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If you’re an avid reader here, you must already know that disease and dark dangers lurk beneath the pearly whiteness of sugar. Too much of it makes you moody, fat and eventually sick and diabetic. Indeed a very sad fate for a human being genetically hardwired for optimal fitness, vibrant health and sexy times.
Sugar substitutes and alternatives have shown themselves everywhere – from the notorious Aspartame to Saccharin and Sucralose. But most of them are artificial and some are so dangerous they’ve been scientifically documented to induce cancerous tumours and other diseases.
And we obviously want none of that.
Luckily for us, there’s a new (not so new anymore) boy in town – Stevia. This cheap sugar alternative comes directly from the soil, is very easy to grow on your own, and is claimed to be successfuly used for centuries by Latin American natives.
You may have also heard the names Sweetleaf or Sugarleaf. Both refer to Stevia.
But is stevia good for you as they claim and you can safely put it in your homemade meal replacement shakes? Or is stevia bad for you like other popular alternative sweeteners and you should avoid it at all cost? Before we dwelve deep into mother science, lets take a look at the stevia plant and see what it holds underneath its lavish green pigments.
What Is Stevia Sweetener?
Stevia plant is a genus of 240 various species of herbs and shrubs belonging to the sunflower family (Asteraceae), and is found naturally growing in sub-tropical and tropical areas in Latin America. The species we care for is the Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni which is now being adopted as a sweetener around the world, just like it was used for centuries by the Guaraní tribes of Brazil and Paraguay.
The Guaraní have been drinking yerba mate teas sweetened with stevia in the raw leafy form more than a thousand years before western yoga hippies jumped on the herbal tea and stevia wagon. They call it ka’a he’ê (“sweet herb”). The plant was discovered to the west by Moisés Santiago Bertoni, a Swiss botanist who emigrated and lived in Paraguay for about half his life.
Processed or pure stevia sweetener products today are used for many purposes – from its raw sweet leaves in Japanese teas to a processed powder or liquid bottle used to sweeten soft drinks, or even at home for baking and cooking. Though my grandfather didn’t have much luck germinating the seeds, most people agree its easy to grow. And it’s RIDICULOUSLY sweet.
But where does the sweetness come from?
It comes from two primary steviol glycosides – stevioside and rebaudioside. Rebaudioside is the sweetest (350-450 times the sweetness of table sugar) and least bitter part of the leaf, while stevioside (250-300 times the sweetness of table sugar) has that bitter aftertaste many people complain about.
That’s why some processed brands like Truvia and PureVia isolate rebaudioside and use it solely while other ‘natural’ or ‘raw’ stevia brands use the full spectrum of glycosides. And as you might suspect, problems arise when brands process the plant and add wierd substances to the mix.
So is stevia good or bad for you? Go get yourself a cup of green tea and let’s go find out.
Stevia Benefits and Advantages
Is Stevia Healthy For You?
The first thing i’m gonna do is go through the available science and examine the documented stevia health benefits . Yes, stevia is much sweeter than sugar and contains no carbohydrates or calories and everybody knows that. But are there other possible major benefits? Native latin-American used it for centuries as a sweet treat and breath-freshener, but do their claims of stevia being a health food with medicinal properties by itself hold any basis in reality?
In the early 70’s, Japan begun cultivating Stevia as an alternative to artificial sweeteners like saccharin after suspecting them of being a potential carcinogen. Fast forward to our days and stevia takes 40% of the sweetener market share in Japan, being used extensively in homes and commercial soft drinks.
But.. would you be surprised to learn that the Japanase are also using stevia as a treatment for type 2 diabetes? Check this out.
The Stevia Diabetes Connection
Researchers found that stevioside increases insulin sensitivity, reduces post-meal blood glucose and delays the development of insulin resistance in rats on a high-fructose diet. ‘This is all impressive” you’re saying, “but what about humans?”
One research studying the effects of stevia, aspartame, and sucrose on food intake, satiety, and postprandial glucose and insulin levels found similar results and showed that compared to sucrose or aspartame consumers, human stevia consumers had lower post-meal blood sugar levels and much lower post-meal insulin levels.
Best part? The stevia-consuming group didn’t have any of the sweet cravings sugar and some alternative sweeteners induce, and their blood-sugar profile was more stable.
Another study found some beneficial effect of stevia on diabetes and diabetes-induced renal disorders and concluded that their results ‘support the validity of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni for the management of diabetes as well as diabetes-induced renal disorders’.
Another recent research evaluated how stevia affects diabetic rats and discovered that rats fed with doses of 250 and 500 mg/kg a day significantly reduced their fasting blood sugar levels, insulin resistance, triglycerides, alkaline phosphatase and omentin levels.
One more study concluded that rebaudioside A possesses insulinotropic effects and may serve a potential role as treatment in type-2 diabetes, while another study reached similar findings and found out that stevioside and steviol stimulate insulin secretion via a direct action on beta cells, and may have a potential role as antihyperglycemic agents in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus.
This suggest to us that stevia and diabetes have more to do than we previously thought. Not only is it a good zero-carb diabetes-friendly alternative for sugar, but it actually helps increasing insulin sensitivity, which is especially helpful for insulin-resistant diabetic people.
Overall, it looks like an ideal all-around saviour for diabetic patients.
Stevia, Memory and Oxidative Damage
One study found an antiamnesic effect of stevioside in scopolamine-treated rats. Researchers impaired the memory of mice through the use of scopolamine (an anticholigernic found in the hallucinogenic devil’s weed), gave them 250mg/kg dose of oral stevioside and then checked for memory retention.
They found that the stevioside-fed rats had largely reversed their memory deficit and even reduced brain oxidative damage caused by scopolamine, and concluded that ‘stevioside exerts a memory-preservative effect in cognitive deficits of rats’.
I’d be very interested to read further studies about the effects of stevia on memory preservation on humans. Who knows, perhaps an unexpected alternative treatment for Alzheimer was right under our nose all this time?
Stevia and Cholesterol
Researchers studying long-term feeding effects of stevioside sweetener on some toxicological parameters of growing male rats found that stevia taken alone in low-doses lowered cholesterol and was deemed safe to use and without any toxicological effects on body weight, organ relative weight, haematological and biochemical parameters or enzyme activities, though high-doses (1500mg/kg, an amount unrealistic outside the lab) did increase some toxic parameters.
The interesting part: taken together with an inulin soluble fiber – stevioside also increased HDL and lowered overall lipids. I find it very interesting, and if you choose to buy stevia perhaps you’d benefit from getting pure stevia extract with some inulin soluble fiber added to it.
Stevia, Hypertension and Blood Pressure
Researchers also studied the efficacy and tolerability of oral stevioside in Chinese patients with mild hypertension. After two years they found out that an intake of 500mg oral stevioside three times a day significantly reduced systolic and diastolic blood pressure compared to placebo.
Their hypertension situation improved and there were no reported or detected side effects. Interesting enough, fewer patients in the stevioside-group developed left ventricular hypertrophy, a pathological thickening of the heart muscle.
Another study with much lower doses (upto 15mg per kg a day) found no anti-hypertensive effects, and another one researching the mechanism of the antihypertensive effect of stevioside in anaesthetised dogs showed 200mg/kg doses of stevioside to normalise blood pressure and confirmed that ‘stevioside is an effective antihypertensive natural product’.
All in all the results are spectacular, even though we’re talking about very high doses.
Stevia and Atherosclerosis
Researchers fed 12-week old mice with 10mg/kg dose of stevioside next to a placebo group and found out that stevioside inhibits atherosclerosis by improving insulin signaling and antioxidant defense in obese insulin-resistant mice.
The mice had lower glucose and insulin levels (diabetes people, rejoice!), improved adipose tissue maturation and increased glucose transport, insulin signalling and antioxidant defense. They also had lower oxidised-LDL (“bad cholesterol”) and thus reduced atherosclerotic plaque buildup.
Impressive.
And because obesity, cancer and diabetes are very often associated with insulin resistance and high levels of oxidative stress and inflammation, stevia seems to be a king sweetener not only for diabetics looking for a zero-carb natural sweetener but for a wide array of the population as well.
And speaking of cancer…
Stevia and Cancer
One Japanese study from the National Institute of Health Sciences in Tokyo studied 50 male and 50 female rats in three groups for a period of two years. One group received stevioside at a concentration of 2.5% of their diet, second group 5%, and the third group served as a control and received no stevioside.
The results are interesting. Though there was a significant decrease in the final survival rate of the 5% treated rats, there was no noticeable difference in the organs and tissues of all groups when examined under a microscope, and females who took stevioside had a reduced occurrence of breast cancer tumours, and males showed a lesser severity of kidney damage. Also, the stevioside-fed rats weighted slightly less, which makes sense since stevioside has no calories or a glycemic response.
What’s interesting though, is that there was also a significant decrease in the final survival rate of the 5% treated rats. Another interesting and relevant study published by Nutrition and Cancer found stevoiside to have some anti breast-cancer properties in-vitro (in cells outside their normal biological environment, like a petri-dish) and decrease some stress pathways in the body that contributes to cancer cells growth.
Unfortunately I couldn’t dig the full data to check those findings more thoroughly, but they look promising.
Other Japanese researchers studied the inhibitory effect of stevioside on tumor promotion and found steviol glycosides stevioside, rebaudioside A, rebaudioside C and dulcoside A to posses a marked inhibitory effect against inflammation and tumour promotion.
Rebaudiosides A and C inhibited inflammation in a similar activity to hydrocortisone, a commercially available anti-inflammatory drug, and stevioside was even more effective than indomethacin! Rebaudioside C showed half the inhibition rate of indomecthacin and quercentin, an antitumor promoting agent, but at doses 10 and 100 times smaller.
The groups treated with 0.1mg and 1.0mg stevioside mixture produced 2.2 and 0.3 tumours per mouse – while the control group without stevioside produced 8.1 tumours per mouse. We’re talking about 73% and 96% reductions! This is beyond incredible, but it doesn’t really seem to surprise the researchers: they’re saying that ‘a series of naturally occurring components of Compositae plants has been found to possess antitumor-promoting activities’.
They suggested that stevioside is better than some triterpenoids (“heliantriol C,11) pachymic acid, 3-O-acetyl- 16a-hydroxytrametenolic acid, and poricoic acid B16) for the chemoprevention of cancer.
Eagle-eyed readers will say that those are in-vitro studies that are notoriously inaccurate in ‘real-life’ biological environments (aka in-vivo), and that’s a very valid and realistic concern. With that in mind, the researchers say that “many compounds that are active in the EBV-EA assay have been confirmed to be inhibitors of tumor promotion in two-stage carcinogenesis tests in vivo.”
Take it as you wish.
Stevia Being a Sugar SUBSTITUTE
“Cancer, above all other diseases, has countless secondary causes. But, even for cancer, there is only one prime cause. Summarized in a few words, the prime cause of cancer is the replacement of the respiration of oxygen in normal body cells by a fermentation of sugar.” (Otto H. Warburg, 1931 nobel prize winner)
Lastly, and perhaps the most important:
Regardless of the very possible nutritional and medicinal health benefits of stevia, the simple act of eliminating sugar out of your diet is sure to bring benefits of its own. You already knew that sugar is one of the primary causes of diabetes, obesity and most other metabolic diseases, but did you actually know that cancer cells FEED on sugar?
And stevia helps you rid a lot of sugar out of your diet. Take a look:
Bonus: Stevia to Sugar Conversion Ratios
If you’re baking with stevia, a good rule of thumb to remember is that 1 cup of sugar equals about 24 stevia powder packets or 2 teaspoons of liquid stevia. You’re gonna need a tiny pinch, about half a packet (that’s 0.5g) – to achieve the same level of sweetness achieved by a 5g teaspoon of sugar.
Those measurements are from the SweetLeaf brand (comes with inulin insoluble fiber), so if you get a completely pure stevia – you’ll need to use much lower doses to achieve the same sweetness.
And by the way, this plant is ph-stable and resistant to high heat (heat stable up to 392°F) and is also freezer-resistant and water soluble, making cooking with stevia entirely possible. That way you’ll eliminate lots of empty calories out of your diet. It’s some highly potent stuff.
Dangers: Stevia Side Effects and Warnings
Is Stevia Safe to Use?
There were and still are some question marks about the dangers of stevia, mainly concerns related to reproductive toxicity and decreased fertility. So is it time to forget about the pill, ditch the condoms and feed on stevia like lunatic hipsters? Let’s take another look at mother-science and try to spot any adverse reproductive or genotoxic side effects of stevia consumption.
Contraceptive & Reproductive Stevia Dangers and Side Effects
Most contraceptive stevia concerns stem from a very old study dating back to 1968. After rumours of South American women using Stevia as a contraceptive, Professor Joseph Kuc performed that study to evaluate any contraceptive properties of stevia rebaudiana.
The results? Kuc found a visible and relatively long-term reduction in the number of offspring born to female rats he fed with a stevia solution:
A water decoction of the plant Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni reduces fertility in adult female rats of proven fertility. The decoction continues to descrease fertility for at least 50 to 60 days after intake is stopped. The decoction did not affect appetite and apparently did not affect the health of adults rats.
Not. Good. At all.
Professor Kuc does admit that his results aren’t necessarily valid for humans. First, he used some material from the stevia plant that isn’t ordinarily consumed along with his boiled stevia leaf extract. Second, he let his rats drink that mixture in such a high rate, equalling a person drinking about 2.5 litters of liquid in less than half an hour. And third, he used only one dosage level and not a variety of doses to establish what is known as a ‘dose-response’ relationship.
So should you feel intimidated by prof. Joseph Kuc’s findings? Is Stevia safe during pregnancy, breastfeeding or for those trying to have a baby? Let’s take a few more looks at science.
One study trying to discover fertility effects of chronic administration (two months) of Stevia found that it could effect hormones because of its glycosides having a similar structure to plant hormones like gibberellin.
“..chronic administration (60 days) of a Stevia rebaudiana aqueous extract produced a decrease in final weight of testis, seminal vesicle and cauda epididymidis. In addition, the fructose content of the accessory sex glands and the epididymal sperm concentration are decreased. Stevia treatment tended to decrease the plasma testosterone level, probably by a putative affinity of glycosides of extract for a certain androgen receptor, and no alteration occurred in luteinizing hormone level. These data are consistent with the possibility that Stevia extracts may decrease the fertility of male rats”
Oh my. You can take away our lives, but you can never take away our testosterone! Another study found a 60% decrease in seminal vesicle weight in rats compared to a control group.
But just like other foods, perhaps those side effects appear only in very high and unrealistic levels of consumption? Are there any studies that show no effect on hormones, especially when consumed in moderation?
One fascinating study comes to us all the way from the Chulalongkorn University Primate Research Center in Bangkok, Thailand (great city, you should go visit). The researchers wanted to study the effects (on a span of two generations) of daily stevioside consumption in hamsters.
They used four groups of ten male and ten female one-month old hamsters and fed the first group with a daily 500mg/kg dose of stevioside, second group 1,000mg/kg, third group 2,500mg/kg (!!!) and fourth group with 0, serving as the control group.
It’s important to note that the daily human stevioside consumption is estimated to be about 2-5mg/kg, much lower than the doses used in this study.
But guess what?
There was no significant difference between the average growth of either of the groups, and there was no difference at all between reproductive fitness and mating performance – no matter the dose of stevioside. Mating was efficient and successful in all groups, without any growth or fertility abnormality of either sex.
“The results of this study are astonishing. Stevioside at a dose as high as 2,500 mg/kg did not do any harm to these animals. We conclude that stevioside at a dose as high as 2.5 grams per kilogram of body weight affects neither the growth nor reproduction in hamsters.”
Another study achieved similar findings where stevia extract didn’t affect male body weight, testicular weights and sperm count, morphology and motility. The researchers concluded that it has no toxic effect on male reproduction, at least in rats.
So what’s the verdict? Is stevia safe in moderation or even at high doses? I’d hate to give you such a vague answer, but sometimes I must. We simply don’t know enough – and more studies are definitely needed.
You have to remember that the doses used in those (rat-based) studies are very high and unrealistic. Nobody of us would go around munching on kilograms worth of leaves. If you eat enough of anything you’d get side effects. So from a contraceptive perspective, it seems to me as if stevia would be safe under its intended use as a sweetener. But again, more solid research in necessary.
Allergic Reactions and Sensitivity to Stevia
Just like other foods, the main scenario where stevia is sure to give you problems is when you’re sensitive or allergic to it. Weightology founder James Krieger said he knows of case reports of people getting atopic eczema (scaly and itchy rashes on your skin) and even people going into an anaphylactic shock from consuming stevia.
He said one study found 16% of infants with nasal allergies to be allergic to stevia, 34% of infants with bronchial asthma to be allergic to stevia and 64% of infants with atopic eczema to be allergic to stevia. Now, I don’t know where he got his numbers (update: I emailed him, he emailed me back this precious gem of a reference) but I do know and have heard of people showing allergic reaction to stevia – from difficulty swallowing to shortness of breath to dizziness etc.
But those usually appear in people who are allergic to plants in the Compositae or Asteraceae family – like chrysanthemums, marigolds, ragweed or daisies. Check the comments section below, I predict it will be full of comments from allergic people. They’re the ones most likely to google stuff like ‘Stevia side effects’, after all :)
So yeah, a small percentage of people may show sensitivity and allergic reactions to stevia, and if you’re one of them – you’re probably better off without it.
Stevia Safety: Toxicity Possible?
We’ve already covered some toxicity-related studies of stevia, and none of them showed anything special, but let’s go check some more studies.. you know, just to be sure. And because we love studies.
One Japanese study involved almost 500 rats that were treated for about two years with Stevia rebaudiana extracts at levels of up to 1% of their total diet (550mg/kg) and concluded that there were no significant dose-related changes in the growth, appearance, organ weights, macroscopic or microscopic observations or haematological and blood findings.
The results obtained are supportive of the safety of stevia rebaudiana extracts, stevioside and rebaudioside A when consumed as sucrose substitutes by human populations.
I also found some leaks (can’t verify them though) from an unpublished report submitted to the European Commission by A. Douglas Kinghorn, Ph.D, saying his study (Food Ingredient Safety Review: Stevia rebaudiana leaves) showed no evidence of acute toxicity when he gave mice separate 2,000mg/kg doses of the sweet Stevia glycosides – stevioside, rebaudiosides A-C, dulcoisde A and steviolbioside. His results show no potential risk for acute toxicity for humans by ingestion of stevia rebaudiana extracts and constituents.
Acute toxicity was not demonstrated when separate 2 g/kg doses were administered to mice by oral intubation, indicating that a concentrated extract of stevia is less than 1/10 as toxic (acute) as caffeine.
Not enough evidence for you? alright.
In yet another Japanese study (H. Asaki and Y. Yokoyama. 1975. Dried-leaf extracts of stevia. Toxicological tests. Shokuhin Kogyo 18(20), 34-43) running toxicological tests on dried-leaf extracts of stevia, feeding male and female rats for nearly two months with stevioside being 7% of their diet produced “no untoward toxic effects” compared a a control group that received no stevioside. The study is written in Japanese so I couldn’t dig much and verify.
I also read of a study that found no toxicity or dose-related abnormalities but did find a significant decrease in serum lactic dehydrogenase levels, which is important in energy production without oxygen (aka “anaerobic”), but I couldn’t find a link to it or anything linking stevia to serum lactic dehydrogenase levels. Take it with a grain of salt.
One more study found stevioside to be non-toxic in rats who were fed with high oral 2,000mg/kg doses and showed no abnormal behaviour or organ damage. Researchers also found no cytotoxic properties at a concentration of 1.25g/L in an in-vitro toxicity test.
So overall, the vast majority of studies that I went through and available evidence shows no abnormal toxicity properties to stevia consumed in realistic amounts . You should be safe in this regard.
Mutagenic Stevia Side Effects and Cancer
You might have also read that in lab, steviol glycosides can be converted into a mutagenic compounds that may cause DNA mutations and promote cancer, and a lot of anti-stevia supporters seem to be using it as an argument.
We don’t know if the conversion of stevioside to steviol to a mutagen happens in humans,” says toxicologist Ryan Huxtable of the University of Arizona in Tucson. “It’s probably a minor issue, but it clearly needs to be resolved.
But have no fear, fellow readers. Devoted lab chemists down the basement in casa-del-Regev have gone on a predation journey to separate rumours from facts and hunt for scientific clues.
One interesting Japanese study titled Mutagenicity of Steviol and Its Oxidative Derivatives in Salmonella typhimurium TM677 found the mutagenic activity of steviol to be 1/3000 of widely-distributed mutagenic compounds like smoke, diesel exhausted gas and overheated meat.
The study also compared stevia to AF2 (a previously authorised food preservative in Japan) and found AF2 levels of 2mg (used to preserve 100g fish sausage) to be equal in mutagenic activity to.. 3000 stevia-sweetened cups of coffee! They concluded that-
..the genetic toxicity of stevia can be regarded as negligible and safe, as long as we limit its use in ordinary amount for our daily life. Although further studies, such as the effect of heating on the activity of stevia, or the metabolic fate of its lactone derivatives in our body are necessary, the present paper suggests that there are no serious genotoxic problem with the daily usage of this low-calorie sweetener.
If you scroll back up to the section about stevia benefits for cancer, you’ll find a few studies showing that not only isn’t stevia a carcinogen – but it actually shows some anti-tumor properties and seems to be beneficial for the chemoprevention of cancer.
Stevia, Glucose Metabolism and Hypoglycemia
You might have also read that stevioside can interfere with the absorption of carbohydrates and disrupt the conversion of food into energy within cells, which might be an issue for kids. But that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Most studies in humans have not detected effects of non-nutritive sweeteners on gut hormones or glucose absorption.
But we wouldn’t rely solely on that, right?
I went searching for studies that found anything to back up those claims, but I found nothing very useful. The only relevant thing I could find was an overview paper summarising the available science and concluding that high-purity rebaudioside is safe for human consumption and has no effect on either blood pressure or glucose homeostasis.
But wait! Remember how I showed you that stevia reduced systolic and diastolic blood pressures before? It was the stevioside part we evaluated, and it’s the rebaudioside A we’re talking about now. Those are the two main ingredients of stevia, and they seem to have some differences in their properties.
There’s also a rumour popular on some nutrition blogs insisting that calorie-free sweetener like stevia can trick your body into a state of hypoglycaemia because having a sweet taste without an accompanying glucose tricks your body to prepare itself for sugar and lowers blood-sugar levels accordingly. When it gets no sugar, they say, the body releases adrenaline and cortisol to bring blood glucose levels back up by recruiting sugar from other tissues in the body.
Does the idea stand to the test of reality? To be honest, blood sugar altering hormones from oral glands communication to the brain sounds very probable. But science doesn’t want to agree, at least not in the cases of aspartame and saccharin – which doesn’t affect insulin levels. And here’s another study made on human volunteers that shows aspartame to have no affect on insulin.
But if you remember, I did show you that stevia causes some insulin secretion and increases insulin sensitivity in diabetic rats. How can that be? the secret might lie not in the sweet part, but the bitter part of the sweeteners. Researchers studying the effects of artificial sweeteners on insulin release found that while aspartame failed to raise insulin, bitter sweeteners like stevioside did have an effect.
So yeah, stevioside (and possibly not rebaudioside) has some effect on insulin but that effect is more of a benefit than a drawback, especially for diabetic patients. You don’t starve your body and feed solely on stevia and the studies we showed earlier showed a positive effect on insulin sensitivity.
It means that yes, stevia does secrete some more insulin – but it increases sensitivity to insulin and rids more sugar from the blood stream to the cells. Which, again, is especially beneficial for the prevention and treatment of diabetes type-II. So unless you already have some hypoglycaemia issues, stevia is unlikely to be a problem here.
Is Stevia Safe for Children?
First things first – removing sugar, cookies, ice creams and lollypops from the diet of your kids is the best move you can do for their brains, guts and teeth. Regardless of stevia. Several attempts to decrease children sugar intake were already made by trying to introduce stevia as a sugar alternative in children’s food products. Yet safety issues still rise up.
And it’s not facts that rise them up, but fear.
As far as I know, the Guarani population of Brazil and Paraguay have given stevia as a treat to their kids for centuries. Makes sense to me that it should have been ‘trial-and-error’ed by now and they would have stopped this practice if it proved to be harmful to their little ones. You know, the same reason we don’t go out to the forest and eat any wild mushroom we see. Lots of trial and error proved this to be fatal so we developed habits that go from one generation to the next.
With the available knowledge we have, there’s not a reason really to believe stevia is unsafe for kids.
The Verdict: Is Stevia Healthy and Safe?
