Stevia , what it is and how safe?

Tweet

Friends most people now have a sweet tooth. But for thousands of years, that was no problem. Hunter-gatherers like our ancestors didn’t have a lot of sweet foods available. They ate fruits in season and honey. Next came farming, it changed all that. Our ancestors settled down. They began growing grains, baking with those grains, and then adding sweeteners. Eventually, they moved on to cakes and candies. As we ate more and more sugary foods, our health began to suffer. Science introduced artificial sweeteners to help us cut down. But these sweeteners came with their own problems. Some have already been banned as health hazards. Even the so called “safe” ones are controversial. I got the following information from a friend, it says: Studies have linked artificial sweeteners to everything from increased appetite to blood sugar trouble. For those of us with a sweet tooth, it’s a real problem. Fortunately, there’s an answer. And this answer isn’t just sweet; it may actually be good for you. You may have heard of stevia before. It’s a South American plant that’s up to 300 times sweeter than sugar. And though it’s sweet like sugar, it doesn’t have all the calories in sugar – or sugar’s other health effects. In South America, the Guarani people have used stevia as a sweetener and medicine for centuries. But western science only “discovered” stevia about 100 years ago. The Japanese approved stevia as a sweetener back n the 1970’s. But it wasn’t approved here in the US until 2008. Before that, you could only find it in health food stores – sold it as a “supplement.” But, calling stevia a supplement wasn’t far off the mark, because, unlike artificial sweeteners, stevia appears to have genuine health benefits. Scientist in Florida gave a group of men one of three drinks before a meal. The drinks contained either stevia, sugar or an artificial sweetener. The researchers found one big difference after each meal. The sugar and insulin levels in the men’s blood were always lower among those who had the stevia drink. A Danish team performed a similar experiment, except their subjects had serious blood sugar problems. But these men also had lower blood sugar levels after a meal containing stevia. In other words, stevia appears to support a “smoothing out” of the blood sugar spikes most people experience after eating. And that’s great news for anyone trying to control their blood sugar. But it’s not the only benefit stevia may offer. There’s also evidence that it has a positive influence on blood pressure, too. Researchers at Taipei Medical College took a group of men with high blood pressure. The men ranged in age from 28 to 75. Some of the men were given stevia. The rest received a placebo. After three months, the men taking stevia had much lower blood pressure, while the placebo group didn’t. Plus, over the course of a year, far more in the placebo group developed complications linked to high blood pressure. A more recent study found that stevia promoted such a big difference in blood pressure that it actually helps improve the quality of life. And that’s using a medical definition of the term. But here’s the amazing thing. Stevia only appears to promote lower blood pressure in people whose blood pressure is already high. When researchers gave stevia to people with normal blood pressure, their blood pressure levels stayed normal. Even when they took far more stevia than you’ll probably ever get in a day. In other words, stevia appears to have a normalizing influence on blood pressure. Many assume that because stevia is natural, it must be safe. The FDA says otherwise. Should you be concerned? Here's how stevia landed in the news recently. The FDA sent a warning letter to Hain Celestial Group Inc. chastising them for using stevia as a food additive in some of their Zinger teas. Though it is permitted as as food "supplement," the FDA considers Stevia an "unsafe food additive. In its letter, the FDA pointed out that there was insufficient data to conclude that stevia is safe. Even more alarming, they said that literature reports have raised concerns about stevia's effects on blood sugar, as well as possible adverse impacts it might have on reproductive, cardiovascular, and renal systems. [i][b]Friends, I have diabetes, my wife has diabetes and high BP too. We want to try stevia in place of artificial sweeteners like ‘Sugar free’, ‘Equal’ etc. I searched in net and got this picture; to me it looks like ‘GUDMARI’ plant. You chew a few leaves, next try placing a spoonful of sugar on tongue, it feels like sand. Can anybody help me? Do you have sweet tooth, do you take artificial sweetners? Please also comment on this story.[/b][/i]Professor