Stevia is a natural herb that is quickly replacing artificial sweeteners for those who are watching their weight or need to control their insulin production.

With all the evidence presented to the public on the dangers of artificial sweeteners, is it true that there may be one that does not threaten your health and may actually be good for you? Yes, Virginia, there really IS a sugar substitute you don’t have to be afraid of. The name is Stevia.

Stevia (stevia rebaudiana) is a natural herb that grows wild in South America, namely in the countries of Paraguay and Brazil. While it has been used for hundreds of years by South American Indian tribes, its popularity elsewhere has only risen within the last 30 years.

Benefits of stevia

It is a godsend to those who have a penchant for sweets but must watch their insulin levels or their weight. While studies have shown aspartame and sucralose to increase insulin production, similar studies report that stevia not only does not stimulate insulin release, but regulates insulin levels.

The pros of this wonder herb do not stop there. Other preliminary studies show stevia also reduces heartburn, and uric acid (an excess of which can cause gout). While table sugar and artificial sweeteners cause yeast growth, stevia stimulates the growth of friendly bacteria in our bodies, which keeps the yeast overgrowth at bay. (Yeast overgrowth stimulates our appetite, causing weight gain, which defeats one of the purposes of the sugar substitute.) A 1995 study published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology showed that when used over a long period of time, stevia dilates the blood vessels, leading to reduced blood pressure and increased urine production.

For those who simply want a product that will boost their weight loss efforts, stevia is non-caloric, dissolves well in liquid and is 15 times sweeter than sugar.

Pros and… cons?

So with all of these pros, where could the cons be? Cost, for one. Averaging 3 times more expensive than the leading sugar substitute, stevia can put a dent in your wallet. But can you put a price on the added health benefits? As with the other artificial sweeteners on the market, there are some that question the safety of stevia. It needs to noted here that the FDA has not approved stevia as a sweetening agent here in the U.S., and to date it can only be sold as a “dietary supplement”. In fact you won’t find the word “sweet” anywhere on the label. If one wanted to look at a live study of the effects of stevia, look at Japan. Since the 1960’s the Japanese government has either regulated or banned the use of artificial sweeteners, and since the 70’s stevia has been used to sweeten many foods there. Yet in the 30 year history of its use in Japan, there are no health issues directly related to stevia consumption. Could it be that sugar producers, who have known of stevia’s attributes for nearly 100 years, don’t want the general public to be aware of or encouraged to switch to stevia? Could the dollar in the pockets of a few outweigh the health needs of the masses?

In an age when the world seeks for optimum health, many are finding stevia to be a key product in that quest.