As a scientist with over 15 years researching the safety of stevia and of many other plants used as food or food ingredients, I can assure that our conclusions in these various studies indicate that stevia is safe for human consumption as per intended usage, that is, as a sweetener. (Professor Mauro Alvarez, Brazil’s State University of Maringa Foundation)
The sweet (!) jury down the court halls of casa-del-Regev is ready to give the bottom-line verdict:
It is very probable that some stevia compounds posses some medicinal anti-inflammatory and anti-tumour properties, though the exact mechanism by which those compounds bring those effects isn’t precisely known yet. Natural stevia sweetener products are especially useful for type-II diabetic patients and the relevant science was very convincing.
On the other hand – we’d be glad to have some more conclusive studies when it comes to fertility and reproduction effects of stevia, so for now.. i’d say avoid it if you’re trying to concieve or if you’re pregnant. Just in case. You should also avoid it if you’re allergic to the plants in the Compositae or Asteraceae family (marigolds, daisies, ragweed, chrysanthemums, etc) or if you just sense anything unusual.
Do remember that the studies we’ve gone through used doses much higher than real-life use, doses so high that almost any plant tested would probably produce some kind of side effects. And some of the studies were also in-vitro (petri-dish like environment), not always very applicable in a real living animal.
For non pregnant/allergic people, if all you do is use stevia sparingly as a sweetener for your tea and baked foods, you’ll most probably be completely safe. Make sure you choose a good brand with no harmful fillers, and preferable with inulin insoluble fiber for the possible HDL and lipid profile benefits. And always listen to your body.
As for me, I personally don’t use it much – and not because of all those stevia side effects and warnings. I simply like my coffee unsweetened and i’ll usually add some raw local honey (the cloudy-waxish type, no the commercial liquid ones) to my tea. It’s more of a whole food than a sweetener, and it’s a nice nutritional boost if you’re trying to gain weight or just wouldn’t mind the extra calories.
(Related: Is Coffee Good or Bad For You?)
Where to Buy Stevia Products
By now you should understand that not all stevia products are the same. Though the health benefits of Stevia natural sweetener are obtainable in their fullest from its raw form, there are a few more viable options. When you’re choosing between stevia brands, make sure you’re aware of those 4 distinctive types of products:
- Raw Stevia Plant
Grow and get the plant’s leafs directly from the soil. It’s cheap and easy to grow and contains the full spectrum of glycosides and health benefits of Stevia, though with a little bitter aftertaste.
Buy: organic Stevia seeds are difficult to germinate, so you might want to go to your local nursery and get a garden-ready stevia rebaudiana baby-plant.
P.S: Young stevia plants are sensitive to low temps, so wait until your soil temperature is more than 10-15c before transplanting it. If you get your stevia seed packet online, pay attention to shipment time since it has a lifetime of about three months (if my memory doesn’t betray me). Long shipment or time since harvest can render your seeds ineffective, but again – it’s better to just get a baby-plant from a nursery.
To release the full sweet potency of the plant, you’ll have to dry and grind the leafs after you harvest them. Or you could embrace your laziness and just buy powdered whole-leaf stevia.
- Powdered Green Stevia Leafs
Powdered green leaf stevia is basically raw stevia dried and grounded into a powder. Just like the raw stevia above, it contains the full spectrum of glycosides, and has a slightly bitter aftertaste.
Buy: Organic Traditions Stevia
- Pure Stevia Extract Products
Market demand for a product without that slight bitter aftertaste has given birth to stevia extract, which is mostly an extraction of the rebaudioside – that sweetest and least bitter part of the stevia leaf, which is also the only compound of stevia legally allowed by the FDA to be commercially labeled as a sweetener.
Benefits? Much sweeter than the green forms and without that bitter aftertaste, but also without the health benefits of stevioside. Many times sweeter than table sugar. Comes either in a powder or liquid form. If you buy the liquid form, make sure it’s natural and doesn’t contain stuff like glycerin.
Buy: SweetLeaf Powdered Stevia – this is what I would choose if I wanted to buy Stevia. It has two ingredients: organic stevia extract and inulin soluble fiber, which if you remember.. mixes well with stevia and shows some potential beneficial HDL and blood lipids properties.
- Frankesteinian Stevia Products (like Truvia)
That’s basically processed stevia with added ingredients or ‘natural flavors’. Truvia, for example, uses a 42 step proccess to make their stevia product. They extract the rebaudioside and add chemical substances like the liver-toxic and carcinogenic acetonitrile and corn-based erythritol. Kal “Pure” Stevia isn’t very pure either – their product is made in china and contains maltodextrin (starch). Many other brands also put some sugars from corn.
Is Stevia harmful? If you don’t stay away from those brands, it can certainly be. Stick to certified organic stevia products clean of harmful substances – and you’ll be golden.
Now that you know all about Stevia benefits and side effects, it’s time for some..
Geeky Stevia Facts
Dr. Bertoni wrote a few of the earliest words about this wonderful plant and said that according to his long experience and the studies of Dr. Rebaudi, stevia is not only non-toxic but also very healthy and can be used directly with it’s natural form – while also being much cheaper than saccharine. He referred to Stevia as a “sweetening agent of great power”.
Leigh Broadhurst, Ph.D who is a nutritional consultant and a chemist, states that stevia gives you all the benefits of saccharin with none of it’s drawbacks. She also stated that Stevia is much more concentrated (sweetness per weight) than aspartame.
Julian Whitaker, M.D in his ‘Dr. Julian Whitaker’s Newsletter’ said that “Stevia is not only non-toxic, but has several traditional medicinal uses. The Indian tribes of South America have used it as a digestive aid, and have also applied it topically for years to help wound healing. Recent clinical studies have shown it can increase glucose tolerance and decrease blood sugar levels. Of the two sweeteners (aspartame and Stevia), stevia wins hands down for safety.”
The greatest wealth is health. – Virgil
If you have some personal experience with stevia, do share it through the comment box below. What’s your favorite and/or least favorite Stevia supplement and why? How long have you been using it, and what benefits or drawbacks did you experience? I want to create a nice discussion here, wealthy of information and personal experiences for confused fellas.
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This comprehensive review is originally published as a short handbook on Amazon, but I decided to publish it here for free for those who can’t afford it. If you find the info valuable and want to show your appreciation, drop a few bucks to support the hard work and buy it through Amazon. Or just get Destination Poon! Extra love points if you leave a fancy review. – Reggie.
I used Stevia sweetner for 2 months and had terrible gut problems from it; it affected my gall bladder, caused constipation and bloating and I had terrible loss of focus and attention. I have nothing to do with the sugar industry and by comparison used agave for years with no problems. I won’t be using stevia again, even though it is a great sugar substitute for me ( I have endometriosis. Sugar is very bad for my metabolism as it mimics oestrogen, which is instrumental in the causes and effects of endometriosis.) I thought natural Stevia sweetener would be my silver bullet but it was not. Stevia is a known contraceptive as well (so it can be used well for that purpose, but women should know that so that if they ARE trying to get pregnant they can eliminate that, in full knowledge.
Thanks for the input Michele, perhaps I should add a reader-based stevia side effects list report above.
I started using stevia several months ago. I had terrible, go to the doctor, gas and other gastrointestinal problems. I changed my diet, stopped dairy products, fatty foods. Nothing worked. I finally cut out stevia. After 5 days, my months’ long problems ended. I feel so much better now.
What brand ..very curious.Plain stevia has no reports of these side effects but brands with maltodextrin added do.
No reports huh. Well I will give you a report right now. Pure Stevia gives me a butt-load of gas.
Some stevia products are mixed with sugar alcohols – erythitol or sorbitol. THOSE are what cause terrible gas and bloating. You can get those alone as a sugar alternative also.
I’m not a stevia champion myself. At this point I’m wondering whether it’s causing weight gain. In fact, I became suspicious and finally checked the ingredients. Lo and behold the first ingredient is maltodextrin, and stevia is listed second. I’ll be trying the brand mentioned above.
Check the ingredients is the point.
Woops – xylitol and erythitol are the sugar alcohols widely used.
absolutely, but the Organic Stevia seems to be the best, and my brand doesn’t have those things.
I’ve been using Stevia for years. I only use Sweetleaf(pure Stevia), but thanks to this wonderful information I’m finally putting two and two together and realizing that it may be the reason for my constant headaches and increase in migraines over the past few years, as I’m allergic to ragweed. I don’t know what alternatives there are. I definitely need a healthy alternative sweetener for my daily coffee and hot tea. Any suggestions? I’m hoping this is the answer for these awful headaches. I’ve been blaming it on my thyroid and just thought I had to live with it forever.
Thanks for article. I was using artificial sweetener, switched to stevia. Had bad diahorrea. Tried about 4 different stevia brands from supermarket. Eventually went back to the artificial sweetener, things are better. I dunno what to do now? Prefer not to use artificial sweetener, but my bowels seem to prefer it?
I was wondering what kind of stevia they used.
By the way, GREAT job on this topic, I rarely see people take this much care in any one item. Job well done, I will be visiting your site often lol.
I agree grateful for the information! However, just one suggestion next time you edit this piece – please delete your negative comment about bored single moms. Although I am not one, I recognize the tremendous work load single moms have and feel your comment was not warranted. Plenty of companies and anti stevia folks are putting information out on the other side of the issue.
I recently purchased the brand name Stevia to use in sugar free , decaf instant tea. I had a severe Blood pressure increase to 220/125 , needless to say I was scared. I don’t know if it was the decaf tea or stevia , not taking any more chances.
What about joint pain? I have it and in process of eliminating the usual suspects. Stevia is one.
Hello
My family has 2 diabetic members so we use only one stevia (powder and liquid form) which is sophisticated and unique. We have tasted all stevia supplements from various international companies and have decided to the stevia offered by Detonovo (DN). No bad effects, great taste with all our drinkings (coffe etc) and great peoples comments. We know that these guys have already build 3 retail shops in South Europe supplying deserts and icecreams with stevia. During our holidays we discoved this Stevia. Now we wont change again or do other experiments. It has also helped me on my diet by losing weight.
I have used Stevia brand Wholesome “organic Stevia” non GMO . ingredients: organic Stevia extract (Stevia rebaudiana),
Silica.net weight 1 gram. 1 packet=2 tsp, sugar for years. I get it in the organic aisle in the grocery store. This brand so far has no side effects.
I guess if you are having side effects you may be allergic to plants or you are using the GMO brands. I have diabetic # 2 and cutting out pure GMO sugar has help a lot.
Liked your comment. will check them out. Thanks Leonardo
Michelle the fact that you experienced side effects while using Stevia does not mean that Stevia produces side effects. As always, I’ll stick to the golden rule of statistics and not mix correlation with causation. Our body is a highly-complex biochemical system with each nutrient, each chemical, each anything dependent on each other that it would be a sin to slaughter Stevia’s good reputation based on a few people’s bad experience.
Issac unfortunately it may cause problems for Michelle. Stevia is very hard on people with IBS because the sweetness is actually derived from parts of the plants that people with IBS have a hard time breaking down correctly. It’s in the same category as inulin fiber (artichoke/chicory) and can be rough. In those with normally functioning gut Stevia & Inulin are “prebiotic” and help natural flora thrive. However in those with IBS-C/D it can back fire an cause extreme gas, pain, & bloating. If you have IBS – I would stay away from Stevia & the FOS natural sweetners (inulin, chickory root, artichoke, etc. etc.). I purchased organic Stevia powder from my local whole food store excited since with IBS can’t use any artificial sweetners. I was literally left doubled over in pain after about 2-3 days of using it in my tea.
I have to beg to differ. I think it’s individual reactions. I love stevia, my IBS- C/D is best it’s ever been – gone really. Stevia user for 18 months now.
I’ve only been using Stevia for 2 weeks. My feet are bloated up with water will discontinue after reading this. To see if my feet go back down to normal size. And if my feet go back to normal I got my answer.
So what is your finding???
Hi there Michele!
I’m sorry to hear about your condition, I hope you’re doing better now. There are barely any proven side effects of Stevia. Mild side effects such as diarrhea, bloating, etc have been experienced but these usually go away with time. I have been using it from the past 5 years and have personally never experienced any side effects whatsoever but then again, we are all very different physiologically. I know a lot of families who use this sweetener on a daily basis like me and have never experienced any side effects. Personal experiences aside, let’s get down to the latest research.
The use of stevia as a contraceptive is merely a rumor. That particular study fed rats extremely large amount of stevia (which no human could possibly take in). Numerous studies done after that particular one failed to elicit the same results which is why the credibility of the first study has been questioned time and again. Suppose stevia could be used as a contraceptive – how come pharmaceutical companies haven’t started researching on that alternative use? It’s another potential contraceptive then, isn’t it? I’m not taking any sides, but the silence of the ‘big pharma’ regarding stevia’s potential contraceptive use does make me think. What about you?
As for endometriosis, what’s your source regarding the fact that sugars mimic estrogen? That’s not true. Substances such as flax seed, soy, hummus, etc can do that but not sugars. Sugars (and other refined food substances) increase the acidity in your body and that increases the pain which you experience in endometriosis. Interestingly, if stevia were really a conctraceptive, it would be good for those with endometriosis since one of the therapies for this disease includes the administration of contraceptive or birth control pills. However, research shows that stevia is NOT a contraceptive. The ONE study which did prove that, as I said earlier, was not even properly conducted.
I wouldn’t say you should start taking stevia in large quantities but it is perfectly safe for usage as a sweetener to avoid the extra calories of refined sugar. After all, nothing’s good when taken in excess. If I can provide you with any more information, please let me know. I’ll be glad if you have something to share.
I tryed stevianna yesterday just 1/4 tsp with 1 sugromax tab which i am use to but usely have 2 tabs with flavored green teas and trying to cut down. I am sensitive to sugar and trying to cut sweeter down so tryed stevia. I dont now if it was the brand or just that its still sugar but may hart was racing and ringing in my ears all night. I usely just get itchy from sugar.
Ive been using stevia for about 6 months i have had ringing in my ears for about 5 months ,i think I’ll cut it out and see if it stops ,it’s making me insane
What brand ..very curious.Plain stevia has no reports of these side effects but brands with maltodextrin added do. Just use a clean brand like natures way liquid.
You have Tinnitis a very common ear condition ..a natural plant sweetener cannot cause this …go see your Doctor.
Dawn, an allergy to stevia can cause ringing in the ears. Mmmm it did with me along with dizziness and headaches. Stopped stevia, it went away.
Any allergy to anything can cause ringing in the ears so to say that stevia allergy cannot is not a true statement.
As with Michele, I got severe constipation after I switched my sweetener from Sweetex to Truvia. This was after one weeks use only. The dosage was just one pill in about 2 mugs of coffee or tea per day. I have only had constipation once before when I was taking co-comodal prescribed for a severe dose of shingles. That was three years ago. Other than using Truvia my diet remained the same which I know is ‘healthy’.
Would you recommend changing to an organic stevia product?
Yes I would switch to a different brand not made by leading food giants. try sweet leaf or whole foods brand,
Truvia isn’t pure Stevia & if I remember right the other ingredient in Truvia, Erythritol, was deemed to cause abdominal problems…I haven’t seen any mention of that on here, or I missed it.
Stevia is not the culprit here but Trivia is .It has known side effects do to other added ingredients.
It would seem to me, regarding the contraceptive properties of stevia, you could have two groups of mice or rats, one fed stevia and one not, and in three years, count them.
I had the diarrhea and bloating problems with many store bought versions that were mixed with the ingredients. I recently tried straight stevia extract and have had zero side effects. Its is very hard to measure as most drinks take 1/32 of a teaspoon to sweeten to the point of 2 tablespoons of sugar, but other than that it has been great.
My question which brand of Stevia did you use? If it was Truvia I would expect a negative reaction do to the chemicals in it. I only use Whole Foods Organic Liquid Stevia.
Makes me thoroughly ill too, just like Michelle describes with violent gas and bloating and cramping. I don’t have endometriosis and I don’t have gall bladder problems or IBS (they have all been checked). I don’t have allergies or any issues normally, but Stevia makes me ill. I will not go near the stuff and am otherwise a happy healthy person.
Me too. I’m a healthy person, but Stevia makes me dizzy and itchy. Took me a while to figure out what was doing this to me, as I needed to eliminate one ingredient at a time, but it’s def. the Stevia. Nearly fell down from it a couple of times. Stinks, because they sneak it into everything these days as a “healthy” alternative, but it’s anything but.
I drank two cans of coke life yesterday. In the middle of sleeping, I woke up due to severe itching in my fingers, and even under my fingernails. I slept very little and when I finally got up, I took a benedril. My hands are puffy, I am still itching, fingers, chin, neck, elbows, skin in general. I didn’t’t itch this bad with poison ivy a few years back. I am definitely having a bad reaction to stevia. I’m thin, I have mantle cell lymphoma, had extensive chemo and stem cell transplant in 2009. Rituxan and bendamustine in 2012-13. Everything since has been the same foods, drinks, etc. I just got the coke life yesterday and drank two. That is the only thing I did different. So, itching and swelling hands happened here. I am not sensitive to ragweed, any flowers especially chrisanthamums or daiseys so that rules out that connection! I live in the country in the woods and very seldom do I go anywhere. Wish that benedril would kick in, my face and scalp are so itchy! No more coke life for me for awhile.
Yuk. Never heard of this sweetener till I found it on the list of ingredients in ‘no added sugar Baked Beans. Have had the abdominal pain and gassy stomach for 11 hours and counting. If you suffer from any thyroid problem, avoid the allwrgic reaction to this sweetener
I use sweet Leaf for yrs. powder & liquid worKS for me l’m not diabetic but l have liked it in tea and my coffee anything to much isn’t a good thing l wonder about alot of food today so …..
I have used trivia for few yrs. then started using stevia in the raw.(Walmart ) I have had horrible gut problems Didn’t have a clue why , I had to stop everything and found out it was stevia in the raw that was giving me the problems.it has been just two short days that I have stopped using it,but it seems to be subsiding. My stomach was so tight and felt hard. It has been a very uncomfortable 5 months. I won’t be using stevia again. Also I drank a lot of tea and consumed a lot of stevia, 8-9 packs a day.
I agree about women and men taking it out of their diet if trying to conceive. I, however, am done having children and have so far enjoyed Stevia. I am currently on The Fast Metabolism Diet and one of the allowed sweeteners is Stevia. It is sweet and has a lot of potential. However, each person is different and each body has sensitivities. I enjoyed this informative article. Thank you for compiling it and making it easier on us readers.
Hi
I usually use DetoNovo Stevia (no aftertaste) to sweeten coffees because my clients like it (I own a cafe processing company) and I know it’s super strong & only take a little to sweeten just about anything. It does not contain other ingredients such as Glycerine, natural flavors, dextrose or xylitol.
Be careful when you buy cheap Stevia brands because they have used cheap raw materials such as aspartame, xylitol etc. I dont want to pay less for lower quality food products for my clients.
Alternatively, sugar, mainly due to the high amount of fructose, can cause all sorts of serious diseases like obesity and diabetes.
So..better to use quality brands Not Artificial Sweeteners!
Thanks!
Where do you buy your DetoNovo Stevia?
Molly,
I usually buy 500gr cans directly from the importing company DetoNovo.
They send to me packages to my cafe))
Just after three days I feel horrible. Severe constipation (I almost never get constipated). I think it also affected my mood and overall sense of well being. I had stomach aches and became bloated. It is not an allergic reaction per say, but clearly, it affected my digestion adversely, may a neurological response, somehow interfering with peristalsis. I am a physician and now I always ask if people are using stevia to see if it correlates with symptoms. And now it is in drinks and I unwittingly may get some and boy do I feel it. Sweeteners are just that and we just need to get away from them all together.
I have endo & having issues with stevia :( . My endo is also in my intestines so I’m in pain when I eat the wrong foods. I’m planing to just go on a clean eating diet. I know someone else posted about refined sugars which I understand. There has be something about how it effects some ppls endo. We are all different even with endo too. Thank you :)
I have to agree with Michele and others. I too had horrible gut problems; my gallbladder was removed, had constant bloating, unusual weight gain, numerous diet changes/elimination of foods and kept getting worse. Finally, I eliminated Stevia and for the first time in years I have better energy and gut problems are starting to settle down. I used stevia for over 10 years, so I have a long road ahead. I do have ragweed allergies, had endometriosis and on occaison slight asthma. It was never on my radar that it may be causing all my problems. I used stevia with no additives. If you have unresolved digestive problems, take a break from stevia and see if it helps.
I USED STEVIA AND HSAVE HAD STOMACH BURNING IN MY TUMMY FOR 3 DSAY’S. I FEEL ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE. THE TASTE IS STILL LINGERING IN MY MOUTH.
Side effects:
SEVERE heart palpitations
Eye twitching
Low grade fever everyday (100)
Missed periods
4 days off of it now, eye twitching is faint, and having cold sweats at night(which happened to me after birth so it makes me think my hormones are trying to regulate)
No word on heart palpitations yet but I think it will be a good month, after I read something else on another website about what it does to the heart.
I’m only 28 and I’ve been miserable for 2 years and I can’t believe I didn’t realize it was the stevia. I was drinking zevia and crystal light pure.
Thanks for all this Stevia info, I also heard the Stevia plant is in close family with ragweed and could make those with ragweed allergies have reactions to Stevia.
Hey Amber,
Yes you’re absolutely right. As Regev wrote in the article, If you’re allergic to any of of the Asteraceae/Compositae family of plants (ragweed, chrysanthemums, marigolds, daisies, etc), you might very well be allergic to Stevia.
Yes, I am so bummed out that the Stevia I bought from Whole Foods is NOT agreeing with me. But I am relieved to read that it is due to the fact I am allergic to ragweed therefore the headaches from stevia. Now I am not worried that I’m getting migraines like my mother.
Dr. Aqsa Ghazanfar,
Just found this article and thought it was quite good and I really appreciate your comments in this thread. I’ve been using an organic form of Stevia by NOW. Hadn’t had any problems until recently. Seems digestive issues have cropped up; suffered with constipation; cramping, etc. These items have been mentioned here. I never stopped using Stevia; however, one thing that made me pause was the allergy to Asteraceae/Compositae. I am allergic to Ragweed so upon the advice, I’m going to back away from the Stevia for a while to see if these issues subside. The item most worrisome right at the moment is the fullness in the digestive track. If i’m allergic to ragweed, then maybe the Stevia is having a affect. I sure hope not but will see. Because of all this, i’m having a endoscopy to be on the safe side; however, there are some consistencies here worth noting.
Thanks again,
Frances
I used Stevia in the raw this morning for the first time, in my coffee, and had the same symptoms I had as a young man working in the hay fields,runny nose and watery eyes,( an allergie my Doctor then called hay fever) this lasted untill mid afternoon. I`m going to do the same routine for the next few mornings and see if the same symptoms persists. I will post back and let you know, if you like.
Hi Jimmy!
As I answered to Amber, if you’re allergic to any of the plants from the Asteraceae/Compositae family (which includes, ragweed, chrysanthemums, daisies, etc), you might be allergic to Stevia too. We’ll be glad if you could let us know the results of the ‘routine’ you followed !
I have also had an allergic reaction to the Debittered Stevia – Itchy eye.
So thank you for this incredibly well researched article that answered so many aspects on Stevia.
I have been using stevia for years. I purchased it at healthfood stores before it was available in grocery stores. I’ve had fibromoalgia for years too. I have been buying Stevia in the raw at the grocery store. I see it’s first ingredients is dextrooe. I also have pollen allergres. Suspicion I’d what landed me here. Time to stop and see what happens.
Dextrose
I am allergic to ragweed but haven’t had any problems with stevia. I use it at least twice daily, 2-3 Tbs at a time. My Dr. put me on Keto for my heart so I use stevia in my coffee and my lemon water.
hey regev some awesome stevia information over there! you forgot one important thing, IS STEVIA PALEO ?
Yes, stevia is definitely paleo (or primal) friendly.
What does that mean?
Hello I am new to stevia, I have brought the powder,Tablet form and sprinkle form to try. I have read the benefits of its uses and look forward to good things. I have read a few of other peoples comments or more there side effects…. Is it a possibility there bad effects are brought on by the fact there body knows the change in product and maybe its a way of elimination of other badness in there body functions ..almost like a oppersite effect. Or is it possible that the plantleaf could be dried instead of fresh. Or maybe steep the fresh leaf first.
Sorry i dont possess to be a now all.. just making an out loud comment.
Hi Robyn,
I’m not sure I understand what you mean by this. If you could you please try and explain a little more, maybe I can help you out.
YOU WERE DETOXING, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS START WITH ONE DROP AND WORK UP, WHEN YOU FEEL SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS, LOWER DOSAGE AND DRINK ENOUGH WATER, IT WILL IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH. Use stevia from Nutradmedix, it is therapeutic and not like the others.
