is best for you or no sweetener in savory foods. See the articles, "Stevia & Celery Lower Blood Pressure - Share The Wealth, " and "Stevia FAQ."
Many restaurants and eateries add sugar to carrot salad that already has been sweetened with raisins. The big question is why do some Sacramento restaurants add sweeteners to salads when they present salads in a buffet-type line?
Not all restaurants will tell you whether a sweetener is in the salad. Some restaurants merely add sugar to carrot-raisin salad. Even restaurants known for their so-called healthful foods add a variety of sugar to salads.
Why sweeten salads at all? They taste better savory. And if it's a fruit salad, the fruit, if ripe, will be sweet enough. Why addict people to sweets in the salad to keep them coming back and spending more money?
The problem is most restaurant managers have no idea which sweeteners cause the most problems to some customers. In the old days, with some eateries, a teaspoon of sugar per serving began to be added to salads to make carrot-raisin salad sweeter.
Soon sugar was being added to coleslaw to sweeten what normally would be a savory salad of grated cabbage and carrot flavored with salad dressing. At home, a healthier way to make coleslaw savory is by adding lemon juice or a salad dressing made from two tablespoons of lime juice mixed with a tablespoon of grape seed oil mayonnaise per serving. Or served without added fats.
If restaurants would simply leave out the sweetener from salads on buffet lines and let the customer choose what kind of dressing is wanted, there might be fewer adverse reactions to fresh vegetables in any given buffet line of salads in most eateries anywhere.
A Brazilian research group found that "water extracts" of stevia lowered plasma glucose levels and lowered blood pressure. Blood sugar was reduced by 35% six to eight hours after oral ingestion of a hot water extract of stevia leaf. Check out the studies, "A double-blind placebo-controlled study of the effectiveness and tolerability of oral stevioside in human hypertension." Br J Clin Pharmacol 2000;50:215-20, and also the study, "The effect of stevioside on blood pressure and plasma catecholamines in spontaneously hypertensive rats." Life Sci 1998;63:1679-84.
Resources on studies of stevia
Apparent lack of pharmacological effect of steviol glycosides used as sweeteners in humans. A pilot study of repeated exposures in some normotensive and hypotensive individuals and in Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 2008;51:37-41.
Boonkaewwan C, Ao M, Toskulkao C, Rao MC. Specific immunomodulatory and secretory activities of stevioside and steviol in intestinal cells. J Agric Food Chem 2008;56:3777-84.
Brusick DJ. A critical review of the genetic toxicity of steviol and steviol glycosides. Food Chem Toxicol 2008;46 Suppl 7:S83-91.
CFSAN/Office of Food Additive Safety. Agency Response Letter: GRAS Notice No. 000252. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, December 17, 2008.
CFSAN/Office of Food Additive Safety. GRAS Notices Received in 2008. GRN No. 252. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, December 2008. Available at: http://.
Chan P, Tomlinson B, Chen YJ, et al. A double-blind placebo-controlled study of the effectiveness and tolerability of oral stevioside in human hypertension. Br J Clin Pharmacol 2000;50:215-20.
Chan P, Xu DY, Liu JC, et al. The effect of stevioside on blood pressure and plasma catecholamines in spontaneously hypertensive rats. Life Sci 1998;63:1679-84.
Curi R, Alvarez M, Bazotte RB, et al. Effect of Stevia rebaudiana on glucose tolerance in normal adult humans. Braz J Med Biol Res 1986;19:771-4.
FDA. Office of Regulatory Affairs. Automatic detention of stevia leaves, extract of stevia leaves, and food containing stevia. (Accessed 21 April 2004).
Ferri LA, Alves-Do-Prado W, Yamada SS, et al. Investigation of the antihypertensive effect of oral crude stevioside in patients with mild essential hypertension. Phytother Res 2006;20:732-6.
Geuns JM. Stevioside. Phytochemistry 2003;64:913-21.
Gregersen S, Jeppesen PB, Holst JJ, Hermansen K. Antihyperglycemic effects of stevioside in type 2 diabetic subjects. Metabolism 2004;53:73-6.
Hsieh MH, Chan P, Sue YM, et al. Efficacy and tolerability of oral stevioside in patients with mild essential hypertension: a two-year, randomized, placebo-controlled study. Clin Ther 2003;25:2797-808.
Hubler MO, Bracht A, Kelmer-Bracht AM. Influence of stevioside on hepatic glycogen levels in fasted rats. Res Commun Chem Pathol Pharmacol 1994;84:111-8.
Jeppesen PB, Gregersen S, Poulsen CR, Hermansen K. Stevioside acts directly on pancreatic beta cells to secrete insulin: actions independent of cyclic adenosine monophosphate and adenosine triphosphate-sensitive K+-channel activity. Metabolism 2000;49:208-14.
Lailerd N, Saengsirisuwan V, Sloniger JA, et al. Effects of stevioside on glucose transport activity in insulin-sensitive and insulin-resistant rat skeletal muscle. Metabolism 2004;53:101-7.
Maki KC, Curry LL, Carakostas MC, et al. The hemodynamic effects of rebaudioside A in healthy adults with normal and low-normal blood pressure. Food Chem Toxicol 2008;46 Suppl 7:S40-6
Matsui M, Matsui K, Kawasaki Y, et al. Evaluation of the genotoxicity of stevioside and steviol using six in vitro and one in vivo mutagenicity assays. Mutagenesis 1996;11:573-9.
Melis MS, Sainati AR. Effect of calcium and verapamil on renal function of rats during treatment with stevioside. J Ethnopharmacol 1991;33:257-622.
Melis MS. Effects of chronic administration of Stevia rebaudiana on fertility in rats. J Ethnopharmacol 1999;67:157-61.
Melis MS. A crude extract of Stevia rebaudiana increases the renal plasma flow of normal and hypertensive rats. Braz J Med Biol Res 1996;29:669-75.
Melis MS. Chronic administration of aqueous extract of Stevia rebaudiana in rats: renal effects. J Ethnopharmacol 1995;47:129-34.
Morimoto T, Kotegawa T, Tsutsumi K, et al. Effect of St. John's wort on the pharmacokinetics of theophylline in healthy volunteers. J Clin Pharmacol 2004;44:95-101.
Pezzuto JM, Compadre CM, Swanson SM, et al. Metabolically activated steviol, the aglycone of stevioside, is mutagenic. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1985;82:2478-82.
Prakash I, Dubois GE, Clos JF, et al. Development of rebiana, a natural, non-caloric sweetener. Food Chem Toxicol 2008;46 Suppl 7:S75-82.
Tomita T, Sato N, Arai T, et al. Bactericidal activity of a fermented hot-water extract from Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni towards enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 and other food-borne pathogenic bacteria. Microbiol Immunol 1997;41:1005-9.
Toskulkao C, Sutheerawatananon M, Wanichanon C, et al. Effects of stevioside and steviol on intestinal glucose absorption in hamsters. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo) 1995;41:105-13.
Wasuntarawat C, Temcharoen P, Toskulkao C, et al. Developmental toxicity of steviol, a metabolite of stevioside, in the hamster. Drug Chem Toxicol 1998;21:207-22.
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