The Health Benefits of Stevia

Unfortunately, many people solve the sugar problem by using artificial sweeteners instead. This solution may does get rid of the high calories associated with sugar but there are serious risks associated with all the artificial sweeteners. Saccharin, cyclamates and aspartame are consumed by millions of people in thousands of products. Yet studies have shown they can cause migraines, blurred vision, high blood pressure, dizziness, seizures and even brain cancer. The amino acids in aspartame (phenylalanine and aspartic acid) are recognized as stimulating the release of insulin and can be dangerous for diabetics. Saccharin is known to be carcinogenic and as a result many countries banned cyclamates years ago.

Ten percent of aspartame is methanol (methyl alcohol) which breaks down into formaldehyde, formic acid and DKP (diketopiperazine), all of which are poisonous. Methanol can also damage the optic nerve and cause blindness. It accumulates in the body and can poison over time. Furthermore, the body absorbs the methanol and its component parts when aspartame is heated. This is particularly concerning when we consider that it is often used to sweeten hot drinks. Bottles of aspartame sweetened drinks also regularly overheat in transport. There have been many cases in which container loads of low calorie soft drinks have been left in hot sun on docks for hours or even days. Since formaldehyde is known to cause cancer and DKP has been linked to brain tumors, this is a warning not to consume these drinks. Surprisingly, in the U.S., the FDA has approved its use in baked goods.

A far better solution to the sugar problem is Stevia Rebaudiana, also known as stevia. Stevia is native to eastern Paraguay and is a member of the chrysanthemum family. It was found to be a wonderful sweetener by the Guarani Indians of Paraguay, however these days China grows most of the world's stevia plants. Whole stevia leaves are twenty to thirty times sweeter than sugar cane and when processed and crystallized stevia becomes three hundred times sweeter than sugar. It has no calories and is safe for diabetics. Neither does it increase blood sugar levels. This is because the stevia glycosides cannot be broken into glucose by the human body nor can it be digested or absorbed at a cellular level.

Stevia is more than just a safe sweetener, it can be a great aid to any weight loss program. Whereas one ounce or twenty eight grams of sugar contains fifty calories, stevia has no calories at all. It can be purchased as leaves, liquid concentrate or white powder. Stevia can also be used in cooking as the steviol glucosides remain stable in heat and do not ferment or change color. When you consider that the average person in America consumes thirteen ounces of sugar a day, simply replacing sugar with stevia can reduce your calorie intake by 650 calories every day. This one change alone can make weight management and weight loss a lot easier.

Stevia also has medicinal and therapeutic benefits, however these are largely anecdotal. However, when you consider that stevia has been used over centuries by different societies, the traditional uses of stevia deserve serious consideration. Concoctions of stevia tea leaves are used to aid digestion, regulate blood pressure, improve skin conditions, overcome candida, memory, and as a liver tonic.

There have been a number of research studies using rats which show that stevia has diuretic properties and lowers blood pressure. In Brazil, a small study was conducted in which eighteen healthy people drank stevia leaf tea every day for a month. The results revealed an average of ten percent reduction in blood pressure from the beginning to end of the trial. Although this is a very small trial, the results suggest that further studies of stevia with regards to the cardiovascular system should be undertaken.

Stevia can also play an important role in improving dental health because, unlike sugar, it does not cause tooth decay or caries. Stevia sweetens without fermenting upon contact with the bacteria that lives in our mouths. Children, in particular, will benefit from replacing sugar with stevia since our children are consuming excessive amounts of sugar and paying the price with poor oral health.

The benefits offered by stevia are significant. It is not only safe and calorie free, it also has therapeutic properties which can improve people's quality of life. By simply replacing sugar with stevia, as a society we can begin to address the problem of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and tooth decay. It makes no sense to continually attack parents for neglect with regard to their children's diets and yet make it difficult to avoid sugar without inflicting a worse hazard upon them. The FDA does not, at this time, allow stevia to be advertised as a sweetener but only as a dietary supplement. Yet, there is no evidence that stevia is not safe and plenty of evidence that chemical sweeteners are downright risky.

One option available to us is to write to our political representatives to make necessary legislative changes for the good of the people rather than pandering to big business. The rest is up to us. You can purchase stevia to use in coffee and tea, baking and other home sweetening. However, you cannot buy soda drinks sweetened by stevia. This means that if you want to be truly healthy, you need to make some changes to your diet. You need to dramatically reduce your sugar intake and totally avoid artificial sweeteners. The risks to your health are greater than you are being told. Stevia is a good place to start.