Looks like possible allergic and/or detoxing/cleansing symptoms.
See your MD/ND/Holistic Nutritionist.
Sugar Alcohol Fillers can cause the bloating and the hangovers (ha!). Supplementing with digestive enzymes, probiotics, and Liver Supportive Formularies may help one cope while adjusting usage or avoiding Sugar Alcohol Fillers.
Fructose in “Basic” Sugar is the Culprit – taxes the Liver heavily as it processes the Formaldehyde, Alchohol, etc., and stores excess as fat(ty Liver).
Substituting Dextrose instead of Regular Sugar could be the Basic First Step, since Glucose is stored throughout the Body and Synthesized by the Body when needed.
See Your Qualified and Licensed Professionals!
hi Dr. Aqsa Ghazanfar i am making an research on stevia products because i am a son of a farmer and as you know that Pakistan’s Agriculture is mostly effected because people of here just knows to cultivate wheat,cotton and rice . i want to make change for the control of diabaties patiencs and espically for my family kindly if you disuss it on my email ill would be thanksfull to you i want to start a buisnees where i use my father agri-land to produce stevia and process it towards usefull for people in Pakistan.
ill strongly wating for your reply on my email beacuse may be i dont vist and may in contact with you in future
Email: umair_bohar@ucp.edu.pk
Is stevia alkaline or acidic?? I want it add it to my glasses of water with lemon
also: is stevia acidic when sold along with other ingredients sold in the packets?
I can’t comment on processed products, but natural sweetener stevia is the most alkaline of all sweeteners.
I recently cut sugar out of my diet, along with my husband and daughter. Occasionally, we like to have a sweet, so I bake cookies with stevia or sprinkle xylitol on oatmeal. We use both substances sparingly. The funny thing is… we all feel great. My whole family is more calm, patient and we don’t experience sugar cravings. I never realized how addicted to sugar we were. I think it’s likely that any person who gives up sugar and consumes just a small amount of stevia or xylitol will feel an all over bodily improvement. Conversely, if you were a constant junk food eater and replace sugar with tons of stevia and/or xylitol, you will most likely not be on your way to total health. Moral: be healthy by using common sense!
Words of wisdom, Stacey.
happy to hear that you’re all feeling extremely fine! I’m also sure that a constant junk-food-junkie who’d replace sugar with even high amounts of Stevia will feel much better, even the studies Regev showed didn’t indicate any negative effects of Stevia even in high doses, I have to admit though that michele’s comment made me curious. too bad stevia research is so limited
Glad for you, Stacey…I am doing the same with my family and I urge you and all others to encourage your friends and families to do the same – we all have to eat the correct foods (mostly natural and NOT processed!) and our bodies will respond in kind! – you keep it up, my girl!
I completely agree. I stay away from ALL sugars. I prefer to have fresh food and stay away from ALL pack foods. The only sugar I do take, is from fruit, but only certain fruits and stick to a small amount per day. For example, one banana a day but weekend I have no fruit. I ONLY drink water too.
I cannot stand any sweet taste in any foods. It is like sugar in tea, (this is just an example, as I dislike tea and coffee) but I see it as the majority on this planet seem to enjoy loads of sugar in their tea but a minority only have one sugar in their tea and not enough who even cut tea out altogether.
If nobody gets where I am coming from, the tea is not tea itself but food. I use the tea has an example. Like one who has 8 sugars in tea would be one who loves many, many sweet desserts, this doesn’t mean one who loves sweet desserts and enjoys tea would have 8 sugars in their drink but to ask one who loves junk food to then try healthy foods would be like asking high sugar intake tea drinker to cut down from 8 to say 2.
The FOOD industry is NOT stupid, especially FAST FOOD places. Add sugar and keep them coming back for more. Hot hardwire the world and they make billions. Put prices sky high for healthy food so many cannot afford it, get people sick to the NHS makes money on medication. It’s a vicious horrible cycle and the sooner people realise this the better.
It key is to try and cut down and hopefully quit sugars altogether and nomore debates about if this or that sugar is healthy or not. How about talking about if Fish is healthy or not, and if fish causes illness. SIMPLE!!!
If something has any known studied facts about a food being unhealthy, stay away whether or not it’s provened, fact it even got links to such illness, is a concern alone, so stay away. SIMPLE!!!
Sugar in the food chain is pointless, does nothing for us just feeds on hardwired brain cells to want more and this causes too many health issues. I even want to eat more if I eat too much fruit, hence reason I only stick to a small amount. When I eat no sugars, I have very little need to want to eat, but only during the hours I cook breakfast, lunch and supper and NEVER snack inbetween.
haha loved the facts about stevia at the end
one more thing – is stevia dangerous for dogs?
i know xylitol is poisonous for dogs and can kill them and i don’t want to have it in my home, just in case one of my kids decides to throw a leftover to our family labrador, stevia sweet extracts seems like a good xylitol alternative if there are no dangers
Stevia seems to be safe for dogs, look at the section I wrote about stevia and hypertension. There was a study there actually performed on anaesthetised dogs with high 200mg/kg doses of stevioside. Not only was it safe for dogs, but they also managed to normalise their blood pressure with it.
I have had loss of focus too with a loss of energy. I am also concerned about the infertility it caused in rats
I figure that the “Industry” need to find a side effect that can take the product out of the market if it is not patentable. The studies they perform is in a over consumption level of mass proportion, where talking about giving rats stevia in an amount equivalent to a human consuming several pounds of stevia per day. That is by common sense not good with anything consumed in too large quantities. But the studies made by PhD´s and other scientists does not actually reveal the true quantity given to lab rats.
Hi Brenda!
Stevia is HIGHLY unlikely to cause those symptoms. As far as infertility is concerned, that particular research used extremely highly doses of stevia on a daily basis. No human can consume stevia in that way which is why that study was not conducted properly. Numerous studies done after that one proved that stevia has no such side effects. People from Paraguay and Brazil have been using this plant as a natural sweetener for ages. If it really caused fertility problems, people from those regions would have major problems having kids – which is not the case. In my opinion, it is just a rumor. Of course, any one would be concerned if something has even 1 in a million chance of causing infertility so to be on the safe side, you can use this in small quantities daily – meaning as a sweetener in your tea, coffee, etc or added to some fruits. Whatever you prefer, remember that anything used in excess is harmful.
when researchers give megadoses of anything to lab animals, they give the impression of fast-tracking the effects and the public is fooled BUT if you give mega doses of anything to lab animals, their organs can be overwhelmed causing immediate health issues -why don’t they give mega-doses of zorcor and the likes to lab rats? – we will be shocked at the results!
My question ,i have 4 cups of coffee per day 2 or 3 cups of tea per day ,so were talking 7 packets of stevia a day ,is this over doing it
Thanks
I use the same and also would like to know if it is too much. I had colon cancer.
Brenda maybe you got something else..I bought some stevia at Walmart and let me tell you,It was not Stevia i have no idea what it was but i had been using Stevia for years and ran out. I picked up some at my local Walmart and had to throw it out.So try Swanson’s in the packets..or better yet grow your own like i now do, its the best stevia sweetener you can get.
I am glad that you made the proper pronunciation of Steh-vee-a instead of Stee-vee-a which is not the original pronunciation of the word.
there is plenty of adequate research like the one from the 1970s, called Sugar-pure white and deadly. Still the sweetener industry is stronger than ever with sugar, corn syrup and bad artificial sweeteners. Industry and politics are both interested in getting the money, not in the consumer’s health.
Ron Green and Honesty you both stated some harsh facts – and unfortunately, I completely agree with both of you. One really has to understand the basics of how things work and where they come from before judging the credibility of what the media, advertisements and big companies tell us. I was shocked to read so many discouraging articles/posts regarding the the use of stevia. In a perfect world, there would be massive campaigns against refined good and the likes but oh well, that’s another discussion.
BUYER BEWARE!!!!! Though many new products are now bragging about the stevia used in them right on the front of the package, unless you check the label closely for each and every one, there is also a good chance you are getting sugar alcohols like Erythritol, known to cause gas and bloating as well as dextrose and matodextrin. Even though “Stevia in the Raw” sounds like it should be a pure and natural form, it’s actually a blend of filler and white (processed) stevia that has little resemblance to the powered plant and is anything but pure, as you will see when you read the ingredients list right on the box.
With so many companies trying to cash in on a new trend, the sad truth is that many are also trying to use products they already have good deals on along side the “new” sweetener and tend to be more concerned about profit margins then what the old additives do to the costumer. Before we blame the plant for bad reactions and other stevia sweetener side effects, it’s best to check what else we may have consumed with it.
I’m using Stevia and am not suffering any side effects I can detect. The statement about the FDA making a comment about the safety, or lack of harm about Stevia, doesn’t make me feel better, given the FDAs record with honesty. More studies are needed by groups not associated with the industries involved.
I don’t think there is any practical danger of stevia really. There have been a few studies that showed a little toxic reaction in rats, but only in such high doses of steviol that it would take us tens of kilograms of leafs a day to reach that point. I need not to tell you what regular sugar would to your body in such doses. from all the studies i read there really is no real stévia danger to be afraid of, unless you’re allergic as regev said
i am highly allergic
Not only have I NOT experienced and side affects, I actually feel less, considerably less, aches and pains since switching over to stevia from sweet n low and splenda, as suggested to me by someone with much knowledge on this subject. I have RA and the accompanying muscle problems that some RA patients have. This sweetner has helped to lessen the symptoms.
I’m not here to be an ars on Stevia, it actually seems to be a quite good alternative…
But if it ‘reduces pain and aches’ that would rather worry me than make me happy, painkillers generally is bad :D
Victor – I might agree with you on the painkillers if Stevia was causing other neurologic symptoms or if we did not have an understanding of the inflammatory response.
Processed carbs and sugars are well known for their inflammatory effects on the human body. It totally makes sense to me, (and I am a person who experiences chronic musculoskeletal pain) that replacing sugar, saccharine, alcohol sugars or splenda. That is not a narcotic like it effect, it is occurring due to a decrease in inflammation – and is a good thing.
….kinda sounds more like a relation between RA and Sweet N Low and Splenda exacerbating the RA symptoms and eliminating those substances helped, rather than Stevia acting like a pain reliever….but that’s just an off the cuff observation.
Sarah, the Splenda lets off certain toxins in the body, one of which is formaldehyde, which causes pain. Switching from Splenda, Nutrasweet and several others is bound to lessen pain.
It actually aspartame that emits/turns into formaldehyde. Aspartame (sweet n low) is also a known neurotoxin. Splenda however is so close to chlorine that those who are allergic to it cannot consume Splenda.
I would like to add that I am a fan of stevia but with some added caution. When things gain popularity (as stevia is now getting) companies begin to make shortcuts or “improvements” to the products to save money or attract attention. I would say that it’s never a bad idea to try and get it in it’s most natural form as possible. Kudos to those growing the plant. As for side effects, it has been known by some to have a laxative effect if you use too much of it. It doesn’t make it bad, it’s just important to use it in moderation. You know what they say about too much of a good thing :)
Actually, studies conducted in the last few years have indicated that Sucralose (Splenda) is far more dangerous than was originally believed. In addition, there was (as was true with Aspartame) a huge lack of valid research to prove its safety on the front end of its approval. Sucralose has been shown to breakdown to formaldahyde (as does aspartame).
Individuals who are having GI effects should probably read the labels of what they are purchasing. If it also contains alcohol sugars, the alcohol sugars are very likely the cause of the GI distress.
Aspartame is used in Equal. Saccharin and a small amount of dextrose are the sweeteners used in Sweet ‘N Low.
Hi Sarah,
That’s an interesting observation and as far as I know, it’s not the introduction of the Stevia but the removal of splenda from your diet that seems to have reduced the symptoms. As many others people have commented here, splenda is sort of like a toxin that makes inflammation worse. You might know by now that Rheumatoid Arthritis is caused due to inflammation. Stevia doesn’t cause any such effects and that’s why you have noticed that you’re feeling better.
I have been using stevia daily for several months. I have been using quite a bit, I drink tea with stevia, approximately 4-5 times a day. I have developed twitching in my right eye. I was wondering if anyone else may be experiencing this or have heard of it being a side effect of stevia, Thanks.
A general statistical rule of thumbs to follow is to never mix correlation with causation. Although there is a theoretical possibility that Stevia did cause that eye twitching, there are a lot more components involved and it would be impossible to tell if stevia is the one to blame, without a controlled study. I personally never heard of eye twitching and related issues as potential stevia leaf side effects. It sounds more of a neural symptom of some deficiency. I’d suggest you to go through a blood test for nutrients deficiencies and see if you lack something. This is one of the known symptoms of a vitamin B12 deficiency, but again – we can’t really guess accurately. I’d personally go through a blood test for nutrient deficiencies and if everything seems to be alright, drop the stevia for a while and see if things improve.
I think anything to do with twitching has to do with a Calcium loss, usually associated with too much sweets in the diet (that kicks the calcium out)… So I would stick with less Stevia & then only WHOLE LEAF powder.
Possible that it will pull some B vitamins as well, B12 included, if used extensively. 1/2 teaspoon per use would be sufficient, I feel.
P.S. Use 1/2 teaspoon of Stevia Green Leaf powder (organic from MountainRoseHerbs, from Eugene OR), per cup or approx. 10-12 oz of filtered water, as in Herbal teas…
Actually, studies conducted in the last few years have indicated that Sucralose (Splenda) is far more dangerous than was originally believed. In addition, there was (as was true with Aspartame) a huge lack of valid research to prove its safety on the front end of its approval. Sucralose has been shown to breakdown to formaldahyde (as does aspartame).
Individuals who are having GI effects should probably read the labels of what they are purchasing. If it also contains alcohol sugars, the alcohol sugars are very likely the cause of the GI distress.
ah haaaa…. I had twitching a lot in the eyes too and so I thought it was the stevia plant which I recently incorporated in my drinks… now I am guessing it must have been all those desserts and sweets I have during the festive….thank you all for the informative information I have read so far….now I can give more care to my stevia plant…
I have been using Stevia for approximately a year and starting getting twitching in my left eye about 2 months ago. I would say that over the past month the twitching is occurring more often. I use a minimal about — about 1/4 teaspoon to each cup of coffee or closer to 1/8?, and I have 2 cups in am and 1 at end of day sometimes. Do you know if there are side effects from using Stevia with herbs or other natural products. I have Mint tea each day and sometimes another cup in evening. Just wondering if it could be something like that …
I would like to know the brand of Stevia you are using. Its my guess that its not stevia but the other additives that the bigger company’s use .Maltotextrin has some side effects as well.I would switch to Organic Liquid Stevia by Natures way. Great product.
Yes had eye twitching, benign paroxysmal vertigo and headaches been on it for 2 years, had all kinds of tests came back negative!
Strange coincidence, but I also have developed twitching in both eyes after using pure stevia for a while. perhaps its one of stevia sweetener dangers not yet discovered?
Sorry couldn’t help letting you know that a while back I suddenly developed eye twitches -but I had never had Stevia
To Gingerke@yahoo.com
I have been searching all over Google about this too.
I have also been experiencing eye-twitching of my right upper eyelid for about 5 months, everyday. After experimenting with my Stevia usage, I notice that everytime I eliminate it from my diet, the twitching stops. Coincidence? I think not.
I have weaned myself of Stevia completely now and no longer experience eye-twitching.
Research NEEDS to be done on this!!!
Can’t believe it! I’ve had my left eye twitching for a year now. Was getting very worried but it ties in exactly since I switched to using stevia.
:S
hmm Regev really appreciate it if u plz dig into this (eye twitching being one of stevia extract side effects) deeper and update here for your findings. Id like to try stevia but it makes me a little worried
gingerke, your eye twiching could be a sign of dehydration…tea is known for that.
Don’t drink tea, i drink lots of water and still had eye twitching
Hello, I read your post about eye twitching due to Stevia use. I have used Stevia for a few years now, and on about 3 occasions including now I have had twitching usually in my left eye. I am currently experiencing it again.
I assumed it was from drinking espresso drinks daily and sometimes becoming depleted of potassium and other minerals. However, when this problem first occurred I suspected the Stevia cut back on use. The twitching went away, but has come back now. I will try that again now, and attempt to distinguish between the 2 possible causes.
Another possible reason for the recurrence might be due to taking the combination of espresso and Stevia on an empty stomach, for the last month. The difficulty in narrowing down the cause is that the eye twitching can be caused by both caffeine and apparently Stevia consumption. (I use 2 to 4 packets daily)
I determined that the eye lid twitch I was having was definitely caused by the stevia product I was using. This is unfortunate, because NuNaturals had the best tasting blend I have ever used. It has other ingredients;Malodextrin and “other natural flavors”. I will try the pure form and see it that works. In the mean time I am using Erythritol.
Stevia in the Raw has as its first ingredients Maltodextrin! For myself, the maltodextrin has caused me continual stomach cramps, weight gain & bloating. I appreciate your web-site here so that I could also find an email from Coz, having the same discovery of the primary ingredient of MALTODEXTRIN in this “Stevia product” as it PRODUCES DEBILITATING SIDE EFFECTS. I will use a pure ORGANIC STEVIA from now on. thanks so much for your care of our health & the planet.
After reading the comment from gingerke@yahoo.com and all the others who posted in reply to that regarding stevia as the possible cause of eye twitching, here’s what I have to say:
Stevia has NOT been proven to cause any such side effect. Medically, eye twitching is something that is not a particular symptom on its own and is said to be idiopathic (something whose cause isn’t known) and something that does not require treatment. Many people experience it time and again but it carries literally no medical significance when it occurs alone. If there is accompanying pain, problems with vision, etc or symptoms in other part of the body, you need to consult your doctor. Twitching of any group of muscles can be due to a derangement in your calcium levels (as one of our readers has pointed out) but eye twitching alone would be the least likely presentation of such an issue. To sum up, if you have other issues along with eye twitching or if this symptom alone is causing you problems, visit your doctor as soon as possible. Theoretically speaking, research could be done on the relationship between stevia and eye twitching but this symptoms carries little or no medical significance which is why no one would really be interested in conducting that sort of study. Again, its highly unlikely for the stevia to cause that twitching and other causes need to be looked into.
Also, for any one who is experiencing eye spasms, any of the following could be the possible cause (however, there isn’t much proof regarding these causes as the actual reasons behind the intermittent eye-spasms since not everyone who experiences these problems gets eye spasms) :
-Stress,
-Dry eyes,
-Sleep disturbances,
-Alcohol intake,
-Caffeine intake,
-Bright Lights,
-Fatigue.
Hope this helps guys!
Thanks for a very informative & well researched article.
One thing you missed off the list above as a possible cause of eye tics or twitches & which nobody else seems to have mentioned is magnesium deficiency.
Magnesium is needed for muscle relaxation & whIle a deficiency of magnesium is not the only cause of tics & muscle spasms, is one of the most common causes.
I can’t think of any reason stevia would cause eye tics but in someone who has borderline magnesium levels small stresses will cause an out-flux of magnesium from the cells where it belongs. Drinking strong or even normal strength coffee will do this since it stimulates release of stress hormones. Stress causes a loss of magnesium, zinc & potassium especially in the urine.
I would be curious to know if those people getting these tics with stevia actually started drinking more coffee when they started using stevia?
I used to experience eye tics frequently for many years but since stopping coffee years ago and taking magnesium regularly I rarely get eye tics these days. They only occur if I have not been taking as much magnesium as usual.
I would be interested in feedback from those who complained of tics with stevia about whether they increased their coffee consumption at the same time. .
Thanks.
In addition, other electrolyes could result in eyelid twitching. I will again suggest that the affected readers read the label and make certain they are only getting stevia and no other chemicals and also that if they think it is possibly the cause, then remove it from their diet and see what happens. If the twitching stops then they may want to quit using the Stevia.
Over the years I have come to realize any artificial sweetener causes my eyes to twitch. I have gone off and on using sugar alone then go back to using sweeteners and each time the twitching returned. I had hope with Stevia as I read it be produced from the plant, but yet again my eyes have begun to twitch. So in my opinion, for whatever the reason twitching is directly connected with the sweeteners. The twitching always stops when I start using sugar again, but I hate to use sugar since it has caused me to gain so much weight over the years. I guess I will pick twitching over weight gain from now. So far I enjoy Stevia the most.
Check out Dr.Berg on utub he has a video on eye twitching ,it helped me.
My eye has been twitching everyday for an entire YEAR and I’ve been drinking stevia daily since then.
Well I haven’t drank it for 4 days and guess what, twitching is so faint I can barely feel it.
Has anyone used Stevia during pregnancy and breastfeeding time? I’m thinking of buying ‘Stevia in the raw’ as a substitute for sugar but there is a lack of information when it comes to Stevia and breastfeeding. More research needed I guess. /:
I don’t have any research for you, but as a nursing mother I am trying to be more aware of what I eat. Due to the many negatives of consuming sugar and even more problems related to artificial sweeteners, I thought I would try stevia as well. I do have a word of caution if you decide to try it – be careful to READ THE INGREDIENTS when purchasing any and all products. I recently bought “Stevia in the Raw” and later found that it actually contained two ingredients, the first being maltodextrin followed by stevia extract. I haven’t yet been back to the store to see what else is available. I will definitely remember to check the ingredients next time, even when the front of the packaging says 100% natural (obviously not the same thing as 100% stevia, but I was shopping with my 2 boys, both under the age of 2 so I guess I got distracted). Another natural sugar alternative you can consider is agave nectar, which is kinder to the body than sugar, but it does still contain calories.
Valuable points. Titles and labels can be misleading, and often are. ‘Natural’ is a common trap. Even Cyanide is natural.
I noticed the same thing when 1st looking into using Stevia. The one I settled on was 100% Pure Stevia extract found at Trader’s Joe in a small seasoning container. It was the only Stevia product I found that only listed Stevia as an ingriedient. So far the only side effect I have had is a loss of 20 pounds, but I believe it plausable that individuals can have allergies to it just like anything else. I would advise anyone experiencing any negative effects to be seen by a doctor and have bloodwork done. I also use very little amounts of Stevia per day. Just today a friend was trying to tell me about the negative effects of Stevia based on a study of a daily consumption of 1500mg per day. I laughed because anyone who has tried Stevia knows you cannot consume that much unless your tolerance to sweetness is rediculously high and even then I’d have my doubts. I was looking for this study when I ran across this article. On the issue of eye twitching, I would seriously get checked out in every way before making possible false statements. When I had eyeproblems many years ago, before ever trying Stevia, my 1st action was an appointment with an eye doctor. Just saying.
“So far the only side effect I have had is a loss of 20 pounds” LOVE IT!!! :)
Hi Donna, I’m a nursing mom. I just wanted to share that I don’t eat much sugar. However, when I do eat a lot of sugar because of a social situation (by a lot of sugar, I mean cake and ice cream for a birthday) my milk production goes way down. Three birthdays in the past three weeks, each time I could tell I had less milk because I wouldn’t be engorged in the morning after not nursing several hours.
Hi Donna!
There isn’t enough research regarding Stevia’s use during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Although it is considered harmless, I would still advise you not to use to it while you’re pregnant or breastfeeding because these two processes involve more than just your own body – what happens at the fetal level is much more complicated and many substances which are harmless to us can damage numerous parts of the growing fetus and baby. It’s better to wait for some helpful research to come along till Stevia can safely be used during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Hi Aqsa,
Thanks a lot for your thoughtful comments regarding Stevia use, I found them very useful. I just wanted to return a little bit to what you said about using stevia during pregnancy. Given
i) the absence of any empirical evidence in the lab that stevia can hurt mother and baby (this post makes it clear that Kuc’s study is noninformative)
ii) Based on the above I would expect that the Guarani population of Brazil and Paraguay has been using stevia during pregnancy for centuries, so in fact we do have some empirical evidence that stevia is safe during pregnancy
iii) the ample empirical evidence that stevia may have many benefits for the mother’s health
iv) from a purely theoretical side, the absence of any compelling reason why we should a priori worry about stevia use during pregnancy
–> given all this my guess is that it s actually advisable to use stevia during pregnancy, in reasonable amounts of course. The logic of saying “we are not 100% sure so we should refrain from using it” strikes me as being a little bit wrong-headed; imagine if we applied the logic consistently for all food items for which there is some uncertainty…
I have 2 children and I’m 22 weeks pregnant, I used stevia for my 3 pregnancies and during pregnancies. If you have any information regarding some potential risks associated with stevia use that I might have overlooked, or/and if you disagree with any of my foregoing points i)-iv), it would be great if you could share your insights with me, thanks so much in advance :-)
In health,
Lemurette
Is “Stevia in the Raw” bad? I thought it contained Stevia extract and Dextrose (bulking agent).
