Refined sugar is incredibly harmful.
For this reason, people are looking for healthy
alternatives.
There are many low-calorie sweeteners on the market, but
most of them are artificial.
However, there are a few natural sweeteners out there that taste just as good.
One of these is stevia, a sweetener that has become immensely popular in recent years.
Stevia is a 100% natural, zero calorie sweetener with a
number of health benefits that have been confirmed in human studies.
What is
Stevia?
Stevia is a green, leafy plant that is native to South
America.
It has been used for medicinal purposes for many
centuries. The plant has also been bred for its strong, sweet flavor and used
as a sweetener.
However, the refined stevia sweeteners used today often
don’t resemble the whole stevia plant at all.
You can buy
whole or crushed stevia leaves, but most often you are getting an extract
(either liquid or powder), or a refined version of the plant’s isolated sweet
compounds.
The two major sweet compounds that are isolated from the leaves are
called Stevioside and Rebaudioside A. These two compounds are hundreds of times
sweeter than sugar.
Here is an important point… most of the studies use
stevioside, the isolated sweet compound. It would be hard to reach
pharmacologically active doses of stevioside just by using stevia as a
sweetener. It is only about 10% stevioside, by weight.
People often confuse stevia with another sweetener called Truvia, but they are not the same. Truvia is a blend of compounds, one of which is
extracted from stevia leaves.
Bottom line: Stevia is a naturally occurring, zero-calorie
sweetener. The two major sweet compounds in it are called Stevioside and
Rebaudioside A.
Studies
Show That Stevia Can Lower Blood Pressure
Elevated blood pressure is a major risk factor for many
serious diseases.
This includes heart disease, stroke and kidney failure.
Studies have shown that taking stevioside (one of the
sweet compounds in stevia) as a supplement can reduce blood pressure.
One of these studies was a randomized, double-blind,
placebo-controlled trial in 174 Chinese patients (1).
In this study, patients took either 500 mg of stevioside
or placebo (dummy pill), 3 times per day.
These were the results after two years in the group taking
stevioside:
·
Systolic blood pressure: went from 150 to 140 mmHg.
·
Diastolic blood pressure: went from 95 down to 89 mmHg.
In this study, the stevioside group also had a lower risk
of Left Ventricular Hypertrophy, an enlarging of
the heart that can be caused by elevated blood pressure. The stevioside group
also had improved quality of life.
There are also other studies in both humans and animals
showing that stevioside can lower blood pressure (2, 3, 4).
The mechanism is not well understood, but some researchers
have suggested that stevioside may act by blocking calcium ion channels in cell
membranes, a mechanism similar to some blood pressure lowering drugs (5).
Keep in mind that it would be hard to reach these large
daily doses with regular use, so just sweetening things with a little stevia
here and there probably won’t have such a potent blood pressure lowering
effect.
Bottom line: Studies suggest that stevioside, one of the sweet compounds in
stevia, can lower blood pressure when it is unnaturally high. However, these
studies used very large doses.
Stevia May
Lower Blood Sugar Levels and Help Fight Diabetes
Type II diabetes is currently one of
the biggest health problems in the world.
It is characterized by elevated blood sugar in the context
of insulin resistance or an inability to produce insulin.
Stevia has been studied in diabetic patients with
impressive results.
In one of the studies, type 2 diabetic patients took
either 1 gram of stevioside with a meal, or 1 gram of maize starch.
The group taking stevioside had a reduction in blood sugar
by about 18% (6).
Another study compared sucrose (regular sugar), aspartame and stevia. It found that
stevia lowered both blood sugar and insulin levels after a meal, compared to
the other two sweeteners (7).
Other studies in animals and test tubes have shown that
stevioside may increase production of insulin, as well as make the cells more
sensitive to its effects (8, 9).
Insulin is
the hormone that drives blood sugar into cells, so this appears to be the
mechanism behind the blood sugar lowering effects.
Bottom line: Stevioside appears to improve function of the
hormone insulin, helping to lower blood sugar levels. This may be useful for
people with type 2 diabetes.
Other
Health Benefits
Stevia has also been tested in animals.
One animal study found that stevioside decreased oxidized
LDL cholesterol, indicating that it may help prevent heart disease (10).
Stevia has also been shown to have anti-inflammatory,
anti-cancer, diuretic and immunomodulatory effects (11).
But definitely take all of this with a grain of salt. What
works in rats doesn’t always work in humans.
Bottom line: The active compounds in stevia have led to numerous health
benefits in animal studies, including reduced oxidized LDL cholesterol.
Is Stevia
Safe?
Judging from two review studies published in 2010, stevia
has not been shown to lead to any adverse effect on health (12, 13).
However, there have been some claims
out there about it having a similar structure to hormones that can interfere
with fertility.
Those claims are based on studies on animals that were
given extremely high doses, so it is unlikely that this is applicable to humans
(14, 15, 16).
Bottom line: Overall, stevia has an outstanding safety profile and no adverse
effects have been reported in the human studies.
Different
Types of Stevia Sweeteners
There are many different types of
stevia. The problem is that some of them taste bad.
Therefore, getting the right kind is absolutely essential.
You can buy stevia in powder and liquid form. Some people
prefer the powder over liquid and claim that it has less aftertaste.
Note that the liquid forms often have alcohol added to
them, which might contribute to the bad taste.
Look for a brand that is organic, has no unnatural
additives and has good flavor according to reviews.
How
to Use it
Stevia can be used in many ways.
You can add it to your smoothie, yogurt, tea, coffee and
other beverages. It is also a good sugar substitute for baking.
Since you can buy it in liquid and powder form, it’s more
convenient to use the liquid form for beverages and the powder for baking.
When it comes to baking with stevia, many people mix it
with erythritol, another natural low-calorie
sweetener that is much bulkier.
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Your Benefits
• Lowers cholesterol level
• Protects against heart disease and complications
• Helps prevent cancer of any origin
• Controls high-blood pressure
• Prevents degenerative diseases such a Arthritis and Rheumatism
• Reduces the risk of developing Type II Diabetes
• Prevents Parkinson’s Disease
• Enhances, nourishes, strengthens and balances the Immune System
• Detoxifies the Body
• Offset damage of smoking and heavy alcohol intake
• Enhances sexual vitality
• Rejuvenates the skin
• Improves performance and endurance during exercise
• Enhances concentration
• Reduces fatigue
• Heightens alertness
• Increases sperm motility
• Relieves headache
• Promotes healthy blood circulation and cell regeneration
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