Even the highly purified forms of stevia extract are highly unlikely to cause an allergic reaction. No cases of allergic reaction to stevia have been recorded since Safety studies have marked stevia extract as free of side effects. While purified steviol glycosides can be added to foods and are generally recognized as safe GRAS by the Food and Drug Administration, the same is less true of whole leaf stevia.
However, the stevia plant itself may be grown at home, and the leaves can be used in a variety of ways. It was originally thought that stevia poses a danger to kidney health. A study on rats carried out since then suggests that stevia leaves in supplement form may instead possess qualities that protect the kidneys and reduce the impact of diabetes.
Current research also suggests that it is safe to consume the recommended amount of sugar substitute or less while pregnant. Some stevia products also contain sugar alcohol. People with sensitivity to sugar alcohol may experience bloating, abdominal cramps, nausea, and diarrhea , though one type of sugar alcohol, erythritol, poses less risk of symptoms than others. As long as stevia is highly-purified and used in moderation, it will not cause side effects and can be consumed worry-free.
In the U. Extracts from the stevia leaf have been available as dietary supplements in the U. The sweet components in stevia sweeteners are naturally occurring. This may further benefit consumers who prefer foods and beverages they perceive as natural. Worldwide, more than 5, food and beverage products currently use stevia as an ingredient.
Stevia sweeteners are used as an ingredient in products throughout Asia and South America such as:. In , the FDA refused to approve stevia as a sweetener as an additive in foods. Multiple global regulatory bodies have now determined that high-purity stevia extract is safe for consumption by the general population within the recommended levels, including children.
Stevioside was found to be nontoxic in acute toxicity studies. These studies used a variety of laboratory animals. No major contraindications, warnings, or adverse reactions have been documented. The steviol glycosides in stevia meet purity criteria established by the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives JECFA , indicating that stevia sweeteners are safe for use by individuals with diabetes.
The majority of scientific research on stevia uses high-purity stevia extracts. Crude stevia extracts were used in some studies from the past instead of high-purity extracts, which skewed the availability of accurate information.
The stevia plant is regulated not by the FDA but by the U. In fact, the plant can be purchased from a variety of gardening sources in the US, grown at home, and consumed in a variety of ways, as it has been for centuries in other countries. The potential health benefits of stevia require further study before they can be confirmed.
However, be confident that stevia is safe to consume and is an ideal alternative to sugar when looking for that extra boost of sweetness. A range of stevia products is available for purchase online. Vanilla extract adds depth of flavor to recipes and baked goods, and substitutes can replace it in a pinch. Learn more about replacements for vanilla…. In this Honest Nutrition feature, we explore the practice of "clean eating," and why this concept has been a controversial one for researchers.
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Home About Us. Our Mission. Farming Our stevia is a non-GMO crop and its farming, extraction, and purification require less water, land, and energy to produce the same amount of sweetness found in other natural sweeteners including sugar. Harvesting We establish long term relationships with local farmers primarily in Brazil with a view to improving the lives of the communities there.
Blending Our high purity stevia can be up to four times sweeter than sugar. Sign up and stay up-to-date with the Sweet Stuff. First Name. Last Name. Choose Registration Type. Retail Wholesale. Meeting market demand for cleaner labeling with a viable alternative to artificial high intensive sweeteners. It has taken food manufacturers a couple of years to work out the right formulations, but stevia is now present in a number of foods and beverages in the U.
Around the world it has been used in soft drinks, chewing gums, wines, yogurts, candies and many other products. Stevia powder can also be used for cooking and baking in markedly decreased amounts compared to table sugar due to its high sweetness potency. In its initial form, Stevia was sold as a ground-up powder of the stevia plant leaves. Though sweet, the powder also had a bitter aftertaste mostly attributed to a compound found in the stevia plant called stevioside , which limited its acceptability as a sugar substitute for the health-store-shopping crowd.
There are more than species of stevia plant, but one stands out for its excellent properties as a sweetener— stevia rebaudiana, which contains the compound rebaudioside A, the sweetest-flavored component of the stevia leaf. Rebaudioside A acts chemically similar to sugar in onset, intensity and duration of sweetness, and is free of aftertaste. A majority of stevia-sweetened products contain mostly extracted Rebaudioside A with some proportion of stevioside, which is a white crystalline compound present in stevia that tastes to times sweeter than table sugar.
Despite the three different names, the sweetener is essentially the same product, each containing slightly different proportions of rebaudioside A and stevioside. But is it Safe? Though stevia is most likely as safe as artificial sweeteners or more so , few long-term studies have been done to document its health effects in humans. The authors noted that in some test tube and animal studies, stevioside but not rebaudioside A caused genetic mutations, chromosome damage and DNA breakage.
These changes presumably could contribute to malignancy, though no one has actually studied if these compounds cause cancer in animal models. Notably, initial concerns that stevia may reduce fertility or worsen diabetes seem to have been put to rest after a few good studies showed no negative outcomes.
In fact, one study of human subjects showed that treatment with stevia may improve glucose tolerance. Another found that stevia may induce the pancreas to release insulin, thus potentially serving as a treatment for type 2 diabetes.
These studies are reviewed in Goyal, Samsher and Goyal, After artificial sweeteners were banned in Japan more than 40 years ago, the Japanese began to sweeten their foods with stevia. With little long-term outcomes data available on the plant extract, it is possible that stevia in large quantities could have harmful effects.
However, it seems safe to say that when consumed in reasonable amounts, stevia may be an exceptional natural plant-based sugar substitute. Check the label next time you eat a favorite low-calorie sweet.
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