Dextrose is sugar.
I have just stared using Stevia in the last few days.I have had diarrhea from the first day. No stomach pain or nausea, just the dirrhea. Have you heard of this before and will it settle down. I would really like to use it in place of sugar. Thanks for your time
I’ve never heard of it causing diarreah. But even if you decide to ditch stevia altogether, you still have other options. Sugar should be out no matter what.
Stevia IS the cause…I used it and had the same effect: diarrhea. And yes I know it was from that. Had the same thing happen the first time I used it. Then didn’t use it for awhile after that. Then decided to use it again about a month later and surprise…I got diarrhea again! But because I had used more, I also felt bloated and the diarrhea was worse. That doesn’t mean it will happen to everyone, but to deny these side-effects are caused by stevia is to purposely close your mind. It is still a good product for many people…I just wish I could learn to drink plain black coffee. Thanks for listening.
I wonder if Stevia also causes the constipation I have.
Hey Irene,
Fortunately, Stevia is not known to cause constipation. Other possible side effects include diarrhea, nausea, bloating, etc. However, these are pretty rare and most people don’t generally experience any side effects.
Has anyone experienced weight gain from using Stevia? When ever I add any products that contain Stevia to my diet, or use the product itself I gain weight. Remove it and weight loss returns.
Hi Jacs!
Yes, diarrhea is one of the uncommon side effects of stevia (and it occurs in very few individuals) but it usually disappears when you keep using Stevia. If it doesn’t, there might be another cause (infections, mal-absorption disorders, etc). In addition to that, I completely agree with what Regev has said in the article itself regarding the use of refined sugars (try to avoid it as much as possible). Hope this helps!
I’m planning to start on Stevia, as recommended by my cousin. After reading ur article and following comments, I M little scared though. I M suffering from vitamin B12 deficiency, M advised to lose some weight. Is it really ok to make the switch?? I M from India, R there any particular brands to look out for?
Yet another “testimonial” for Stevia. I’m an octogenarian who had several years ago developed Type II diabetes. By means of a plant-based diet (hate to classify myself with some “ism”), I have brought the tell-tale signs and symptoms back to normalcy. I have used Stevia for the past four years without so much as a hint of blood sugar imbalance. Also, and this is purely anecdotal, by switching from “normal” sugars to Stevia my Candida has disappeared. Since I live in South America, I am able to grow my own organic plants …. thus saving money and insuring the purity.
This site is awsome! Such a wide variety of well written, informative health articles, and great feedback too!
I just started using Stevia and have just not had the energy and focus that I did before. Also, my 20 y/o daughter is concerned about infertility issues we found on-line. Could my lack of energy and focus be due to the Stevia? I can’t trace it to anything else.
Sugar is actually known to be a major contributor to lack of focus and energy after the initial glucose-spike wears off. Do you still consume the same amount of calories you used to, before switching to stevia? I usually am not a fan of counting calories at all, but it can be a reliable indicator to help you determine if your overall energy intake decreased since moving to stevia. Do you consume enough good fats? Under the diet I frequently recommend in this site, your body should turn into a fat-burning monster, relying primarily on fats for energy expenditure and fuelling you with plenty of stable energy for the day. Once you quit the glucose addiction and fill your body with good fats, you’re not supposed to have those energy swings.
The fatigue and muscle aches must have not been from Stevia. I am still using it and feel fine
I also enjoy stevia benefits and side effects don’t seem to be any issue so far
I researched Stevia and read nothing but good and wonderful things about it as an all natural sugar alternative. I drink 2 cups of coffee every morning, double-double. Two mornings in a row I used 1 packet of Stevia for each cup of coffee, 4 packets over 2 mornings. On the evening/early morning of the 2nd/3rd day, I had a nightmare so vivid I was afraid for my life. I dreamed someone entered my home and tried to kill me. The horror seemed to last for hours, but realistically was only a couple of minutes. When I finally got the courage to check my home, there was no one there. I googled ‘Stevia’ again, this time as a hallucinogen, and the shocking information I read supported my experience. I threw it out. Just because a product is deemed ‘natural’, doesn’t mean it’s safe.
if you are also not consuming other nutritious carbs, the glucose lowering effect could possibly cause this if you are consuming large quantities of stevia. while helpful to a diabetic by assisting with the glucose lowering effect, excessive use could cause all the symptoms of hypoglycemia if you consume large quantities while cutting out all other carbs. because of the this helpful (if used carefully) side effect, more care& attention should be paid to diet if you have ever had blood sugar issues. Still, with care, it can be quite helpful. The first time I used it, I did not realize how VERY sweet it was an over sweetened a cup of coffee. I had not eaten that day due to fasting for a dr visit and immediately after the visit, got a cup of coffee that I STRONGLY OVER sweetened with Stevia. I experienced, a strong blood sugar drop with symptoms such as headache, vision disturbance and nausea. Eating a small snack made it go away once I realized what the issue was. Stevia can be very helpful but if you have insulin sensitivity issues, one should still be careful to maintain a proper diet and snacks. This cannot be blamed on Stevia but rather our lack of information of this unique product.
I have a squirt of store brand liquid Stevia 2X in morning coffee and in ice tea occasionally. Can this cause daily diarrhea and painful coliis? I’m trying to eliminate the causes of both.
Can Stevia cause G.I. problems? I’m wondering if Stevia can be used as a sweetener for an elderly person who suffers from chronic diarrhea. I’ve been trying to find out if diarrhea can result from the use of Stevia like it can from artificial sweeteners. Thanks, Patty.
I don’t see any potential negative health effects with Stevia in regards to diarrhea. MayoClinic lists “fructose, sorbitol and manitol as potential diarrhea triggers”, but does not include Stevia in their list, although it might be because of lack of research. Anyway, I’d put a close eye on my diet if I were you, it’s easy to avoid diarrhea and other chronic conditions once you fix your overall diet. Try to eliminate dairy products as well and see how it works.
You might also try eliminating gluten from your diet for about 2 or 3 weeks to see if your diarrhea symptoms disappear. I had irritable bowel syndrome with some parts of the diarrhea symptoms going away when I eliminated lactose from my diet. Then I had a gastric bypass and the diarrhea symptoms worsened and I controlled them with about 1/2 a scoop of Questran powder daily taken with herbal tea. I started to have other gastrointestinal problems including a scary weight gain pattern so I went back to my gastroenterologist again. He recommended I go gluten free for 2 or 3 weeks and see if symptoms improved.
Wow! What a difference! I am not happy to be diagnosed with celiac disease, but I am very glad to have an explanation for my problems and a proactive way to combat the effects! Within 3 days my restless leg syndrome disappeared (and only returns when I accidently ingest gluten – wheat, rye, or barley products or foods contaminated by them). The same goes for my Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).
If after 2 or 3 weeks if you see no improvement then go back to your doctor for more guidance. If you do find substantial relief go back to your doctor anyway and ask for more guidance and verification of the problem and help from a nutritionist to help you deal with the changes in your life. Since similar symptoms/relief can be felt if you have wheat sensitivity or allergies rather than celiac disease which is an actual autoimmune disorder and causes long term intestinal malabsorption, your doctor’s input/guidance is critical to your long term health. Approximately one in 133 people have celiac disease according to studies and for those people being gluten free is NOT a lifestyle trend or choice!
By the way, the 2 or 3 weeks of home testing just means you bypass (in a healthy way) losing the waiting time while you get an appointment with your doctor and have expensive, possibly unneeded tests done if the elimination of gluten wouldn’t help your problems. A shortcut that could possibly allow your doctor to help you faster in other directions if needed. Not likely to hurt you, could definitely help you.
Diana, I wouldn’t recommend eliminating gluten before being tested for coeliac disease, as the test may show negative. I have it and still have restless leg syndrome occasionally, although I follow a strict gluten free diet.
Anyway I am anxious to try stevia, as I just read it’s recommended for people with gall stones and although I’m not overweight or diabetic, I use way too much sugar.
This was an awesome and helpful page to find.
Thanks!!
Read the ingredients on your Stevia product closely – are there any chemicals that end in “ol” – often those are alcohols. Sugar alchohols are notorious for causing diarrhea. For example – Truvia contains sugar alcohol.
When my elderly mother had diarrhea we were advised to bulk up her diet so that she had enough fibre. If I had
known about psyllium husks (not the powder) I think we would have solved her problems easily. I daily teaspoon with at least 300 mls of juice or water on am empty stomach should do the trick. It is mild as it expands like a jelly and works both to calm diarrhea and to soften stools with constipation. Here in Zimbabwe it is expensive as an imported health food but at an Indian shop it was really cheap. Why not google it and see if you want to try it out. Good luck with this.
I used 1 packet of stevia for the first time yesterday and the rest of the day I had the runs and a total clean out of my bowels. Coincidence??? I don’t want to try it again for awhile to check this out. Has anyone any information about this??
Throughout the years I have been Rx medications and have undocumented side effects. Doctors and manufactures told me that it wasn’t the meds i was taking. Years later reading the side effects of one of these drugs lo and behold the side effect I experienced was now on the side effect list.I now make sure I only try one thing at a time. If I have any strange symptoms I stop what I’m taking if the symptom goes away I trust my bodies knowledge of whats good or bad for it.I always inform my Doctor if I stop a medication and ask for an alternative. I have tried stevia several times and experience loose stools. Not enough of a problem to quit using it ,this time I use half the amt and add blue agave with it. In this way I’m still cutting my calorie intake and satisfying my cravings for sweets.
Hi Mary!
What you said about the new additions to the list of possible side effects of medications is true. Science continues to grow and so does the list of new drugs introduced into the market. Mostly, side effects, interactions, etc are researched upon before licensing the drug for sale (or at least, that’s what they tell us); stuff keeps coming up – sometimes these are additions to our previous beliefs and sometimes even new theories which prove the old ones wrong.
Thanks for sharing that info with us. Diarrhea or loose stools are a side effect of stevia but like you said, not bad enough for someone to stop using it.
Hello Ann!
What you experienced was not a coincidence, it is one of the side effects of stevia (albeit uncommon). Most people do not experience such side effects and when they do, they tend to go away with time. Try taking it in small quantities till your body gets used to it. If the diarrhea persists, there might also be some other underlying condition which would require a visit to your doctor (the chances of that are small but it’s always good to know just to be on the safe side).
Diarrhea of that nature sounds more like it is alcohol sugar induced. Read the label – if it has any alcohol sugar in it it can cause that affect.
From what i’ve experienced with plant based juice fasting the comments expressing lack of concentration, focus, & twitching sound more like severe sugar withdrawal than may be attributed to starting with Stevia. Then again, anything done to an extreme usually has some causality. New studies out show the average American consumes more than 1/2 POUND of sugar per day. In all its many cleverly hidden forms. That means most of us consume far more? Withdrawal from any severe harmful addiction is going to produce side affects. And probably for long periods of time until completely out of the system in all its forms. Could these individuals be craving new levels of carbohydrate intake, or some other compensating food intake, while their body searches for something to fill the sudden sugar void? Then what symptoms are a new level of these diet items producing?
PS i’m not a medical doctor, but i do possess an honorary doctorate in another unrelated science field… i’m just someone trying to stay healthy… But i do know from many years of research studying various cause and effects resulting from design change that apparent symptoms can often be the result of what may have been removed, as could be from what may have been added.
It does seem like plenty of the so called “stevia plant side effects” are sugar withdrawal symptoms. Superb observation, David, your points are gold.
I have to say I have used Stevia for 4+ years now and just recently wondered if any of the problems I have been having were related to Stevia. A short search on the internet and I found out 90% of them can be traced to a side effect of Stevia. Migraines – dizziness – heart palpitations – throat problems – I have all of these. Today I stopped using Stevia and already no more heart palpitations, having to clear my throat is MUCH less, my dizziness/vertigo is still there but not as pronounced. I have been told by a specialist that I had Migraine Associated Vertigo. I have been told I am allergic to ragweed – up until yesterday I did not know Stevia was of the ragweed family. I have been using 100% Stevia as yes I am aware that there are “Stevia” products out there cut with other sugars. For me using Stevia – which I thought was healthy has been anything but. I guess the message is be careful anything you try new and pay attention to your body changes – which may not occur at first but come up sometime later.
I am experiencing exactly what you described. I have used Stevia (pure Stevia drops from Trader Joe’s) for over 2 years and today I finally put two and two together. I must have allergies to it. Constant raw throat, coughing/wheezing, irregular heartbeat, shallow breath. I am going to stop using Stevia and see if these symptoms disappear.
I had 1 packet of stevia in 1 cup of coffee. That should not constitute as sugar withdrawal. I had nothing with the coffee that could cause this result. Has anyone else had this happen to them?????
Hi Anne!
I’m not sure I understand what you mean by that. If you meant that you experienced sugar withdrawal symptoms after you stopped using the usual refined sugar, etc that you use and switched to stevia, sugar withdrawal could occur. However, if you’re implying that you experienced these symptoms after using just a packet of stevia, that’s not really possible. I’ll be able to help you out in more detail once you can tell me exactly what you meant. Thanks
Been using stevia for over a year now. I have not experienced any negative reactions. I now grow my own (easy to do so), and use it just like sugar in everything. My hubby still uses the powdered stevia in his coffee, and sometimes Splenda (not approved by me). Stevia, Agave ang Honey are the only sweeteners in my house.
Hi,I use Stevia and a co-worker uses Organic Blue Agave. They told me Blue Agave is the best, safest sugar substitute and I should use it instead of Stevia. I was bouncing around to get reviews on both – your information seems honest but I couldn’t find anything on Blue Agave…have you ever heard of it?
I’ve talked to someone I know been using Blue Agave for a while and he says it’s sort of like Stevia (no glycemic-index, super-sweet) but has no strange after-taste (which many people don’t notice, so I guess it’s personal taste).
One thing I noticed at the store yesterday is that unlike Stevia, Blue Agave does have calories, carbs & sugars where as Stevia that I use shows none of these on the label. I guess I’m concerned about side effects of either since Stevia “seems” better for you. Thanks!
I have done few research about stevia and there are no strong evidences that stevia really cause side-effects. Considering that Stevia is a natural herb, ti causes less side-effects than other sugar substitutes. Before we believe some critics of stevia, we should take note that the side-effects they are pertaining may be due to other factors present in the person itself and not really the result of stevia.
I have been using stevia for over a year. I use a lot of it becasue I drink several ice teas during the day and two cups of coffee in the morning. I have found that I now struggle with concentration and never put the connection together until I read the comments. I think I will switch back to the chemical stuff for a week and see if there is a difference. This dialog has been helpful
I too have right eye twitching but attribute it to stress, of which I have plenty. I would love it if stevia would cleanse my colon, but alas, not so. I like the sweetness of stevia, the powder from the health food store or what I can purchase on line is sweeter than what can be purchased at the grocers, even the consistency is different. I still consume to much sugar and consider it an addiction, one I’d like to break free of..
When I stopped eating sugar back in the day, it didn’t take too long for me to get adjusted to the new taste of even sweetless tea, coffee and stuff like that. Stevia is not your only option, I’ve read some good things about Agave as well
I believe I have been experiencing stevia side effects for months. I’ve been nauseous, dizzy, have headaches and bloated and tired. I switched from raw sugar to stevia in everything at least once a day and have been feeling downright awful.
Hi Louise!
?I’m sorry to hear about your condition..I hope you’re feeling better now. Stevia does, on rare occasions, produce those side effects. Taking too much of it suddenly can be the cause. It’s definitely better than the artificial sweeteners available these days so if you want to continue using it, try increasing it gradually (for example increase your intake by 1 packet weekly or fortnightly, whichever suits your better). That will give your body some time to get used to it. If you’ve been using refined sugars and are a big fan of desserts and the likes, it will take your body a while to get used to the natural stuff. However, it will get used to it eventually if you add these new ‘alternatives’ slowly. Hope this helps.
Not only eye twitches but since using stevia: severe edema of legs,shortness of breath,severe muscle aches, insomnia to name a few symptoms. No change in diet,meds,or activities,etc. Only used it for abt. 2 mo.,but have stopped it. Cant say 4 sure,but I’m just sayin’. Also pain; stiffness in fingers;?nasal congestion(least of prob!). Anyone else w/these symptoms?
Yes after using it again after not using it for months, I’m feeling the same symptoms….muscle aches and stiffness in various parts of my body. It happened the first time I used it and unfortunately it’s happening again. What a bummer!
Yes I have nasal congestion, heart palpitations, bloating, nausea, severe dizziness, shortness of breath, muscle aches, am very tired and have back pain. I drink Sweet Pumpkin Celestial Seasoning tea which has Stevia in it. When the store ran out of the seasonal supply I felt better. It took time but eventually everything went away.
Yes, stiffness and insomnia. Not severe insomnia, like drinking a cup of coffee before going to bed, but definitely disturbed sleep. Also, I had not yet connected the sore, achy muscles to the stevia, but that’s got to be it. I’m going to revert to “Pure” flavor packets in water, and then adding a little sugar when I need sweetness.
I’ve been using Stevia for at least six months.I’ve also been sufferieng from constipation lately, and I wonder if Stevia could be a side effect.
Hi Irene,
Like I said earlier, Stevia does not produce constipation. It does, however, produce nausea, bloating, diarrhea, etc on rare occasions but these side effects disappear over time.
I have been using stevia in my tea for well over 2 years as here in the south, we like our tea sweet. I seem to develop a stiff neck when using stevia and wondered if there was a connection. There have been times that I cut back on stevia & the neck problems seem to subside as well. Didn’t know if anyone else has the same sort of problem.
Hi Susan!
Furtunately, Stevia does not have anything to do with neck stiffness or any such neurological and/or muscular problems. That is, if you’re really taking the real stevia. There are a lot of fake sweeteners out there which have other ingredients in addition to stevia so be sure to get the real stuff. As long as you have that, rest assured that you won’t be getting any such side effects. If the problem persists, don’t use it as it might have some harmful additives. Try an alternative brand or if you want, you can even grow it in your own garden. If there’s anything else I can help you out with, let me know.
Just found the site and really wanted to say thanks for being so thorough
I recently had blood work done and according to the test I am allergic to stevia (and dairy and wheat/flour/gluten). I don’t want to go back to artificial sweeteners. What would you recommend. I appreciate your site, it is very informative.
Hi Tracey!
I’m sorry to hear that. It’s good you don’t want to use artificial sweeteners. There’s been a lot of hype over the ‘agave nectar.’ You might hear that it has a low glycemic index, blah blah. It’s not a true alternative to stevia or natural sweeteners. Simply said, it’s just high-fructose syrup and fructose in such large amounts is not good for your body since it messes up your leptin levels (a hormone involved in the regulation of appetite, weight gain, etc) and therefore, causes weight gain. So my answer is that there really isn’t an alternative to stevia. People propose agave but it’s not healthier than sugar, honey, etc. Try sugar-free stuff for a while – eventually, that’s the best for our bodies. As long as you’re eating fruits, etc, it’s all good. But try to keep away from the artificial/refined stuff as much as you can. The temporary good taste in your mouth is definitely not worth the harm that these food items cause in your body.
I have used Stevia for over a year and have noticed no side effects until this summer. My usage has increased with iced tea consumption this summer, and I am now wondering if the increase has led to the diarhea and nausea I’ve been experiencing recently. I thought it was medication, but have stopped the suspected offender only to find no change in the symptoms. I may need to cut out stevia for a time and see if that helps. I really hope it’s something else…
Hi Debbi !
Unfortunately, Stevia is the most likely cause of your symptoms. However, you can get rid of these symptoms if you increase the daily intake of stevia slowly. That way, your symptoms will improve over time and you’ll be able to keep using stevia.
Used Stevia for the first time. mixed in with an organic Magnesium supplement and had a reaction I have with all artificial sweeteners. I start with a headache, then sinus pressure and slightly swollen tongue, total “fuzzy” brain and no appetite.
Very strange.
Too bad….I wanted to like it.
I ‘ll just stay off sugar as i have since 1991.
Hi Sophie,
That’s somewhat absurd because Stevia isn’t like the artificial sweeteners at all. It’s highly likely that what you tried wasn’t real stevia at all and probably was a mixed up form of some other sweeteners. The symptoms you described point towards an allergy and since stevia isn’t an artificial sweetener (it’s derived from a plant therefore, it is natural), it’s not possible for you to have the same reaction to it which you experience with artificial sweeteners.
I would just like to say I have read every post because I am looking for a safe alternative to sugar due to severe and ongoing oral thrush which from research I have found out is due to ongoing candida infection which feeds on particularly sugars in the diet. Alot of the comments about side affects found when sugar is stopped and replaced with the natural alternative stevia sound to me as if they could be linked to candida, something called “die off” effects when the candida is no longer fed by sugar and the effects it has on the bowels when you stop feeding the candida infection but do not heal it with natural anti-fungal drugs like oil of oregano and pre/ probiotics which strengthen the bowels as die off is occurring. I have been a sufferer of what I was diagnosed with being I.B.S for most of my life(another condition I now believe could have been caused by long term candida overgrowth) and found when I first started using the treatment the reaction in my bowels was severe but with perseverance and a specific probiotic which is designed to calm the bowel in transit I have coped much better. I have cut down my sugar intake and was thinking of replacement but thought I would try to get over the worst of my side effects from candida die off first which interestingly include “brain fog”, “sleep disturbance”, “twitchy eye”, “stomach cramps”, “diahorrea” until starting bowelcalm and respiratory sinus allergy problems not unlike some people’s reaction to what they thought was stevia, but mine occurred without any use of stevia. I think most of the symptoms experienced in the early use stage of stevia described could be these “die off” of candida reactions I have been experiencing and continuing with the sugar replacement and a low sugar diet will clear up these symtoms indefinitely. More information can be found about the symptoms I have described very easily but I am sure none of them are directly linked to stevia or the use of it.candida overgrowth can be linked to many serious health problems including endometriosis as one lady is suffering and vitamin and mineral deficiencies. It can mimic some serious illnesses and cause others. Simply reducing the candida overgrowth can have significant health benefits and a vast improvement in symptoms My only regret is that I did not find this information until now and have suffered the side effects of my condition for years thinking it was just something I had to put up with. If we open our minds and do not just blame the latest edition to our journey to a better diet i.e stevia then we will be all round healthier happier people and our generation will hopefully help future ones stop our unhealthy addiction to refined sugar which is making us so ill.
Hello Clare!
You’re very right when it comes to what refined sugar does to us but I don’t agree with what you said about the symptoms described by others being linked to candida ‘die off.’ I’m a little concerned about your candida infection. How are you now? Have you consulted a physician about this? It’s not normal to have this infection for such a long time and like you said, it points out at multiple causes. When we’re healthy, our immune system is strong enough to fight it. Infections such as candida only show up when we have underlying immunological problems, dietary deficiencies, etc. You should visit a doctor regarding this and I’m sure he/she will try to find out the underlying cause and remove that (I don’t think the I.B.S has anything to do with candida unless it’s so bad that you’re suffering from chronic malabsorption and thus, a dietary deficiency). If there’s anything else I can help you out with, please let me know! Good luck!
I’ve used Stevia for a couple of months now and I use a moderate amount. I’m now struggling with very uncomfortable constipation and gas. The only change in I in habit, diet or lifestyle I can come up with is the Stevia. Anyone else have this symptom?
Hi Tricia!
Stevia usually doesn’t cause any side effects. It can rarely produce only a mild degree of loose stools, bloating, etc. However, these should not be strong enough as to force a person to discontinue using stevia and he/she will get better with time as their body gets used to stevia. Stevia does not cause constipation so the likely cause can be a fake brand of stevia (trust me, there’s a lot of that stuff being sold out there). Make sure you’re buying the right brand.
I get a TREMENDOUS response from stevia. Not once, not twice, BUT -every- time I eat it. I get neurological symptoms that are very upsetting. After I drink it or eat it any amount I experience the following symptoms: numbness in the face, dizziness upon movement; electric “crackling” sensations down the cervical spine, and between the shoulder blades, a sense of anxiety and doom, and eye-lid twitching.
The handful of times I eat it, I get these responses – without fail. It is NOT coincidence.
Please be careful eating this poison.
How long after consumption do you get these symptoms?
Hi Gina!
It’s literally impossible for Stevia to cause such symptoms, it has nothing to do with your nervous system! You most probably tried something which wasn’t real stevia (that sort of stuff is very common these days so beware!).
Hmm… lots of good stuff here. I believe the truth may lie somewhere in the middle. It seems many bold statements are being made on BOTH sides.
While I agree that certainly, that some symptoms can just simply be withdrawal or detox symptoms for SOME… it can’t be for others (or for ALL), who say, they got a reaction the 1st time & every time.
