STEVIA, a new prospective
#66665 - 05/01/04 08:18 PM
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Kandee
Reged: 05/22/03
Posts: 3206
Loc: USA, Southern California
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Quote:
From: Nutrition Action, Health Letter May 2004, Volume 31 / Number 4 Center for Science in the Public Interest
SREVIA
Also known as:
Sweet Leaf, Honey Leaf
What is it? An extract from a shrub that grows in Brazil and Paraguay.
Why is it lo-calorie: Or bodies can't metabolize stevia.
Safety:
When male rats were fed high doses of stevioside (stevia's active ingredient) for 22 months, they produced fewer sperm and there was increased cell proliferation in their testicles, which could cause infertility. And when female hamsters were fed large amounts of the derivative of stevioside, they had fewer and smaller offspring. That----combined with the absence of other animal studies that are normally required for food additives—led the FDA, Health Canada, and the European Union, and the World Health Organization to conclude that stevia shouldn't be allowed in food.
Comments: Stevia can't be used as an ingredient in food. But can be sold as a supplement, since safety rules for supplements are looser than for foods. Stevia is promoted by the health-food industry as a natural alternative to synthetic sweeteners like saccharin, aspartame, and sucralose. But "natural" doesn't automatically mean "safe".
Although Stevia is widely used in Asian countries I now question if it is as safe to use as once thought. Not only that, if we can't metabolise it, then it acts somewhat like fructose which is metabolized at an extremely low rate.
What this says to me is that possibly stevia shouldn't be included as a safe sugar alternatives in people with IBS.
Any comments?
Kandee
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Well, that bites!
I've been wanting to try stevia to sweeten without calories, but now I don't think so.
Thanks Kandee.
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You're welcome Mags.
In this entire article it indicated Sucralose (Splenda) was the one that caused the least harm, however, even though it is sugar (sucrose) chemically combined with clhlorine our bodies can't burn sucralose for energy. The label, "made from sugar" is technically true, but misleading.
I think I, for one, will stick with sucrose just in more reduced amounts.
Kandee
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Thanks for the info, Kandee. You're right, Stevia certainly doesn't sound like the safest alternative...
But that's okay, because I love sugar anyway. Lol.
-------------------- "Anyone can exercise, but this kind of lethargy takes real discipline." -Garfield
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Everything causes cancer, as Joe Jackson once sang! Seriously, many many things are toxic in large amounts but beneficial in small amounts. Aspirin can cause intestinal bleeding and death. Alcohol poisoning deaths happen every year at fraternities somewhere. Some sun is needed to make Vitamin D, but too much causes skin cancer, or heat stroke.
I think that moderation is almost always the key, unless it's something you are violently allergic to like bee stings or peanuts or apples (like me). Side effects should always be taken with a grain of salt and benefits weighed against the minuses.
Just my humble opinion. (I still use Equal but only in very small amounts - don't tell on me, okay??!!)
-------------------- Laura
Keep it simple!
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Well, I think Stevia is disgusting anyway! I personally use Splenda and think it tastes the best, and I don't notice any adverse reactions!
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Oh shoot, that sounds terrible. I didn't know all this before I got my free samples of Stevia in the mail. It was actually the Stevia Plus Fiber, but I don't know if it's okay for IBS. I used it on my strawberries and I don't remember anything happening. I've also used Splenda and haven't had any problems with that.
Stevia Plus
Stevia
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From what I've read, Splenda is suppose to be the safest. It all depends on how your IBS reacts to it.
Kandee
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