I believe, that, like ANY food, SOME people are having an allergic reaction or food sensitivity, for THEM personally.
SOME people go into anaphalactic shock w/ nuts, or gluten, fish, etc… but that does not mean THAT food is poisonous, but it is to THAT person. So, THAT person should avoid it, for sure. It’s not fair though to label that food as “poison”.
I too, am curious to what side effects there may be w/ stevia use. My 11 yr. old son & I have been having mood & focus issues… fatigue… etc… even bloating, feeling nauseous. I had no idea why though…. perhaps WE are having a sensitivity/ allergy to it… DARN!!- if that’s the case!
But I actually came to check it out because of something else: I’ve taken out sugar for some time now… even fruits for several days… and still having symptoms of candida in the mouth & down south… particularly just after having home-made hemp milk made w/ stevia… very strange…. but…. I am NOT saying it was caused by stevia… but am definitely baffled…. still trying to pinpoint what’s going on. I don’t see how it COULD be stevia though, as it has no carbs right??
I also have leaky gut, and avoid grains & carbs… so I wonder if the same people who experience gut issues w/ this have gut issues/ sensitivities to begin with, but maybe don’t yet realize it… although, I haven’t had any constipation/ or diarrhea w/ stevia myself.
Yeah, I definitely would like to see some real studies done;
although the experience of others is helpful in the mean time,
but to be taken w/ consideration to the whole big picture.
Definitely, some are reacting negatively to it, as w/ any food can, and there is w/drawal & detox symptoms…. not always the same answer for each person…. depends on how long, and who… etc…
Sure would like it to work out for me though….
I wonder how you folks that grow it, use this stuff?? I’ve grown a few plants… let it dry, used it in my smoothie… and it just gave it a green taste… blugh… ;-(
Thanks for the discussion!!
Hi Katie!
Thanks for sharing some great thoughts!
The main problem is that many people end up buying some fake sweetener in the name of Stevia or whatever they get has some additives combined with the real thing which makes their bodies react. Whether it’s big pharma trying to get people to stop using Stevia or it’s the companies selling fake stuff because it’s cheap, I don’t really know for sure. What matters is that we need to do our own research and understand how things work before just believing any one blindly. Some people are good at convincing others and can give very sound arguments but it’s really not worth it if we have no background knowledge about what they’re discussing. Be extra careful when you buy Stevia (and everything else too, of course! ) because you never know what you might be buying in the name of this sweetener!
I have been using stevia for 4 day. I’m a diabitic and I wanted something different then splender , but after 4 days of my stomach cramping I’M DONE . I have given up using all sugar free in diet products which I am happy. I been doing so good over the years controlling my sugar I’m gone start back putting sugar in my diet cos all this stuff artifical sweetner in stevia is not good for you who want to wait just to find out 5 years from now that all this stuff causes cancer not me and if I was you I would go back to sugar after you learn how to control yourself from eating to much of it — before its to late peace
Hi Simon,
As I’ve mentioned in the comment above, you might have ended up buying the ‘fake’ stevia. It usually doesn’t cause side effects and even if it does, they’re never bad enough to make a person quit it altogether. Its possible side effects include, diarrhea, bloating, etc. You can still try it if you can find the real thing but like you said, as long as you stay away from sugar-containing stuff, that’s good enough too. Hope you’re doing better now!
One thing I have noticed in trying to buy Stevia at a regular grocery store/supermarket — ALL THE BRANDS they have there HAVE SUGAR MIXED WITH THE STEVIA. It may be cane sugar, or dextrose or glucose. The only place I found pure Stevia without sugar mixed into it was at a health food store. So BE VERY CAREFUL when purchasing Stevia that you don’t accidentally get the kind with sugar mixed in. I’m glad I noticed it because I’m hypoglycemic and sugar is VERY bad for me.
As for side effects … I just started using it so I’m not sure about those. I do believe many people will have a die-off if they’re suddenly cutting out sugar entirely. Also, there is the ragweed connection. Just because something is an herb doesn’t mean it can’t have negative effects on the body and it doesn’t mean that herb is safer than a chemical. (Seriously, some plants are poisonous.) In general they are, of course. Anyway, my oldest brother has been using Stevia exclusively to sweeten his foods for the last several years and swears by it.
After yr comment Texas Gal, i looked on the ingredients of my bottle . I did purchase this from our local NZ health house store. This is whats in it. it says : A low calorie blend of stevia and Erythritol. 40gms.
What is this mean anyone got an idea.? Actually that was added to the the stevia sprinkle not the powder form. hmmm.I have to say it reminds me of artifical sugar.. i would be glad of feed back from anyone.
Oh and i appreciate yr comment that it suits yr brother . I guess i,l knw any difference when i next have a blood test.
Robyn.
Hi there Texas!
Thanks for the great info, I’ve been trying to tell all our readers the very same thing. I’ve been using Stevia from the past 5 years and I’ve never had any issues with it (even though I have a bad case of irritable bowel syndrome). Also,Anyone who is allergic to plants which belong to the Asteraceae/Compositae family (which includes, daisies,ragweed, chrysanthemums, marigolds,etc) will be allergic to Stevia too. It shouldn’t cause issues with anyone else.
I have been researching what other people are saying about stevia side effects. The reason I am looking at this is I consume a large amount of stevia and have for the past year been having periodic bouts with zig zagging watery lines going across my field of vision which becomes blurry. Sometimes this can be very disorienting and somewhat causes a sense of dizziness. It usually lasts about 20 – 30 minutes and then goes away completely without any longer lasting effects. I had my eyes checked out by an ophthalmologist who found nothing wrong and so decided it must have something to do with circulation in the visual cortex in the brain which interprets signals from the eyes. He checked me for inflammation and circulatory issues of which there were none. I am in very good shape and very healthy – living in the mountains, skiing, hiking and mountain biking. Thus I am looking for something in my diet that might offer an explanation. The only thing I can think of is stevia, in part, because of the amount I use which is significant. I use NOW stevia extract and it is according to the labeling a pure extract with no fillers, etc. I use a pound every 2-3 months. So it makes sense to look at stevia side effects and see if my experience with my eyes could be explained by this. Reading the comments on this site is interesting as I have also experienced twitching eyes. I did not previously connect that to stevia. So perhaps someone reading this may see similarities between what I am experiencing and what they experience and may make a connection. Doctors will tell you to avoid alcohol, coffee and pot which is standard for them to say but I don’t think most of them even know what stevia is, so we are on our own on this. I just found out that stevia is a vasodilator from some website. A vasodilator means blood vessels expand which supplies more blood and reduces blood pressure. I wonder if that could be explanatory.
Had twitching of left eye, instant tongue swelling and a 12h migraine that starting within an hour of taking a magnesium supplement w Stevia in it. I stopped using it and it all disappeared, the twitching lasted about a month
Hi Sylvie!
I’ve noticed a lot of people report that they have experienced twitching of the eyes due to Stevia usage. It’s not a documented side effect and has not been noticed by any researchers either (further research might need to be done but nothing of that sort has been reported yet). Are you sure you took the pure form of Stevia? If you had itchiness, difficulty breathing, etc, you might be allergic to Stevia. It’s weird that you got a migraine because Magnesium actually counters migraines. Are you sure you didn’t take anything else ?
Hi Don!
Apart from these ‘watery lines,’ do you experience headaches or blurring/darkening of vision when you suddenly stand up from the sitting or lying position? If yes, then the large amount of Stevia that you’re taking is causing enough vasodilation in your body causing such a fall in blood pressure that you experience these effects. The only way to check is to measure blood pressure when you’re sitting and then measure it again when you’re standing. Let me know what those respective values are and I’ll tell you if you have low blood pressure on standing up (orthostatic hypotension). This is fairly common even in normal individuals, the elderly and people with a naturally low blood pressure. I HIGHLY doubt Stevia is causing this because although it is a vasodilator, you would have to consume it in extremely large amounts to cause a drop in blood pressure which is significant enough to cause what you described. HOWEVER, if you’re ONLY experiencing the ‘water lines’ in your field of vision, Stevia isn’t the likely culprit. Let me know if you had low blood pressure before you began Stevia or if you have it now. I can help you further after you give me that info. For some one who already has a low blood pressure, the slight fall caused by using large amounts of Stevia could cause more drastic effects as compared to those with normal or high blood pressures. Also, remember that nothing is good when used in excess so try to limit your use of Stevia. Hope this helps!
IIRC, NOW brands liquid stevia is 11 percent alcohol.
That’s right. It contains alcohol. Look at the ingredients or right below the ingredients. It says it’s 11 percent alcohol.
At seven years old, I caught every childhood sickness at the same time, The doctors told my parents I would never live past 40, later when I came to this country( age 23) American doctors agreed, At mid 30?s I got fed-up listening to them + getting nowhere, I quit doctoring and followed Organic medicine and herbs,, So I will be 90 in January and I am still here,, Always remember when we are good, God rewards us, it,s all up to him if we are even thinking bad he answers negatively,
What are you talking about?
You make absolutely no sense being allergic to an herb or Stevia or anything are
Not because we are good or bad.
Very strange thought process….
What does being good or bad have to do with an allergic reaction to Stevia or even side effects?
I am puzzled here, glad you are 90 and still here good for you.
Now let’s think of others too and see how we can figure theses ailments out .
Happy it’s all about you ? little one
Though not directly related to the article, thank you for sharing your testimony. Be blessed!
I have just read through all the comments here and from what I read, I won’t even try Stevia, thanks for the warning guys..
Hi David,
It’s good that you’re concerned about your health but trust me, real stevia is not harmful at all. If you’re a little concerned, you can use only small quantities daily if you’re trying to lose weight, etc. It’s way better than refined sugars and artificial sweeteners. If there’s anything else I can help you out with, let me know.
My mother has worked in a health food store for 35 years where stevia had been sold as a dietary supplement. I have been consuming in small quantities stevia for almost that long. In the last few years have been using it a lot more. Stevia has been around a long time but has just been recently commercialized. Many forms and brands have degraded it quality and reputation. This is very sad to me. Please be aware of what you are buying. All stevia brands are not created equal.
it is so good it completely finish my doubts about its side effects it is safe to use
Stevia has a very repeatable and consistent side effect with me as a laxative.
Hi Rogervzv,
I have explained in the thread below that REAL stevia does not cause actual diarrhea – although that is one of its supposed side effects but it’s not full-blown diarrhea, it’s usually a few lose stools and then they disappear as you continue to use it. As long as you take the real stevia, you won’t have any issues that will make you discontinue its usage unless you’re allergic to it, etc.
Hi Dr. Aqsa,
My dad is a diabetic patient and my grandapa was too. I have been asked to refrain from sugar as I am 30 yrs old now. My brother has substituted sugar with trihulose and recommend the same for me. Please advise if its the right choice. Also, is stevia better than trihulose? If yes, please suggest a brand which has no side effects. I live in Australia just fyi.
JazakAllah
Samiullah Mohammed
I am so glad that I ran across this article and more importantly, that I read the comments. My husband and I have used saccharin for years to sweeten our coffee and tea. About 10 days ago, he decided to switch to Stevia. He bought four different products and started trying them. I continued to use our saccharin. After a couple of days, he developed severe diarrhea, bloating and gas. The bloating and gas calmed down after he started using a product designed to help that problem, but the diarrhea continued. I was concerned that he would get dehydrated, so I scoured the internet to try to find out if the only change in his diet (Stevia) could be causing the problems and ran across this article. He stopped the Stevia two days ago and so far, no more diarrhea. Problem solved.
I think the statement made by Dr. Julian Whitaker above, “The Indian tribes of South America have used it as a digestive aid…”, explains why some people are experiencing diarrhea. Stevia is a great natural laxative. I think it could be marketed as such. In my view, additional study might indicate that there is an opportunity here.
Hi Patti E,
As I have mentioned in few comments (and so have our readers Daniel and Dan), you probably did not get the real stevia. It does NOT cause such profound diarrhea – a few lose stools are experienced by a MINORITY of the people who use it and this symptom disappears rather quickly as one continues to use it. Make sure what you bought was really Stevia and not some mixed up form with other sweeteners.
Dr. Aqsa Ghazanfar I am dismayed that you have continued to dismiss the many people who experienced gastrointestinal distress after consuming Stevia. I have used real Stevia twice and experienced severe bloating, gas and diarrhea. I am a health and fitness person who is alarmed that so many companies are using Stevia when it can be a problem for many people. Yes Stevia may be fine for some people but I think it is clear that this side effect and others may not as uncommon as you claim. It is not something most people want to experience again just so their body can get used to Stevia as you say. You lose credibility when you diminish these side effect in your replies. Are you connected with a company that sells Stevia?
I did not check this whole thread though, but I surveyed all the stevia products in a big health food store, and only one of them was pure stevia. Coke, of course, uses a synthetic stevia; Blue Sky soda uses a combination of another sweetener plus about 5 percent stevia, and still calls it stevia. Only sweet leaf had a pure product, which I am told is now organic. They also have a cheaper variety, half the price, which is mostly inulin, although they advertise it as stevia. People who get reactions will most likely be getting them from non stevia ingredients.
In addition, I believe the other sweeteners that are added to stevia in a stevia product, and the synthetic stevia used by coke, are manufactured from genetically modified corn syrup. That, I believe is why, no doubt, Blue Sky soda calls its cane sweetened soda non GMO, but does NOT make that claim for its so called stevia sweetened product.
Sorry, but did you miss that since Stevia is a plant, that people who been diagnosed with allergies to marigolds, ragweed, and other plants from that family may be ALLERGIC to Stevia also?
I thought I had found the answer with lollies made with stevia therefore no sugar meaning no calories. They gave me the most awful wind and bloating I had every experienced in my life. My husband also was eating the lollies and he had the wind plus diahrea, also a colleague of his at work ended up with diahrea. My husband ate a number of the lollies straight off, I was having one about every hour at work. A colleague of mine at work tried just one and ended with bloating and then terrible wind. It can’t be anything but the Stevia as everything else in our diet we have had before.
Hi Hillary,
It’s HIGHLY likely that you didn’t get the real stevia because stevia does not cause such intense symptoms, even though mild diarrhea with a large intake of stevia can occur. However, it’s not as bad as you described and most people just report lose stools once or twice, rather than full blown diarrhea with bloating. Make sure you’re getting the right product, there’s a lot of fake stuff out there!
HIlary, as I have just said, it is most likely not real stevia that is being used, even if they say stevia. But often they will tell you what they are really using if you read the ingredients. But not always. I have used organic Sweet Leaf stevia for six months now, without any reaction. I have spoken to the owner of the company, and he told me they collect the stevia from Central America, without using chemicals. And their more expensive product is organic and pure stevia, without fillers.
I enjoy the information shared on this site. I’ve been using stevia for over a year in my tea about three times a day. I use about 1/32 teaspoon. I bought my stevia over the internet. It’s a product of China marketed by Natural Foods of Florida. The words on the package say “White Stevia Extract 90% Steviosides” “Our pure white Stevia Extract Powder that has been standardized to contain at least 90% steviosides.” What does “standardized” mean?
As far as I know, I’m not having any side-effects. I’m a 63 yr old male, 5ft 8in, 170 lb, self-employed professional with hobby farm activity, alcohol user but otherwise healthy eater.
Hi Gregory!
‘Standardised’ means that this company has incuded Steviosides as the major component of their product. Steviosides are not the only substance found in Stevia but they are said to be about 300 times as sweet as sugar. In addition to these, stevia contains other chemicals too. The product you have has only a small amount of those substances and has been extracted and purified in a way that it contains 90% steviosides. Hope this helps!
I have a pain in my right hip, and sometimes I am short of breath. I have a big scar on my abdomen, and a big scab on my arse. Sometimes there is blood in my shit. I had a nose bleed the other day. I think these are all due to Stevia. I’ll try some tomorrow for the first time, and if these symptons do not disappear immediately, I’ll know it was the Stevia.
Hi Joe!
Sorry to hear about your condition but Stevia cannot possibly cause those issues. Please see a doctor as soon as possible because blood in the stools is a very serious symptom apart from the other problems you have. If there’s anything else we can help you out with, let us know.
Joe, It seems all your pains are due to the possibility of a very bad life style, which i reckon you should be taking it to your Dr instead of making light of the use of stevia or to blame it …
Do you just “happen” to have a print (hard copy) of this stevia article? Also what credentials do you have to back up your research claim? Qualifications? Not disbelieving,: just interested. I have just started baking with stevia replacing half or more of the sugar. Thank you,and have a blessed day… Lee
You can get a hard copy here.
I have zero official credentials, only a healthy dose of curiosity and critical thinking. All claims are backed up by research, so you can check them all out and see for yourself if something doesn’t make sense, which I encourage to do.
Hi,
I have been using stevis for years and came upon one article which had me a little concerned. It states that stevia could lead to depression by inhibiting seratonin uptake. It could also lead to numbness and tingling in the extremities. I would like to hear your thoughts.
Thanks. Matt
Hi Matt !
Like you, I’ve been using stevia for a couple of years (and know a lot of people who have been using it for more than 5 years) and none of us have had any sort of issues. I’ve had a significant reduction in my craving for sweet stuff, etc. Personal experiences aside, the article you linked to doesn’t seem to have enough research references for all the claims it has made. It refers to a lot of things rather too directly. They might have read some research which wasn’t conducted properly (we can’t always trust all the researches and the FDA), etc. Whatever the cause, I don’t think what they’ve written is correct. The biggest controversial point (also stated by MayoClinic) is that we shouldn’t use the purified extracts because they are harmful. In my personal opinion, that sounds like they’re trying to keep us away from the real stuff so that we end up buying their additive loaded stevia alternatives. With that said, I’ll leave the final judgement to you since I’m not taking any one’s side – just stating a few facts based on my own judgement.
If you have been using Stevia for a few years now, have you ever noticed anything weird about your health? If yes, you should try taking it out of your diet schedule and see if you improve. Our bodies react differently so we might not always feel the same way when we consume common substances. On the other hand, you’re highly unlikely to experience anything major from the use of Stevia – unless you consume kilos and kilos of it in one day (which is obviously impossible). People from Paraguay and Brazil have been using it for ages which is why most of Stevia’s users know that this natural product is not harmful. Of course, anything in excess is harmful but as long as you use it in moderate amounts, there shouldn’t be any problems.
Don’t just believe any article that you read – look up what they say and try to find out concerned references such as research articles, etc. When it comes to your health, don’t leave any stone unturned!
So to sum up, you shouldn’t be concerned about what that article states. But just to be on the safe side, don’t consume too much stevia.
Just completed my first reading of your book on the Stevia Plant’s use as a substitute for sugar. It will require another reading but I thank you for making it available. I am an 81 year old male who underwent heart by pass surgery in l974 at the Cleveland Clinic. My family history reads like a horror novel regards circulatory problems so after retirement from the business world, I decided to take better care of myself and dedicate myself to a regimen of daily exercise and more attention to what I put into my body. I just returned this morning from my bi-annual visit with my Cardiologist who professes me to be his role model for how one can refuse to just accept what life would “seem” to forecast. I am now at the same weight I was when I graduated high school and with the help of the Fit Bit Pedometer keep reaching new goals. Just finished my 500th mile goal since December of 2014. No further heart related problems other than normal aging process but with good control. Just a lot of background you certainly do not need but it should give you some idea why your book interested me so much. I have just begun using Stevia products without adequate knowledge. So thank you for your help. I am off to Amazon with a better understanding of what I should be looking for. The only thing I would have liked to have you comment on was the importance of the origin of ingredients in the various Stevia products. We have all heard some of the horror stories of some of the products from China finding themselves into our foodstuffs. I even noticed on one of the Stevia Products for sale on the web confessed their product contained ingredients from China. Just wish our government required origin of country be clearly stated on anything meant for consumption.
Thanks again for your book and for taking the time to listen for a bit to an old man who wishes to become a much, much older old man just to prove I can. My wife of 62 years seems to still tolerate my being close by and I never disagree with her.
Very, very, very inspiring Marshall.
The answer for you is simple:
Sweetleaf.
Get this brand, and you’ll be gold. They have the highest standard form what i’ve seen, and it also contains insoluble fiber, which seem to have some added benefits when combined with stevia itself.
Live long and stay well,
Reggie.
I have been a steady Stevia user for over a year and have loved it but now for last 4 months have developed a horrific bloating and gas problem. Tried eliminating lots of things and now finally put it together. Stevia had been the only constant in my diet and no matter what I eliminated stevia stayed and so did the gas/bloating ;(
Jenni – Thanks for calling your problem to my attention. I started using Stevia about a year ago and have been constipated with terrible bloating and gas ever since. It’s worth a try to stop using Stevia for a while and see if it eliminates this problem. – Irene
Jenni & Irene,
I’ve mentioned it earlier in the comments above that REAL stevia is very unlikely to cause side effects. Even when it does, they include slight bloating, diarrhea, etc and these side effects wear off over time. It does NOT cause constipation so if you’re getting that while using Stevia, there could be other causes or the the stevia you’re using is not pure Stevia. Make sure you check what you buy.
Unfortunately, you are wrong. A quick search of google scholar or any reseacrh database shows steviosides,the active component in stevia, act to DECREASE intestinal smooth muscle contractions, as well as increase water and electrolyte absorption in the colon. So it will dry out your stool, and cause it to move through you much slower. It is even used TO TREAT DIARRHEA. Stop saying it doesn’t cause constipation, and do research.
Dr. Aqsa Ghazanfar, I see you repeating again and again that stevia does not cause constipation, but it just does. Maybe not in all people, but surely in some or even a lot, especially if they use quite a bit. I never have constipation, really never. Until I started using stevia. And I’m not the only one. Maybe listen to people a bit more and open your mind. You are wrong.
It would seem to me that the current stevia you have been getting all these negative effects might not be as pure as the one before although it may be the same brand!
Only a tiny fraction of the stevia on the market is real stevia. Most of the products are mixtures of stevia and synthetic sugars like erythrotol or inulin, or are “standardized”, a euphemism for addition of synthetics. These products bill themselves as stevia, but they are not. People should read the labels, and be educated buyers. If they are getting sick, dollars to donuts they are not getting the real McCoy. The owner of Sweet Leaf pure organic stevia, informs me that China is now introducing GMO Stevia. If a product does not advertise ‘non-GMO’ you can be certain that it is, especially in health food stores.
Thanks for pointing that out Daniel. For our readers – GMO Stevia means genetically modified stevia. This form should be avoided by all means so make sure you remember to check the labels of the product you buy and be certain that it is NON-GMO; meaning it should not be genetically modified.
Even companies that use 100 percent stevia, like Coca-cola, I believe, use a “biologic” or chemical imitation of stevia. It is like saying that high fructose corn syrup, a GMO product, is like sugar in it action on the body. Our food companies, even our health food industry, with a few notable exceptions, are not good samaritans in service of its customers, but rather are trying to maximize their profit. Even good companies like Sweet Leaf stevia, must offer a debased mixture, alongside of its organic product, to compete in the marketplace, but do have the integrity to offer the pure product as well
It’s unfortunate that we can’t really trust most big companies. What you said most probably might be true but there aren’t any easy ways to find out for sure. The best we can do is to perform some research regarding the things we use and make sure we know what we are buying, eating, etc. It’s a complicated world!
Is there aspertame in Stevia? Thank you………
Aspartame is an artifical sweetner and has been known to cause symptoms that mimic Parkinson’s and other deseases. Stevia comes from the Stevia plant and is a natural sweetner. I have been using Stevia for a short time, but have read quite a bit about it. The one I use is Simply Stevia in liquid form.The listed ingredients state: “a Proprietary Formula, Purified Active water, Organic Stevia (leaf) extract.” From what I have read, the best natural sweetners to use are the ones that are pure extract and have no chemicals or other additives. I would guess that if a person experiences any side affects, it may be due to any additives, or may even be allergic to the Stevia plant. The real thing is not cheap ($15), but 1.86 oz will produce 300 servings, with 5 drops being one serving. I use about 4 drops in my iced tea. I am a Pepsi addict and could not drink the diet because aspartame does not like me. I started using Stevia in my tea and have not had a Pepsi for two weeks and have not had a craving for one!
Hi Jane!
Thanks for the great info. I used to be a pepsi addict too (couldn’t have a single meal without it!) but ever since I started using Stevia, my cravings are completely gone. Like you said, Aspartame didn’t suit me either – it actually made me crave for sweet stuff even more. I had to stop taking diet soda, etc because of numerous other side effects that I came across. Stevia is such a relief!
Hi Ethel,
Stevia is derived from a plant and it does not contain aspartame. Aspartame is a synthetic sweetener and has numerous side effects. Some brands of stevia add varying quantities of other additives and sweeteners so make sure you get the real thing when you set out to buy Stevia.
I wish I could use stevia – I found it to be just the right amount of sweetener for my morning coffee. But please be aware that stevia can cause severe asthma attacks for those of us with a ragweed allergy. I took two courses of oral steroids (for asthma) before I realized the trigger. Since discontinuing stevia I’m breathing easier and haven’t had to use a rescue inhaler.
Thanks for this informative website. I have switched to a stevia product and have had bloating and diarrhea symptoms quite obviously. This is unfortunate as I have been unable to tolerate aspartame and other sugar substitutes due to diarrhea issues. I was hoping to tolerate a natural product better. I need to give up sugar for my health and weight. The stevia product I’m using has erythritol as an ingredient. What is the known effect of this product? Could it be a cause? Also, is there any research to show that diarrhea and bloating side effects disappear after a period of time?
Aria
Aria, that is temporary effect due to long term sugar intake. Stevia is trying to stabilize your system. You should stick to it.
I read all the comments about stevia and diarrhea and most of these comments are admonishing that we need to buy purer forms of it to avoid this symptom. I bought SweetLeaf Sweet Drops, because many users claim this product is one of the least adulterated stevia products. (How do I know for sure? There are no ingredients listed.) Anyway, it MOST DEFINITELY causes diarrhea, and it’s not mild or unobtrusive! I put it in cookies to replace half the sweetener (the rest is brown rice syrup) and had like 6 of these tiny cookies, two nights in a row. Next morning each time…MAJOR problem. Like, couldn’t leave the bathroom for 20 minutes. And it’s quite painful…miserable cramps and everything. Stevia is the only likely culprit, as it’s the only new addition to my diet.
Does anyone know if this product is not actually as pure as I was led to believe? Or am I one of the (supposedly) rare few who have real side effects from real stevia?
I should mention I put a total of 1/2 teaspoon in the whole batch of cookies.
I tried 5 drops of Sweetleaf Coconut drops (from a newly opened bottle) in a protein powder and kefir smoothie last Saturday morning, and had diarrhea for 2 days. By Monday, all gone. In contrast, I have used the chocolate flavor ones and also a powdered form with no problems in the past. I too wonder what is actually in the Sweetleaf drops as they do not have the ingredients listed on the bottle, box or anywhere on their website. Disappointed to say the least, as I had heard that Sweetleaf was good.
I may try it with just 3 drops this weekend to see if the same thing happens…
I returned the Sweet Leaf product since it is not pure stevia. I have pure stevia, 99%RA which I ordered directly from the manufacturer. There is a clear difference between the two. Pure stevia has no bitter aftertaste at all. If you take the Sweet Leaf and the pure stevia and put each in a cup of water (just a tiny amount) you will taste the difference. So, I wouldn’t necessarily attribute the problems to stevia, yet. Still testing, myself.
Hi everyone. I have been using the KAL brand of stevia for as long as its been on the US market. (5-6 yrs?) up until about 5 weeks ago I had no problems whatsoever, side effects, etc. but since then I have had uncontrollable diarrhea. I was checked at the doctor for intestinal infections, viruses, parasites, and bacterial infections. All those tests have been negative. I am now searching for a possible connection between the stevia and my issues. I use stevia a lot. And I mean, a lot! So it could be related. I’m throwing this out there as a possibility.
And by the way, for those who are interested, I have tried every brand of stevia out there. KAL brand is the only one I wold ever suggest to anyone. No aftertaste or additives. Given my current situation though, maybe that doesn’t help anyone!
Thank you for the forum.
Kayzee1970
I just posted I have had huge stomach/intestinal problems the last year (my gut being sensitive after a number of surgeries, but never problems like this.) After cutting out almost everything else out, with no results, I finally cut Stevia out yesterday. Am researching it for the first time. Guess what? I am really allergic to ragweed! The complaints of those who have gut problems pretty well match mine, but throw in a lot of pain (which may be the result of surgeries making the digestive system super sensitive.)
I hope Stevia has been the problem. The next week will tell.
May I use Stevia to make sweet pickles
Dr. Ghazanfar
Years ago I worked in a wholesale botanical warehouse that sold herbs, spices, aromatherapy, etc. One day word came from the boss that we could no longer sell Stevia because the FDA said that it caused liver toxicity. Then months later they said it was okay and we began to sell it again.
So, because of that experience, I have been paranoid to use Stevia. I came to this site looking for current info about Stevia and the human liver. I did not see any relevant info in all the info you have provided. Can you enlighten me?
About 15 years ago, I tried stevia, I became extremely constipated. It was terrible. Then years later it was in Celestial teas, so I tried it again, same thing, constipation. Never use it again. It appears to dihyrate the lower bowels. I am worried that other could have this same effect and do not connect that the stevia is the cause. Hope this will help others like me. I cannot use stevia at all.
You may wish to note that while the brand may not matter as long as the product is pure organic stevia extract or powder, but one brand in particular which makes “Stevia extract In The Raw” includes maltodextrin as the first ingredient, followed by stevia extract. Just a reminder to encourage everyone to read labels carefully – the ingredients, and not just the front of the packaging. You may not have the same problem with those offering organic products, but it’s still a good practice to double-check.
I have had trouble with eye twitching for years, but I just started using Stevia, maybe it will stop now….
I m using stevia (diebetic tea & churn/ powder) Since start of January 2015 , Herebefore my blood sugar was 175-245. After use of stevia in the form mentioned above; Now my bllod sugar is 103-126. This stevia form is supplyed by Dr, Ravi Achrya. M.D, Ayurved from Acharya Foundation, Vadgaon maval, on old Pune bombay road, near Pune, India. and uptill today I does not faced any side effect. I m retired person of age 61. Now I had elimineted the dose of diebetis medisin METFORMIN by 50%. I m really fit now with walking 5 KM 2 times daily. Thanks for chance to participate.
I haven’t been on Stevia long, but I’m sure glad I switched from Nutrasweet. If you take enough Nutrasweet, you’ll be familiar with the mental fog. It’s really quite scary. For me, it’s remembering names when you see faces. I saw a billboard of Donald Trump and tried to think of his name, and think, and think, and THINK with no results. I knew EXACTLY who it was but the name was at a loss. After many experiences such as this, I thought I was experiencing early onset of alzheimers. My wife, who is an accountant, made a $10,000 mistake at work. She was wondering how she could make such an easily identifiable error. I was looking at the side effects of Nutrasweet and realized that we had most of them. Since switching to Stevia, that fog is gone, and it only took a few days. It does give my wife an upset stomach, but it makes sense now since she is allergic to pretty much everything that someone can be allergic to that is plant based, and I think I read Stevia is related to ragweed? Allergy shots helped immensely and she doesn’t have to live in a desert anymore but they didn’t fix it 100%. I can’t guarantee Stevia is safe, but I KNOW Nutrasweet is not.
I’m using stevia from a couple of months ago, I haven’t felt any side effect. The sugar was causing me some disconform after drinking anything with it, that’s why I wanted to use stevia. My teeth also were sensitive, now I don’t feel any of those things.
Does anyone know anything about or have any comments on Stevita? It is a stevia liquid extract. The only other ingredients are distilled water and grapefruit seed extract. The bottle says “freshly pressed from the leaves. Not reconstituted.” It says 100% natural but does not say non-GMO. Thanks!
I am 88 years young, male, I am still using stevia for more than 4 years with to my knowledge absolute no side affects, drive about 500 miles every week for work and pleasure non stop LAS VEGAS.+ + + . My doctor told me you have 30 more years just keep up what you are doing, I love coffee yogurt tea blueberries + + all sprinkled with stevia AND HAVE THE ENYOYMENT OF THE GOOD TASTE, live a live off caring for all!! DU UNTO OTHERS, NO HATE, GIF+ + + SHARE, FOR SOME OF YOU THAT IS NOT EASY
I used to use powdered stevia in cups of tea everyday. I am rather addicted to tea and used to have a large amount every day with half a teasp of stevia. I seemed to be very irritable and wondered if this had anything to do with taking stevia, and since I have stopped, take no stevia, or sugar of course, in tea, I feel calmer and less irritable? Wondering it this is to do wit Stevia or something else??
I enjoyed your article very much, until I came to this line:
There’s also a rumour popular on bored single-moms’ blogs insisting that calorie-free sweetener like stevia can trick your body into a state of hypoglycaemia because having a sweet taste without an accompanying glucose tricks your body to prepare itself for sugar and lowers blood-sugar levels accordingly.
Since you’ve quoted all your other sources, do you have a source for this statement. It sounds like a misogynist swipe at single-moms and has no place in an article that’s supposed to be scientific.
Seconded. Also, seriously, “bored single moms”? Single moms are the most over-worked of the lot of us. Conflate the responsibilities of the normative two-parent household into one person, with no “girls’ night out” or time in the man-cave, and you’ve got the life of a single mom. Case in point: this is my first reply to any blog or discussion board in 6 years.
I think the author meant “bored stay at home moms”, but let’s face it, that’s presumptuous and offensive as well.
Thank-you for this thorough and well-researched, well-documented article. I wanted to point out one thing with regards to stevia and insulin response. When I first began using stevia, I brought many questions to my naturopath. She is a type 1 diabetic and knows a ton about blood sugar and stevia. I asked her about the ‘body is expecting something sweet and responds idea’ that has been kicked around. She told me that, actually, EVERYTHING causes an insulin response, including thinking about eating, smelling food, children sucking thumbs or pacifiers. Stevia, therefore, without question causes an insulin response. The question with all of these things is how much of a response and with stevia, like thumb-sucking and smelling food, the answer is ‘not much’.
Which brand of Stevia products do you use? Which do you consider the best brand ?
Thanks for the great article. I first tried stevia about 3-4 years back (two different brands) in the liquid form and had an almost immediate reaction with itching. I finally found a powder form (not truvia) that my body seemed to tolerate, and have been using it for the past 2.5 years. I thought it was my savior from other sugar substitutes, but I have just recently omitted it from my diet. I’ve been suffering from sinus infections from inflammed sinuses for the last 2.5 years, evening having sinus surgery. I’m not sure why it took me so long to eliminate stevia from my diet, but after only two days I am feeling less bloated and my sinuses are beginning to heal.
Just wanted to add that today my husband’s cardiologist, who also specializes in diabetes, and is quite well known in Texas, told us not to use Stevia because it causes inflammation of the lining of the arteries. I will continue to look for documentation of this.
After much reading, I decided to replace artificial sweeteners in my diet with stevia. I exclusively use it to flavor water so that I can drink my recommended daily intake. Yes, I struggle without something to flavor my water.
I have been on a restricted calorie diet and since I started using BetterStevia Cinnamon vanilla liquid, 2 weeks ago, I have not lost any weight. I am eating sensibly and feel great! I am not hungry and have doubled my daily walking routine.
Could stevia be the cause? It is the only change I have made to my eating in 2 months.
Hi,
Do you know if Coke has modified the Stevia it is using in Coke Life? I have been drinking it regularly and getting stomach upsets and some mild diarrhea. Of course it could just be that soft drinks are bad! Just one can a day on average.
Dale.
I have used Stevia for years in my coffee and love it. I was wondering if there is any evidence that you can lose tolerance and have side effects. I am trying to determine if my diarrhea problems stemming from fall of 2014 could be related.
I have had four abdominal surguries, two of which involved colon resections, and two spinal fusions in the lower spine. That automatically means some intestinal/stomach pain. But it’s only the past year that stomach issues have become overwhelming and unmanageable. I have cut out almost every food without seeing a diffence. I was using a lot of stevia in the little food I was eating. Finally yesterday, decided to cut that out.Today is a little better. Maybe a coincidence, and not nearly enough better. Have to see what the next week brings.
I am researching Stevia for the first time. Guess what? I am very allergic to ragweed!
Keep your fingers crossed Stevia has,been the problem.
Mona – as someone who also has a severe ragweed allergy, I can attest to the fact that stevia causes severe issues with my stomach and throat when I ingest it. I was at a Whole Foods store where they were sampling out a protein drink. I drank two small sips of it and immediately noticed a problem in my throat and stomach. I didn’t even know why this was happening. I went home and about a week or so later picked up a drink that was recommended by some friends and again, took a sip and immediately started reacting. I looked at the ingredients and noticed “stevia” as one. I did some research on the drink from Whole Foods and sure enough, stevia. I contacted my allergist and he confirmed the stevia/ragweed connection. I hope that removing stevia from your diet helps.
To everyone else, these side effects are real. Just because they haven’t happened to YOU or someone you know, doesn’t mean that they don’t exist. For years people with peanut allergies fought to make people understand the reality of what they were experiencing. Now a peanut allergy is accepted and people don’t argue with those who say they are allergic to peanuts. Please try to be as understanding of those of us with a stevia/ragweed allergy. I will never talk down about stevia. I have friends who have described great success with breaking their sugar cravings with the assistance of stevia. I am tired of people who don’t understand what I’m going through and think I’m just making excuses. I’m not.
Now if only people who are NOT allergic would quit saying that they are. I am allergic to corn according to my allergist, who is also an internist, who tested me.
Both of my grown children, carry Epi-Pens, because they have REAL allergies. This is not what you say when you don’t care for a food, you just say no thank you. Rant over.
Why do people feel the need to take stuff like Stevia anyway?
Does the fact that Coca-Cola and Pepsi, who is now both putting Stevia into it’s soft drinks, make you suspicious?
People know their own bodies better than anyone else. If you experience bad reactions after taking Stevia, why would you want to continue taking it just because someone else says it’s safe?
it makes me itch and even get raised welts. more foods are using stevia and i can always tell when one slips by me. had a yogurt the other day and wanted to tear my skin off. checked the label and it was sweetened with stevia.
I’ve been using Stevia for over 5 years because of Candida.
Now I have an ache in kidney area….so I cut way back on the
Stevia….I believe I was taking too much….Does Stevia affect
the kidneys? I am also a user of Chinese medicine. Is there
a connection between using Stevia (I cut it waaaaaaaaaay
down) and the kidneys? I cannot use sugar because sugar
feeds Candida….Am under the care of a Candida specialist
who is the best in the world. He attacks Candida clinically
and everything I take are supplements….no Rx at all. Candida
comes about because of an imbalance in the gut, lots of
antibiotics (as a child)…
My basic question: Is kidney achyness due to too much
Stevia. My whole body aches; but it started in the kidneys…
I was using too much Stevia – and I have cut it back BIG TIME.
Appreciate your response.
Much thanks,
Ni
I just wanted to add to the allergy part of Stevia. I had not read anything before trying a drink sweetened with stevia. After one large swig my lips started tingling and feeling funny. I waited a few minutes and took another drink and my lips felt like ants on them. My cousin who is a nurse advised I might be allergic and cautioned do not drink anymore. But in the amount I had already consumed had done a great deal of da,age to my mouth. My mouth began to break out in blisters and my lips became swollen and inflamed. After trying to take Benadryl and rinse with a dental rinse, I still one week later was suffering. I went to the periodontist and he said it was the worst allergic reaction he had seen in the mouth . He seabed my mouth with aloe vera to try to calm it down as my lips are pee,ink inside and mouth is raw! I am now having to drink aloe vera juice to smooth mouth and avoid all acidic foods and drinks while it heals. There should be warnings on these food items about the cone tips with ragweed eat. Prior to human consumption! This has been very painful experience! I’m still not back to normal! It’s scary to think I could have died from a drink packet sweetened with this stuff!
Good Article – We only use it occasionally as a sweet treat. Stevia was super easy to grow and propagate for us. We grew some this year- here are my experiences of growing and propagating. https://earthlychow.com/growing-and-propagating-stevia-stevia-rebaudiana
I am happy user of Stevia! It definitely has so many benefits. It is 120 times better than granulated sugar. It is safe to consume. I even encourage all my family members to turn to stevia. The best thing is I am now promoting a local campaign “Healthy with Stevia” with the group of people from RCC Global (M). Cheers!
i found brand in my city the ingrediant were : Sorbitol INS 950 Stevia leavers extract and sucralose
is it healthy ? i mean it contain so much artificial sweetener
plz answer me
I have been using stevia for about a week now. I have not eaten any sugar since then. My observations so far are:
1) I have experienced slight irritation in my digestive tract. Not pronounced like some of the other posters, but mild discomfort. Slight diarrhea and gas, and itching of the anus. (Sorry for the graphic details but just trying to impart exact observations for others to compare.)
2) I have experienced a faint but steady headache. Nothing awful but nonetheless present. Is it possible I am feeling sugar withdrawals? It is the same sensation one gets when one stops drinking caffeinated tea after drinking it regularly.
We made banana bread tonight using only 1/4 teaspoon and have made teas and lemonade, using miniscule amounts of stevia each time. And everything has been plenty sweet.
Interestingly, I am allergic to hay fever, which I believe is the same or related to ragweed. I suppose it is possible I am allergic to stevia, which would be a shame since I very much want to eliminate sugar from my diet.
Has anyone else experienced headaches from taking it?
Jack,
My son cut coke out of his diet and lowered the amount of sugar he was taking in. He went through withdraws headaches and feelings of depression, from doing that. The increased headaches could be your body going through sugar withdraws. Hope that helps!
When reporting on something like this I try to be as accurate as possible, keeping in mind some people may not use stevia based on feedback given. I want to add, something I forgot at the time of my last post, that I had also consumed some water products that contained erythritol. Erythritol is a sugar alcohol and is different than stevia. It is very possible the erythritol was the culprit for the digestive issues I mentioned above. In the last couple days I have stopped using any sugar, stevia and erythritol. I will begin using stevia again and report back. I certainly don’t wish to malign stevia if it is not the cause. Fingers crossed.
I am pre-diabetic and use to use other artificial sweeteners such as aspartame . The side effects of this artificial sweetener should be criminal to put into our foods.
About a year ago I did some research on the sweetener aspartame and the list of side effects left my blood run cold. I was experiencing many of the symptoms and my health was spiraling out of control quickly. I removed all artificial sweeteners from my diet and returned to using sugar in moderation. Problem is the more sugar you use the more you want.
I have been doing research about Stevia for some time now and especially after reading your studies and article have concluded that Stevia may be an option for sweetener without all the side effects of sweeteners like aspartame and sugar.
I had already made many diet changes more fruits and veggies watch my fats etc.
Weight loss is impossible when using sugar in your diet on any regular bases especially at my age of (55). I do hope this is the straw that will pull all of my other efforts together and give me the results I have been looking for. Weight loss, feeling better , more energy, and mostly adding to the diet I have already created.
Sincerely
Sweetleaf actually refers to the small leaves that surround the buds of the female cannabis plant, like in the Black Sabbath song.
Hello there
I wanted to know more about a product widely distributed here in Australia called Natvia. The ingredients in this product seem a bit misleading and I was wondering if you guys could shed some light on this please?
I don’t know what the ingridients really are, please see list as follow: Sweetners (erythritol, organic Steviol Glycosides 0.78%) Natvriol (erythritol, organic Steviol glycosides 0.62%). This one is in a box of 700g and then it also says in the box that **Stevia extract is the sole organic ingredient in Natvia** what does it mean ? And anyway Erythritol is an alcohol so what this means is that there is more alcohol carbohydrate than stevia here ? And what part of Stevia is Steviol Glucosides in this presentation, is it stevioside or rebaudioside or both at the same time? Is there a way to know ? Thank you very much for your help and I look forward to the answer. A big smile from down under!
I am not allergic to any plant in the asteraceae plant, and I certainly don’t have IBS. However I drank a drink sweetened with stevia and it made me very very sick. I thought him maybe its something else, so I kept trying to drink stevia with something else. No. It just continued to make me very sick to my stomach, gave me horrible dizziness. In fact I would say the effects were worse than eating a large helping of msg.
What else is on the ingredients label? Pure stevia or added ingredients? The added ingredients may be suspect.
The reference material mostly refers to tests done with whole leaf stevia not the white powder stevia. My experience is after using stevia my husband and I both developed black spots on the soles of our feet. Stopped stevia, used peroxide to soak our feet and it went away BUT started stevia again and got the melanoma type spots again. So, we need more testing of the white powder stevia. Since Coke is the reason we now have it in our food supply, I’m immediatly skeptical. Any company that poisons us with massive doses of High Fructose corn syrup is not a company I trust. So we no longer use stevia. And , yes, we used the pure stevia with no additives.
I want to try stevia but I cannot find any pure stevia extract here in Saudi Arabia. Most popular brand here is Steviana but the other ingredients ( namely INS 95, Sucralose and Sorbitol) in it worry me a lot.
Why so many artificial sweetener added if stevia is already sweeter than sugar?
This is only a guess but I would imagine the reason it is not pure stevia is because pure stevia powder is relatively expensive. The other additives are not.
Dear Bill,
I’m afraid you might be wrong on that. It is actually to eliminate its “flavour”. Or in other words is bitter after taste or lingering. To those who used to consumed it will be norm and take it as a “flavour” but to new bees will obviously not comfortable with that new taste. This will be a bad impact to their sales which they really try to avoid it. That is also reason why is very hard to get pure stevia extract in the retail market. Trust me, if the consumer don’t have any negative feedback on its taste in the first place, surely the producer will remain it as natural and healthy as it is regardless how much the price.
If you’re looking for pure stevia rebaudiana powder, go to Australian Stevia Mills online. 1kg lasts me about 3-4 years and I use a lot of it. I store it in an airtight container and I’ve never had it go off.
I am wondering if I am allergic to stevia? My mouth is constantly dry and stevia is the only thing I can think that would cause it. I use stevia 2-3 times a day…any thoughts?!
We contacted the company we purchase it from and they state it’s 99 percent pure. The one percent they say is stem debris. BUT, we did use some packets of stevia that were not pure stevia. They have dextrose and maltodextrin added. After checking, we now suspect that as the cause of our side effects.
Thank you for your study. I believe you have answered the question my doctors, & dermatogists can’t answer. The itchy, scaly blood red rash on my skin, mainly neck, for like 4 years. I use stevia a lot!!!
I think you need to isolate your food intake to make this determination. I initially thought stevia was giving me intestinal problems but later determined it was erythritol, a sugar alcohol. Eliminate stevia completely and see if your rash clears up.
Im interested in benefits of changing sugar into Stevia and homegrowing the herb. But I did find another herb Lippia dulcis, which is almost twice as sweet as Stevia. As my space for growing is very limited, sweetness per pot is important. I wonder if there are any data about benefits / risks of it. Have you heard of it?
Addendum to my prev. post: yes I do have health issues,BUT after starting stevia,they were very exacerbated. Hope&pray since stopping it,I willbegin to improve!
.
I’ve used stevia in the raw(white powder made of dextrose and stevia leaf extract) for years and now want to get away from anything processed. I’ve tried the stevia leaf cut but have a difficult time getting it online. Is there anything that is not chemically changed that is in powder form that is safe to use? The product I’ve been using is from Cumberland Packing corp of Brooklyn, NY. Is the dextrose safe or as bad as the pink, yellow, or blue packets (of alt. sugar substitutes)?
Thanks.
I used Stevia for 3 days. My prostate swelled up. Is this one of Stevia’s side effects?
I just made a sugar and carb free Thanksgiving dinner for a friend. I have no dietary problems myself. I used Green Leaf Stevia in the Jello salad, cupcakes, icing (Yogurt/cream cheese) and for our black tea. My friend is very happy and healthy and delighted with her dinner. I on the other hand had a runny nose, sore eyes and itchy skin by the following day.
I’m allergic to rag weeds and air born molds.
So now I know what happened.
I’ll stick with real cane sugar in moderate amounts.
Check your tooth paste. You’ll be shocked at the sweetners in them.
Stevia is simply a leaf ground up…processed abit…and no other fillers or chemicals need be involved (like trivia…sorry truvia)..when it reaches our tongue our “sweetness” sensors….well the sensors respond…telling us “yum”…that is if you like sweetness. Discovered it while on holiday in the lovely countries of Chile, Argentina and Uruguay in the late 90’s…to mix with their YERBA MATE tea……Coffee lover here…and I use it there….and perhaps on fresh fruit like berries….WONDERFUL…truely a lovely little HERB…I would highly recommend it….sorry to those with IBS…but other than that I would invite to ENJOY!!!
Very excellent article on a product I love. I use Stevia regularly, am experimenting at cooking with it, and have had no negative side effects. Thanks for posting seemingly good research.
Stevia gave both myself and my wife excruciating headaches immediately after consumption; we tried several forms: highly refined, natural, etc. They all caused the same horrible effect.
Hi,
A Very Happy New Year To You,
I am working here in a BPO in India. Here we sell Natural extracts to senior citizens in UK. Its through tele sales. We have our warehose from where products are shipped to UK.
Could you please suggest Whether i can introduce Stavia in my BPO where i work.
We are concentrating mainly on senior citizens aged from 60-100 who are suffering from, Arthritis / Diabetes / Heart Problems & few beauty concerns.
Please give me your valuable views & suggestions. Please do reply me.
Many Thanks
Causes bladder sensitivity for myself and friends. I believe stevia to be a neurotoxin. My holistic practitioner agrees that processed stevia is a neurotoxin.
I am a dark chocolate lover and have a moderatly sweet tooth. About 6 months ago, I started using “Just Like Sugar” for baking, but, because of cost, I added Stevia. I also started using Stevia to sweetening hot beverages – I usually drink a mix of chicory, Teecino chocolate and organic cocoa, using a pack of Stevia for 3very large mugs of “Chicoffy”, as I call it, which I was drinking daily.
About a week ago, I woke up with this nauseating sweet-chocolate taste in my mouth. It subsides when I eat, but returns soon after. I feel ill and have to force myself to eat and I keep hoping this will disappear, but it persists. I cannot eat chocolate or anything with Stevia.
I have mostly used organic Stevia, but have used Truvia and a product branded by a local grocery store.
Any input or suggestions of what I’m experiencing would be wonderful. Thanks
There can be adverse side effects from alternative sweeteners. When I began looking into stevia about a year ago I bought a number of other products on the market as well and began trying them, more focused on the taste more than anything else. I mistakenly initially thought stevia was the reason for intestinal issues (like diarrhea) I was experiencing. Turns out it wasn’t the stevia but other alternative sweeteners, sugar alcohols, that are used extensively in sports drinks and other products. Truvia also is a problem because even though it claims it is stevia based, the main ingredient in Truvia is erythritol, a sugar alcohol. In fact, I can’t use Truvia for this reason. There are just trace amounts of stevia in Truvia (there is less than 1/2 of 1% of stevia in Truvia) and if it wasn’t manufactured by Cargill and Coca-Cola I guarantee it would be removed from the shelves for false advertising. But big corporations have clout and for this reason it is allowed to be marketed as stevia.
i ve a quation to ask. please can i use it to produce children drink?
Stevia causes me to have extreme bladder irritation, I quit it and all artificial sweeteners and am just controlling my sugar intake. I have also noticed that my tinnitus seems to be decreasing remarkably!
Regev,
Thank you for this in-depth explanation of Stevia! I have been in the process of getting completely away from added, refined sugar in as much food as possible.
As we know, most processed foods contain a high degree of sugar. It is very irritating, and disheartening to try get healthy and find that hardly anything is as it appears to be.
When foods lower the fat, they ramp up the sugars. That is NO help to someone who is trying to lose weight and get healthy.
I have been getting off of sugar for almost a month and I can tell a huge difference in my emotional moods. The only sweet things I have eaten are fresh fruits, or frozen fruits with no sugar added.
I have found that eating yogurt can also be a challenge as well. The brand I have right now (which shall remain nameless in this message) has 9 grams of sugar per 1 cup serving/22 grams of protein/ 120 calories. So the 9 carb grams is still much higher than I want to ingest from sugar.
Living in a small town of less than 200 people and no major shopping centers is also a challenge. However I am within 25 miles of a larger city where I can get a better range of healthy foods than from our local store here.
I don’t eat much meat,and try to have my plain yogurt for breakfast with fresh, or frozen fruit.
The last time I shopped, I actually purchased Truvia, rather than Stevia; however next trip to the store it will be Stevia, and I will be reading the ingredients before I purchase it so that I know what I am getting.
I really appreciate you taking the time, to do the research.
Lea
While I was so hopeful that I’d finally found a natural replacement for Sweet and Low, that’s not the case. I must be one of those rare people who are allergic. Not long after using Stevia in my hot tea, I had terrible pain across my diaphragm. Felt as though I was being crushed by a boa constrictor. Reduced me to tears and bed. Didn’t want to attribute this to Stevia, but it is undoubtedly the cause.
I’ve been using pure stevia rebaudiana white powder for around 20yrs without any evidence of side effects. I use quite a lot of stevia every day, since I’m rather addicted to sweet foods in general. Stevia has enabled me to keep my sugar intake to a minimum and manage my weight and health. Due to various autoimmune conditions I have a lot of inflammation in my body, which increases noticeably if I consume sugar for a period of time. I don’t know of any ill effects from my stevia consumption, but if there are any, they’re outweighed by the benefits.
We are based in Middle east and India .
Already in the business of stevia bulk, sachets, tablets .
We are looking for better price and good quality than what we are buying from china.
We would be interested for all your preparations if any with stevia for 5 star hotels also.
In fact if all is well we would be interested in distribution in India and middle east .
Kindly give us prices packing and information.
Kind regards
Pushp
Hi, thank you for your very informational article about stevia. I am also looking into the benefits of munk fruit and was wanting to know what or if you know about this “supposed ” super fruit used as a sweetner.
Thank you for your time.
Genny Thomas
We have just started selling a chocolate bar made with STEVIA thinking it was suitable for DIABETICS but trading standards as saying otherwise do you have any comment?
Regards
Michael Paul
What exactly did they say? And do you have any other ingredients inside other than Stevia and Cocoa?
I just had a soda with Stevia. This is probably the first time I’ve ever ingested it. My eye started twitching EXCESSIVELY within 10 minutes. Had no problems before the soda. Considering that I am finding numerous people that are having this happen, I believe there is definitely a correlation.
hello all , my dads wife eats and cooks with stevia,,April- 1st- 16 two months ago I put a muffin with overdose of stevia and as soon as the muffin hit my front teeth ,I had a gag reflex ,never happened before,so i ate it any way ,,30 mins. later i caughed so hard for a min.and a half that my eye balls where popping out of my head and thought my lungs were coming up and out my throat … serious, it was a little scary … two days latter i put another muffin to my teeth and gag Reflex again.. I Did Not eat the second one…. smart and sensitive people should not eat this stuff …also sweat the bed at night sleeping many times after ingesting stevia in cookie or muffin.. also flouride in tooth paste made my eyes blurry so i know im chemical sensitive
I am a scientist and do a lot of research, of peer reviewed reseach material. Unless an accurated bibliography of the numerous studies is included, they are worthless. Even if everything you say is absoutely true and reported in the study(s) results, without accurate references to the studies to review, it merely sounds like advertising hype. How were the studies conducted, were they peer reviewed, etc.?
Please disregard my previous comment. I just realized that your mentions of studies are actually links to the studies themselves.
Well Done.
You’ve still got to wonder if he’s filtering studies for confirmation bias (i.e. he’s selecting studies which support his viewpoint, but rejecting studies which reject it). I thought this article was pretty high-quality until he started babbling about GMO and starches.
To put the GMO debate into perspective: the original African peanuts were naturally grown 100 years ago on farms, planting the seeds to grow new peanuts; in this process, the peanut plant mutated (naturally) a gene coding for the protein Aflotoxin, which is the source of peanut allergy. Meanwhile, we’ve taken a gene out of Barley (a food) and injected it into Wheat (a food), producing a short wheat which grows 1.5 times as much edible grain of the same quality in slightly less time; these wheat plants are of precisely-understood deviation from the source wheat, and won’t cause any strange reactions (and deaths) as with peanuts, unless they also develop a toxic protein via unrelated natural processes.
Toxicology involves pharmacology and the impact of such over time and at dosage level. Most of the uninitiated see things like trisodium phosphate (a valuable sodium and phosphate supplement) and freak out because it’s highly-poisonous… because sodium and phosphorus, both dietary necessities for your survival, are highly-poisonous. A few mg of TSP is a good supplement; a teaspoon of the stuff is far beyond fatal.
That gets even more interesting when you consider the 800+ pesticides used in Organic farming, which are tank mixed and used in high doses because they’re not very effective on the species targeted. Many of these pesticides have multi-year halflives and are toxic to a broad collection of worms, insects, and microbes, and wreak havoc as they destroy the soil ecology and run off into streams.
Modern synthetic pesticides are synthesized by a complex process of biological engineering. The most modern techniques use genetic sequencing to identify genes and coded proteins most unique to a target organism in an environment–that is, something that affects the fewest species. From these, those with the least similarity to any human biological process (as well as pets and livestock) are selected. Scientists synthesize unstable chemicals which strongly target these proteins and genes, interfering with the biological processes or causing gene under/overexpression, killing the target pest. These synthetic pesticides break down into inert (harmless) chemicals in little time, thus they require less spray (because they’re super-effective), they don’t spill over poisoning onto as many other species (notably humans, pets, and livestock), and they break down quickly to minimize long-term ecological impact and run-off.
Things to think about when someone starts talking about organic farming and GMO.
History is replete with examples of science getting things wrong. I, like many others, do not think we should be messing with genetic makeup in any way other than selective breeding
I am glad to have found this forum. I’ve used Stevia for years. I tried several brands over the years. I finally settle with a brand called “Stevita” it was the better tasting one of them all. Recently, they have gone completely organic. I’ve had gastrointestinal issues for years, bloating and gas mainly. Because of high cholesterol I take Crestor now but previously I’ve taken other cholesterol meds. They all wreak havoc with my gastrointestinal system. What is the percentage of people that experience gastrointestinal discomfort due Stevia intake according to your studies?
Can any one suggest the pure form of stevia can be purchased from which online stores, link please.
Never tried, would like to give really a confident trial.
Great article! Very well researched and presented. Not impressed with the unnecessary jab at women, it didn’t contribute anything to the article, but rather lost you at least one reader and likely more.
Stevia gives me terrible leg and foot cramping and have tested this over and over again to prove it.
I have tried five different types and brands now.
I can’t sleep due to the cramping which wakes me up and I have to suffer pain and stretch and walk around and try to
get back to sleep.
People would be better off with:
1. xylitol powder or granules – does not cause tooth decay and best of sugar alcohols
2. erythritol powder or granules – does not cause tooth decay and probably second best of sugar alcohols
3. A little maple syrup or some other natural syrup.
And, kids through to adults should rely more on fruits than foods that need to be sweetened.
I tried stevia in my cereal, before I could finish the bowl I started to vomit. I didn’t think it had anything to do with the stevia until the next morning I added it to my cereal again same thing happened I threw up . Never again will I ever try stevia .
I’m beginning to suspect an allergy to stevia myself. I started using truvia/stevia this year and while I do have spring time allergies, this year has especially been rough even while taking my allergy pills that usually work very well. I also have a cough that I just can’t seem to really get rid of which I’m associating to allergies and post-nasal drip which is not a normal symptom of my allergies. Truvia for sure caused problems for me because of the sugar alcohols. I usually have 3 cups of coffee at home and I was finding I was having the wooooooorst gas at work and I simply couldn’t stop farting for the life of me and it was lasting for over a month so I checked to see if truvia had that xilitol shit or whatever it is in it, and it did, so I stopped using truvia and I was instantly cured of chronic gas. I have since used stevia in the raw, but so far this year during my experiment with stevia/truvia I’ve had the worst allergies of my life, strep throat, and now a chronic cough. So, I’m going to go without sweeteners for a few days and see what happens
What about the effects on your palate of always having something super-sweet? Daily signals to your brain with something sweet has to have an effect outside the studies here. I get the whole blood sugar thing – but what about trained interest in sweet foods vs. vegetables, etc.
Our family (wife and kids especially) seem to treat Stevia as a panacea of health and pleasure in eating. But what about long term effects of daily sweet consumption on your dietary interests? This seems to get missed.
I’ve wondering No one has talked about an alternate for Stevia.
For those that can not tolerate it.
What about Xylitor made from Pure Birch.
What is your comment on Xylitor.
how do i download this info ?
i started today bt i think its good
A highly researched and well presented article. very informative and gained a lot of insight of stevis.Thanks
I started using Stevia In the Raw a few months ago. Quite honestly, it doesn’t taste all that sweet (doesn’t remind me of sugar anyway), and it sort of has a flavor or aftertaste that isn’t the greatest, but I have just been making myself get used to it by using a half packet and a half teaspoon of real sugar (which I figure is better than two tsps of sugar that I had been using, per cup of coffee). But lately I’ve been feeling very bloated. All I could think of that has been different the past few months or has changed in my diet has been the addition to the Stevie in the Raw. But I noticed the ingredients in Stevie in the Raw are dextrose and then stevia leaf extract. So I am thinking maybe it’s the dextrose causing the bloating? I think I will try a different stevia, one where that is the only ingredient and see if that is better.
As for allergies, I have many. And I thought I was allergic to ragweed. I get awful allergies end of summer and into fall. But I have not noticed any symptoms from the stevia. Although I am usually very congested and have lots of mucus and sinus draining in general. Maybe I am more allergic to the golden rod then, rather than ragweed? I don’t know. I never thought daisies or marigolds bothered me. So now I am clueless about that. I just know end of summer starts awful allergies for me. Including bad spacey head and fatigue. I have not felt that from the stevia though.
STEVIA (Sugar Substitute) and Impact. Please aware Stevia leaf can cause severe hypersensitivity / stevia can cause a severe allergic reaction called anaphylaxis. Yday I had mistakenly drink one cup of stevia mixed tea, made me to suffer a lot finally got admitted to Fortis ICU for one day. Seen the HELL for 6 hours. STEVIA contains two primary steviol glycosides – stevioside and rebaudioside. Rebaudioside is the sweetest (350-450 times the sweetness of table sugar) and least bitter part of the leaf, while stevioside (250-300 times the sweetness of table sugar) has that bitter aftertaste many people complain about. I am one of complaining about STEVIA LEAF due to saw hell after having 1 cup (150ml) of stevia Tea.
After consuming experienced severe panic attack, whole body blood sucking to head feeling, did not able move body parts even fingers and neck, hands became pale color like no blood. aching and sore muscles, felt of numbness of hands and legs (might allergic), heavy dizziness, whole body had hives, shortness of breath, wheezing, whole body become weakness, mouth dried, blood pressure peaked to 148/96, got severe panic attack and decreased the appetite till now. Still whole body is burning sensation, still anxiety coming due to still body contains stevia in my body and quickly getting relaxed from librax 0.5 tablet.
One Stevia leaf is equivalent to 40 spoons of sugar cane sugar. consuming stevia can lead to feelings of nausea and a misleading sensation of fullness in some people,Stevia contains steviosides, which may irritate your stomach and cause other problems for the digestive system, including, bloating and a decreased appetite. Hypertension, vomiting, dry mouth, very much tired from head to toe. European Union is banned Stevia and its product due to its changes Chromosome DNA. STEVIA LEAF contains steviol glycosides that mutagenic compounds that may cause DNA mutations and promote cancer.
After the incident learned that no substitute sugar or any food. I DO NOT RECOMMEND TO ANY PERSON STEVIA LEAF. MIGHT BENEFIT ONE FOR FEW, BUT DAMAGES MORE AT LARGE.
I am simply a consumer of Stevia so I have no medical knowledge beyond the normal amount most people do, however it sounds to me as if you had a raging allergic reaction to it.
I have been using it exclusively for about 6 months when I have tea, or anything that I can add a sweetener to. I also do Slim Fast shakes for breakfast. The one that has only 1 gram of sugar in it. So I usually add a half a packet of Stevia in with my Slimfast, milk, vanilla and ice.
I notice that I am not as moody when I use it, however when I used white granulated sugar, I was moody, irritable and craved more sweets.
In this day and age, I feel like if we use any sugar product, we are messing with our health. Sad state of affairs, in my opinion but look what they have been doing to food for decades.
I would just simply not use it since you had such a bad reaction to it.
I have a son-in-law who is allergic to many foods, and it is awful when he has a reaction.
I agree with you. I thought I was going through ptsd.
There needs to be a warning on stevia.r
Is stevia bad for you if you’re a little toddler? My little daughter loves shakes, but I’m trying to get her off sugar. If stevia health risks (those allergy things you mentioned) are too common, perhaps I shouldn’t put her on it? I personally use it without any problems. I even found out that ice cream tastes *better* with it than with sugar (I can’t say the same about coffee, unfortunately, because the flavor isn’t too nice). So anyway, is stevia healthy and safe for little kids too?
What is stevia made from anyway? It it just the plant or do they add some more stuff to it?
Stevia, by itself, is just a plant. However, stevia side effects usually appear when some brands add chemical additives to it, or when the consumer is allergic to it. If you buy stevia, SweetLeaf is the safest bet.
Thank you so much for all the work you put into this!!!!
“Their hypertension situation improved and there were no reported or detected side effects. Interesting enough, less patients in the stevioside-group developed left ventricular hypertrophy, a pathological thickening of the heart muscle.”
BTW, that should be “fewer patients.”
Thanks again!
Anytime, Bob! And thanks, just fixed it.
Is it better to not have sugar or stevia
It’s better to minimize sugar consumption as much as possible.
I have used Stevia for years and have tried many brands. The least favorite was Vitacost brand; it had a nasty taste (not after-taste, just a nasty taste) to it. My favorite is the NOW brand of stevia. They have glycerite (more like a syrup consistency) or regular (runny like water). they use organic stevia rebaudiana extract from the leaf. It has no taste except for sweet and no after taste. I use it in koolaid and the kids can’t tell that I didn’t use sugar. Us it in everything I want some sweet in. Great product. Have never suffered any side effects.
I have been using Stevia in the raw in my coffee for 4 months now, started drinking BAI which has Stevia in it and just purchased truvia a couple weeks ago and have been putting that on my cereal. 4 mths ago I started to get a rash on my fingers, hands and face. Then it moved to my nose and mouth and neck and scalp. Now it’s everywhere! It is horrible and itchy and feels like I am on fire. My derm says I have lupus and to see a rhuematologist. The Rhuem agrees and puts me on a medication that can cause blindness! I had to get clearance from my eye dr to take it. The allergist says it’s the worst rash he has seen, but doesn’t know what it is from. I thought and thought about what has changed since May. Well, by the grace of God it came to me. STEVIA is the change I have made. I have been ingesting lots of it! Just by chance I had my husband check the side effects on line and if you are allergic to RAGWEED, you can have serious side effects from STEVIA! I am allergic to ragweed! HOW did any of my doctors not pick up on this???????????????? I am stopping all stevia as of this morning. If I get better as the days go by I am going to be PISSED at all of these doctors! IF YOU ARE ALLERGIC TO RAGWEED NEVER TAKE STEVIA OR ANYTHING WITH STEVIA IN IT!!!!!!!!
I greatly appreciated all the effort put into this article..Ill be visiting your site often for sure! I have been using Stevia concentrate drops in my coffee for probably the past 10-12 mos. (44 years old, only child thats 12 and very active). I love coffee but could not enjoy it without sugar as much as I tried!I rarely eat sugar outside of that. Needless to say I have had no side effects whatsoever other than having a decrease in the effect I feel after the coffee. (which I enjoy..it just wakes me up instead of making me feel a bit shaky and anxious). Clearly studies on topics like this are extremely difficult to confirm and I personally do not see how testing things on rats can correlate to humans in any way. I have never understood that bc the same contributing factors to the effect do not apply- ever. Either way- I love how you pulled all of this together and I greatly respect your opinion- so thank you! I feel better about using it now and more educated. :)
Jules
My husband is from Paraguay and we were able to get quite a bit of natural stevia both in liquid and dried plant form. I must say, I did not care for it for a long time. Always making things way too sweet. However, I have stopped buying white sugar (I used a lot of sugar) and switched to coconut sugar and use much less than I ever did with white sugar. But one thing I really like is four drops of liquid stevia into a glass of seltzer water. Sometimes with a little lemon. I grew some in my garden one year, but it was more fun than practical.
I have been using Stavia for over month so far and find all my joints are aching, my knees, my hands, my neck, my back. I did not know what it was from so I am going to stop using it and see if my condition improves.
I’ve found the same with my knees and hands as well. Mostly the left and not so much the right. Very odd
I had the anaphylaxis reaction with Stevia. I couldn’t swallow, then I couldn’t breathe, and then ended up in the ER. I didn’t know what had happened but when I read this article and stopped drinking the soda Zevia I didn’t have anymore problems. I am an asthmatic and I am allergic to everything. So needless to say I am also allergic to Stevia. It is unfortunate because I really liked the soda. If anyone has any other suggestions for soda I would greatly appreciate it.
I bought Great Value stevia extract to use on my oatmeal instead of sugar. By the second bite, my left jaw and left arm went completely numb. I thought I was having a stroke. Those symptoms subsided in about a minute. But now I have tingly toes and fingers plus diarrhea. I have IBS-d. So maybe inulin was an ingredient in the very small print which I could not read.
I am blown away how some people continue to use stevia when they are having adverse reactions. Stop using it. It is not for you. On one occasion I felt my blood pressure was elevated but I don’t know whether it was definitely related to stevia use, so I continue to use it.
I read your post and immediately contacted the SweetLeaf company to enquire as to the source of their stevia. I used it for years. The relevant factor for me originally using this company’s product was a belief was sourced from South America.
Although transparent information is nowhere to be found on their current web site, SweetLeaf stevia is indeed sourced from China.
Interesting note: As I have purchase the liquid and powdered forms from Amazon.com over the years, I found that when I went to post my findings to provide facts to other consumers, Amazon refused to allow my negative review, and therefore it appears I am thwarted in sharing this with others.
Here is the enquiry and response, I hope it is helpful for you as you gather factual information.
I wrote to the company 26 October 2016:
Request (#7801):
Message: Do you use stevia sourced from China?
———————————————–
Atiana Bowyer (Wisdom Natural Brands)
Our stevia comes from China, and the products are manufactured in the U.S..
Thank you,
Atiana Bowyer
Customer Service Representative
Wisdom Natural Brands
Thank you for this excellent article and all the comments. I have used several different kinds of pure, organic stevia – even just the leaf! – and get the same reaction everytime: nausea and the worst taste in my mouth and down my throat, then headache. Even if just a tiny bit of stevia is in something, it tastes like poison to me. The taste is so horrible I can’t even describe it. Like aspertame but much worse. Ever heard of this reaction?
Some persons are allergic to other leafy substances. Such persons may have allergic responses even with STEVIA. They may try with combinations.
Please think about any differences between LIQUID and POWDERED Stevia.
The liquid form generally lacks the bitter after-taste which may follow use of the powdered form. It is less likely to have added ingredients.
It might be helpful if the comments clarified what form were used.
Note that Dana Carpenter, that terrific foodie and low-carb recipe expert, recommends the liquid form.
Ive had a sugar craving for years, (addict) also used to take anti-acid tablets for 25 years, 3 to 4 years ago was diagnosed with diabetes . Since I’ve discovered Stevia (organic only) and some exercise which helped me lose 15 kilos. My blood glucose level went from 7.9 to 4.9 My ldl level went from 3 to 1.4 and the hdl has gone from 1 to 1.5. Cholesterol used to be 5.4 and has changed to 3.2. If not for this amazing Stevia plant I could not have done it.
Such a great article and so good to read the results of consumption from so many folks. Very helpful. I am a sugar addict. Truthfully. If there was an AA for sugar, I’d join. I can’t stop once I start. I think a lot of us are that way thanks for the S.A.D. food industry. So, I went sugar free almost a year ago. And yes, I went through some awful withdrawal. I tried to learn how to cook with Stevia and yes, I blindly bought Truvia without reading the ingredient list. Within a day, I was experiencing constant mild headaches. And no, I am not allergic to Ragweed – as far as I know anyway. (I’m sure I’d know, living in the flora and fauna headquarters of the United States – the humid deep south) I’ve tried organic Stevia products with the same headache side effect. So, I just figured I’m going to have to accept no sugar in my food now – with the exception of fruits. But the, I tried an organic chocolate called Lily Chocolate that uses Organic Stevia. I limited myself to maybe 4-6 little squares a day as a treat. No headache. BUT, one day when I ended up nibbling on the whole bar over the period of one day, I ended up sitting on the throne the next day. I, too, am careful with what I eat due to IBS symptoms (never been formally diagnosed – but I am certain a gastro doc would listen to my symptoms, run $1000 worth of tests and sit me down and say, “….yep – IBS……” and receive the bill a month later…) So, after binging on an entire bar of Lily Chocolate, the IBS reared it’s ugly revenge. SO……hmmm…..I guess in SMALL moderation or eventually just learn to eat an apple for the sweet of the day. It could be worse.
BTW-I dropped 18lbs in 6 months just by going sugar free. That’s all I did. Bloating and inflammation and achiness and swollen joints and stiffness ALL disappeared. I have zero aches and pains now. I look and feel slimmer than I ever have in my life. My husband pulled out our wedding pics and noted I’m slimmer than when we got married 30 years ago – and like all young brides, I starved myself to fit into that skinny dress to say “I DO”! I can fit into some very nice very slimming clothes now! Sugar is the devil.
Stevia doesn’t raise your blood sugar but it raises your “hormone Insulin” so you will gain weight and is bad for people who want to lose weight ! best ting you can do is give up all sweeteners ! give up your addiction to sweet poison ! who says life is fair ? I have a question. Which is worse, millions of of poor Africans starving to death or Millions of Americans Eating them selves to death ?…Americans eating to death are worse, because they actually “can make a “choice” not to eat too much. They’re lacking of self control , “”discipline”” . Those poor Africans do not have choices but to starve.
The biggest problem with controlling diabetes and weight through diet is the lazy human variable. You can lead a horse to water but cant force them to drink. Most people rather eat fast food , factory frozen food ,protein powder made in china full of casein ,
pills or shoot insulin than to change their shitty eating habits. We live in an “instant gratification”
society full of people with 0 discipline or work ethic.
Sad but true …..
“Fasting” and “intermediate fasting” is the cure (controlling insulin)……. for those people who are over weight
and UN-healthy , you should get
this book by Dr. Jason Fung from Toronto Canada his book will cure
obesity and type two diabetes the book is called ; The Obesity Code: Unlocking the Secrets of Weight Loss , go to Amazon and check the reviews ; https://www.amazon.com/Obesity-Code-Unlocking-Secrets-Weight/dp/1771641258
if you want to lose weight watch your intake of carbs, but be careful since the equivalent of 12
teaspoons
of sugar happens very quickly.
For example:
• 1 cup of milk equals = 2 teaspoons of sugar
• 1 cup of rice (cooked) equals = 9 teaspoons of sugar
• 1 banana equals equals = 5 teaspoons of sugar
• 1 baked potato equals = 7 teaspoons of sugar
• 1 sweet potato = 8 teaspoons of sugar
• 1 cup of strawberries equals = 2.5 teaspoons of sugar (low sugar)
• 1/2grapefruit = 2 teaspoons of sugar
– Coca cola (one can) – 8.25 teaspoons of sugar
– Raisin Bran cereal – 7.75 teaspoons of sugar (per 100grams)
– Grapes fruit – 4 teaspoons of sugar (per 100grams)
– Tomatoes – 0.7 teaspoons of sugar (per 100grams)
– 1 Muffin (one chocolate chip muffin) – 4.75 teaspoons of sugar
– Special K cereal – 3 teaspoons of sugar (per 100grams)
– Corn Flakes – 2.4 teaspoons of sugar (per 100grams)
– Alpen cereal – 5.75 teaspoons of sugar (per 100grams)
– Mangos fruit – 3.2 teaspoons of sugar (per 100grams)
– A cup of seedless prunes has, in effect, 25 teaspoons of sugar !
Scientists find in comparing the sugar levels in the blood after the
consumption of a snickers bar that has 8.5 teaspoons of sugar the same
as two bread slices ! . The sugar equivalent is of 1 large bagel a
whopping 12 teaspoons of sugar !
Lastly, it is worth noting that there are many breads that a single
slice of which will raise your blood sugar more than a US Snickers bar
(which has a GI of 68/97)…if the Glycemic Index can be believed. You
can browse the table yourself to see. I’ve included some of the more
interesting ones below.
Breads that have a higher Glycemic Index than a Snickers bar:
Also don’t eat fruit if your plan is to lose weight ; all fruit will cause your insulin to go up .Every morning Instead eat one lime or lemon (organic) with warm filtered water everyday , natural vitamin c from lime or lemons make your arteries strong and healthy and cleans your liver and kidneys water and lemon (warm) cold water is bad for your liver .
If you have heart disease take 1000 mg of magnesium every day and watch this video about heart disease by Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn MD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYTf0z_zVs0
.
The more meat and dairy you eat the more fat you eat and alcohol you
drink ; The more weight you gain . Fat and alcohol creates more Estrogen
in your body …more Estrogen in the body more weight you gain …and
The more hormone-cancers like breast cancer and prostate cancer.The
solution is to eat a plant base organic diet (Vegetarian ) coffee ,
sweets, beer , junk food , red meat dairy raises your estrogen in the
body . Vegetarian diet and exercise will bring down estrogen . life is
about the choice you make in life ! alcohol , red meat ,
dairy & fat equals = estrogen————more estrogen in your body
equals = lots of weight gain Vegetarian plant base diet , no sugar, no wheat , no
alcohol , no coffee , and exercise every day is the solution to lose
weight and bring down estrogen . if you’re not
born with the skinny gene ! than you have only one solution eating low
fat healthy diet and exercise .and sleep 9 hours at least , go to bed
early so your hormones are not out of control . I you don’t get good
sleep you will not lose weight . you must fast , and not eat every hour
.control your insulin ! You must not use any type of sweetners , no
Stevia either , Stevia also raises your insulin and you gain weight !
no sugar no sweeteners .Insulin resistance comes primarily sugar ,carbs and from the fat we eat . fat accumulates in the pancreas ducts and slowly you become insulin resistant… Eat a organic whole food plant based diets are very low in fat and the fat we wear.. being over fat causes fats to be put into the blood and recirculated back to fat cells. Although a bit over simplified this characterization of the problem helps persons understand why by cutting fats out of their diet their serum glucoses improve quickly. As they lose fat off their body and get down to normal weight and they continue to improve but more gradually .
“Chicken poultry” ; contains a “virus” that cause “obesity” “google chicken virus causes obesity : don’t eat chicken , red meat or any dairy . Eat organic and only eat two meals a day . Intermediate fasting will shrink your stomach naturally ; when you’re hungry eat “resistant starches” like half green banana , Artichokes , “barley” is great it will make you full and is so healthy, Use Barley instead of rice or cereals .Eat barley every day make sure its organic and sleep 10 hours a night ,
if you can’t sleep at night take start with1mg for the firt week then you can take more until body gets used to mealtonin . I take 6 mg of melatonin on empty stomach 2 hour before bed time .Melatonin will bring down estrogen and help you lose weight and help you with insulin resistant and many other diseases high doses of melatonin kills cancer cells . If you are over 40 you should take melatonin every night , Melatonin also kills cancer cells . If you’re over the age of 50 yrs old you can take 50 mg. of DHEA hormone will give you energy and help you lose weight ,,.40 mg. of zinc also good for older folks . black seeds are very good also good for inflammation
. and last do light weights Walk 12 thousand steps a day after dinner .Don’t over exercise or it will make you over eat .and last don’t eat chocolate , chocolate is a stimulant .
This is the best Book for people who ‘are diabetic its very old book but it will help you cure type two ; its called ; Diabetes and the hypoglycemic syndrome: Facts, findings and natural treatments :
by Calvin L Thrash – https://www.amazon.com/dp/0942658116/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=19UMQ0U06JRA5&coliid=I128KF4XHOD1LG
i am wondering if all the people complaining about xylitol are using too muchtoo soon. I had to switch my son off of all simple carbs because of seizures. I put him on xylitol and of course i wouldn’t give him anything i did’t try and research. We use the birch type not the corn type. We had to work our way up with our xylitol dosage. we had to start small to give our gut a chance to get used to it. I found out the hard way when i made sweet tea and we were all stuck to the toilet. After better research, i realized my error and started giving the kids a pinch to taste every day, working up to a little sprinkle on cereal or a tiny sprinkle in juice then gradually adding more to the cereal until i was able to bake and cook with it. Now we can use it with no problem. It was a hassle at first to get our body accustomed to it, but it was worth it. After eliminating simple carbs and replacing sugar with xylitol, my son is seizure free and not on medicine othe than Charlotte’s web hemp drops.
(MUST READ: RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS CURE)
In 2014 I started having pain in my left foot. The doctor tested me for gout and it was negative. A couple of months later I started having pain and stiffness in my left hand that was very severe at night. The doctor did blood tests for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and I tested positive for anti-CCP (134). Then the pain started spreading to other joints. I was so tired some days that I didn’t feel like driving myself home from work. My eyes were dry and irritated and I had a dry cough. All medications given by my rheumatologist were really not helping. Finally i started on Newlife Rheumatoid arthritis herbal formula in 2016, just 3 weeks into the RA herbal formula usage some symptoms had seized. When i finally completed the herbs usage all symptoms including aching joints, stiffness, pain and fatigue dissapeared. (Visit www. newlifeherbalclinic. com ). I recommend this herbal treatment for all RA sufferers, its a final breakthrough for all suffering from Rheumatoid Arthritis.
I just discovered I am allergic to Stevia. I use the TRUVIA brand, and it has been responsible for allergic conditions which put me in the emergency room with flu like symptoms. I was released as community acquired pneumonia, but not at all based on lab work i.e. it could have been anything. Turns out the ER visit coincides with my starting TRUVIA as part of a weight loss campaign. Unbelievable. I have had two thoracentesis (draining of lung sacs), chronic dry cough, onset asthma, runny nose and never once thought to suspect the TRUVIA, until, that is, I stopped using it briefly two days ago and just like that cough and runny nose disappeared. To think that for months I was suffering at 50% lung capacity, diagnosed with RAD, given an inhaler, and was drinking gallons of herbal tea with TRUVIA trying to get the cough to go away. In fact, all I was doing is perpetuating the cough, and most likely exacerbating my pleural effusions, of which there is NO explanation for occurring. I am without a doubt allergic to ragweed, always have been. This morning, I used TRUVIA in my coffee, after two days of no symptoms. I literally started coughing before even finishing the cup and my nose is running.
I haven’t had Stevia before…. I am allergic to 98% of artificial sweeteners… I always have a jumbo Kisko Mr. Freezie in the evenings as my nightly snack aproximately a week ago I started having problems with queasy stomach, headaches, horrible taste in mouth (even right after brushing my mouth tasted like sour milk), my neuralgia has gotten worse, and diarrhea. I thought maybe i was getting apsertame or something in something i was eating …. after looking at ingredients of all packaging it turns out that in the newest boxes of Kisko Mr. Freezie they have added Stevia Extract. all the packages before that only had sugar no other sweeteners. They have nothing to indicate on thier packages, thier website or thier facebook page that they were changing the formula of thier products and that they added Stevia unless you read the tiny ingredient lists. So I guess that is one more item i have to add to my list of items (which seems to be growing fast lately) of things that contain a sweetener other than sugar that i can no longer eat … such as 99% of chewing gums, cough syrups, alot of the candy’s, some chocolate’s, certain yogurts, now freezies and probably most of the popcycles ect. that people enjoy in the summer time, they even put sweeteners in coatings on medications :( (walmart brand easy tabs tylenol for instance) and alot of the no name TUMS also contain artificial sweeteners.
I wish companies would advertise when they change a product or add an ingredient :( i’ve been slowly feeling worse and worse since they changed it :( i was ready to go to hospital till i decided to start reading packages of things i use on regular basis.
Stevia isn’t for everyone sometimes Real Sugar is the only way to go for some :(
I just checked the jar of TRUVIA I have. On the nutritional label, it states ” Per 1/3 teaspoon ( 1.5g) it contains 2g of erythritol. Therefore, NO stevia and .5g of erythritol magically appears in your cup.
Many years ago, when stevia was first put on the market, a friend of mine decided to put so in our tea. Almost immediately I started having trouble swallowing. The ER was no help because at that time the belief was that you couldn’t believe allergic. As a nurse I know the symptoms of an allergic reaction. Since it wasn’t getting worse I knew I just had to wait it out, which we did but we waited it out in the ER waiting room. I’ve always known that stevia causes allergies but thanks to your article I now know why I’m allergic to it. I am allergic to ragweed as well. Needless to say I’ve avoided stevia which is getting harder because of it’s increasing popularity and the many name it is known by. I guess I’m just going to have to be enguard.
After 2 months of eating a prepared oatmeal sweetened with stevia 5 days a week I developed severe constipation an tinnitus. This was my only diet and lifestyle change. My bowels literally just stopped working. I am going off the oatmeal today. Dr. Visit showed no obstruction. Don’t know the purity of the stevia, but it left a bitter after taste.
Stevia is structured like a steroid. It can have steroid effects in the body.
Other than that, stevia gives me sugar cravings. I end up binging on sweets after eating something containing stevia. After giving up added sugars, I no longer crave sugar.
Thanks to Regev for a great read and to everyone too for their personal insight. I have used artificial sweeteners for years but with the growing market (and my aging) have been more perplexed than ever about how to feel good. My latest journey has been that I began to use Truvia a few years ago. I did not use a lot, just a few packs per day. It wasn’t until the last year when I began to have a mysterious upset stomach which manifested mainly during the night. I would have an achy stomach and tried using OTC products to feel better. I lost a lot of sleep and my GI doc could not really help me. I have a bad gall bladder so I attributed the pain to that. After some careful observation and dietary experimentation, I decided to stop using stevia. That one change took away the overnight pain and I was able to sleep through the night again (as long as I don’t eat a fatty meal!). At some point I had started using the Shop Rite brand, which I still have in my cabinet. I see that erythritol is also included. I had an unexpected bout of stomach aches after consuming Halo Top ice cream – which I absolutely love. After I made the connection of stevia/erythritol, I was heartbroken. I have not tried it again but it is sitting in my freezer. When my stomach is in good shape, I would like to experiment with the other brands/varieties of stevia I read about here. I would also like to mention that I am about to become a zealot to eliminate Acesulfame K from the market or require it on labels because I have had severe gastrointestinal distress from products that I didn’t even know had artificial sweetener in them – like regular old lemonade drink mix. Sucralose is another gut killer, and I’ll include that on my labelling campaign. I have spoken to others, especially those with children imbibing juices and the like who have suffered greatly for months. Aspartame went on my watch list many years ago. I can’t use it. It’s getting ridiculous that we have to inspect every label for everything.
I am using stevia for years and never experienced any side affect. I feel that it helped me to control suger cravings. One should simply remember that too much of everything is bad. Too much of stevia can also have some side affects.
I just want to post a reminder to folks who may be new to stevia and/or are having allergic or other odd symptoms after using it: please read the ingredients list on the package before you buy. As far as I can tell, Walmart does not sell pure stevia. Brands like Truvia ARE NOT PURE stevia. They have added chemicals. I, too have allergic responses to many things, so I’ve become an avid “googler” of product ingredients. There are pure Stevia products available online. I’ve never found one in Walmart.
Drank “Zevia” soda sweetened with Stevia tolerated it for some time but always felt stomach problems, gas, very bloated. Cut out Zevia and have no more problems. Bad Product And Additive
Thank you Regev for this article and for all the helpful comments posted by sensitive souls.
Unfortunately I will also have to stop consuming this product due to a plethora of side effects including an extremely itchy rash and ringing in the ears.
In time I will try the SweetLeaf Powdered Stevia as I love baking.
Many thanks and best wishes
Lisajane
I am on my third Zevia today. It has never given me any trouble. I think it is getting a bad rap here by folks who are sensitive to it. Not everyone is and I think for most folks it is a great product. Our local store cannot seem to keep it in stock, someone is obviously enjoying it!
Did you come across any study that addressed if stevia is a stimulant?
Tried Stevia –> shat myself with the worst diarrhoea on 4 occasions. Talk about release the Kraken
:-(
Are you sure you were using pure stevia? Most of the grocery store brands are mixed with xylitol or erythritol and those will definitely upest my stomach, while stevia does not.
Could you please talk about how many of these glowing studies were funded by corporations who make money from refined stevia products, such as Cargill and Coca-Cola? Because the vast majority of them were, and the studies that raised questions were not. Doesn’t that raise a red flag for anybody? How about the way that the FDA only approved Rebaudioside A once it could make a lot of money for these corporations in 2008? How about the fact that all of these indigenous people who used stevia for hundreds of years were eating raw, unprocessed, organic stevia they’d grown or harvested themselves, not Truvia? There is too much about the refined forms of stevia sold today that we just don’t know, and too many reasons to be suspicious.
Honestly, I think that people ignore all of these red flags because we all want to find a perfect sugar substitute so desperately. But we can’t. There is only one answer. We all need to let go of the fantasy that we can keep feeding our sugar addiction by replacing caloric sugars with non-nutritive ones, whether stevia, Nutrasweet, or anything else. Get rid of ALL added sweeteners of any kind whatsoever, do it 100% of the time, and do it now. This is not a popular idea, but it’s the only truly viable one. And if the thought of completely eliminating every added sweetener immediately and without exception makes you freak out… that’s EXACTLY how alcoholics react to the thought of stopping their drinking. This is what addiction is. And finding a “substitute” for the drug of choice is never, ever the solution.
I’m a vegetarian and have been using Stevia (KAL) for many years. I’ve never been plagued with headaches or stomach problems as a result the Stevia. When I was eating sugared foods and chicken, meat, fish or dairy, I was in trouble all the time with stomach upsets and weight gain. But now, my eating habits are perfect for my needs, and between Stevia and Soy products, I’m healthy as a horse and am sure it’s related to the above. Thanks so much for your input. It was well worth your studies to provide this for all of us. Sincerely, Fran.
Great article! I use Stevita brand of organic stevia. Only 2 ingredients: Stevia and Grapefruit seed extract as preservative. I live in a small rural area so I order this from Amazon. It’s a liquid and I’ve been using it for several years with no problems.
I had stevia raw leaf juice accidentally consumes in 2015, after that have severe anxiety, panic, heart palpitation, hypertension and fear for any reason. Pathology Dr checked my blood sample said that serotonin reduced below the normal level, electrolyte increase. Known Dr said that why did u consume when the whole world is banned Stevia leaf. From 2015 till today I’m having anxiety, fear, panic attack, heart palpitation, hypertension and hypoglycemia (diabetic type 2). US FDA, Europe food authority is banned, some of the countries using from decade but by removing neurotoxic from stevia while extracting. Ayurvedic Dr said that Stevia will damage pancreas and says it’s written in ancient ayurvedic books as “Neuro Toxic”. I have to recover from this damage in brain and pancreas. Please help me
Tried drinking the new ” Coke Life” made with Stevia in an effort to eliminate aspartame but avoid a lot of calories in drinking diet coke. Within a couple of minutes, My lips were tingly, burning, and my neck and chest were itchy. Finished the drink and didn’t correlate it to the drink. Symptoms subsided within 20mins . About 2 hours later, mixed a rum and coke using the Coke Life, and had same symptoms. This is when the “light” went off and I realized symptoms were the result of the cola. I need to try another product with Stevi a to eliminate the possibility that the allergen is another component in the Coke Life. I have no allergies to ragweed, daisys, dandelions, watermelon etc. in the astercaece family.
About $7,000 and 6 months ago, I used stevia on a daily basis. I am a 38 yo female who exercises and eats relatively healthy. I began having issues with abnormal swelling in my feet (huge knots in my heels) that would last for 24-48 hours with intense itching. This usually followed intense exercising. Several weeks later, my wrist and forearm began itching and swelling. They doubled in size, but in 48 hours the itching and swelling went away. The next time I had a reaction, it was much worse. My lips, mouth, and one cheek became so swollen I could barely breathe through my nose. I went to Urgent Care for the 3rd time trying to figure out the issue. The doctors couldn’t come up with anything other than guessing it might be a food allergy. I wasn’t taking any oral meds at the time. Meanwhile, I was experiencing terrible GI problems from foods that had never before bothered me. Processing fatty or rich food became impossible. I had debilitating pain in my upper gut that would happen every few days and keep me out of work. I had to visit a specialist and he ordered an ultrasound to detect gall stones. None were found so I had an endoscopy. The endoscopy showed that everything was normal. I decided to visit an allergist and spent $2,000 for testing. Guess what they discovered? I have a ragweed allergy. So, I put two and two together and realized stevia just might be the issue. I eliminated it from my diet immediately and for the past 6 months I have had no swelling or diagnosis of angioedema. My digestive issues have finally been resolved although I now take 40mg of Prilosec at night if I eat something like red meat or fried food. I think stevia did permanent damage to my digestive system, so I really caution people with a ragweed allergy to eliminate this at the first sign of unusual itching or swelling. I hate that I had to learn the hard way and spend so much money just to figure this out. :-(
Amanda, there are some inconsistencies in your story, tho it certainly is possible that you either induced, or genetically have, a weakness for ragweed polysaccharides or proteins. First problem; huge knots in heels. None of us out here understand what that means. The ‘heel’ is primarily bone, with connective tissue overlaying. There is nothing to ‘knot up’ there, barring some of very unusual trauma which would would have torn the tissues. Then you mention it follows some kind of intense exercising. That one sentence opens up all kinds of possibilities, but this is not the place to explore that. Then you mention your upper extremity, but fail to mention if the swelling was spontaneous, or ass’d with an event, as you described w/the lower extremity. Then you mention signs, textbook classic for Gall Bladder problems. This alone can creates all kinds of tricky symptoms, seemingly unrelated. While everyone out here is very happy that y are now feeling better, you have made a grievous error by using prilosec. The amount of system wide problems this WILL (no ‘ifs) w/long term use, is quite disturbing. re processed Stevia, different manufactures do this differently, Did you ever try a different brand, or even the whole herb. What you have done, tho again, we are happy U R feeling better, is thrown out the baby with the bathwater. You have self made a differential diagnoses, using poor reasoning. Yes, I see how what you did seems logical, but in fact, it fails all metrics (I hate that word) of the scientific method. If you really wanted to, and you certianly don’t HAVE to, odds are likely in your favor that you could return to Stevia, if you proceeded with reason and due diligence. And for the sake of all your systems, stop the Prilosec, if you have not done so already.
Thank you for all your research. I tried to read through all of it but didn’t read the comments so I’m not sure if you covered this issue. I’ve heard that workers have to wear hazmat suits to make Stevia. Due to the chemical process needed to extract the sweetness.
Here is one article.
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/05/how-natural-is-stevia/257882/
What about the evidnce showing stevia’s effectiveness in battling Lyme disease?
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4681354/
I have seen a lot of comments about gastrointestinal problems. I’ve been using Stevia for a couple of years (if not more). Thinking back, I did have an alarming amount of gas around the same time I started using it. I like my coffee and tea super sweet (like McD’s) so I use a lot. In 16 ounces of water with instant coffee, I use 1/2 cup of powdered Stevia. It has been about a year since my nasty flatulence went away. It may cause some gas, I suggest giving it a try for a longer period of time. It may just take time for your body to get use to it. I have noticed that the kind I buy at Walmart, powder and liquid, have maltodextrin in them so I will be switching to SweetLeaf Stevia.
Thank you so much for all of the research you have done!!!
God Bless!
I heard from a friend that some Stevia might have formaldehyde in it. The story goes that a hair analysis group found, and traced back some formaldehyde to stevia the person was using. Not trying to spread any nasty or untrue rumors, but if it is true, I believe it’s only in some brands. I would suspect it was added by some company(ies), but possibly not by others. I doubt it was naturally in the stevia to begin with! My issue is- how does one find if there IS formaldehyde in some stevia, see if the amt. is anything to be concerned about, and know how to find which brands to possibly avoid, if it is not listed on the bottle. BUT on the other hand, it may not even be doing any noticeable harm, likely is trace amts only, and —esp. compared to all the other things in the environment–would have negligible effects. So the fact that someone found it in Stevia does not mean everyone should stop using Stevia! Still, I ‘d be curious to know if formaldehyde showed up in any studies of commercial Stevia. I tried to search this article using the word “formadehyde” to see if you mentioned it, but it seemed it only came up in the artificial sweetener references…? Thanks!
For what it’s worth, I have a super-good friend who muscle tests better than most people, even those with more credentials (she has a B.A. in animal husbandry!) , because she had to learn it on herself and her many ailments- most of which she has already cured thru muscle testing! She helps animals heal too. And she’s helped her mom feel better as well as me. I say this just to show you she has a lot of other credentials besides an N.D., etc.!
Well, she told me that Xylitol made from birch is not as healthy as Xylitol made from corn. Yes, I know that sounds counter-intuitive as corn could be GMO— but in this case, the GMO apparently is not transferred in the corn that’s used. It’s the birch one that is not as good, but unfortunately due to the fact that everyone thinks the corn has GMO, they won’t make it/use it. If I were to use Xylitol (I prefer stevia for now), I would never use the birch-derived version! Another thing she said is that when Wendy’s changed to a new oil some yrs ago, because they said the old oil was not healthy- she tested the new oil and said it was –sadly- WORSE than the old oil! I trust her, that’s all I can say. I don’t have anything against Wendy’s and they tried to do their best to improve things, but anything that is cooked in their new oil I won’t buy. I think the salads are safe, but I avoid the burgers and fries…etc. Just giving you some helpful tips that hopefully will help you avoid some pitfalls. Some people may handle both Wendy’s and birch xylitol fine- but I just say to be careful… tnx.
On two separate occasions, after drinking tea at a friend’s house using a sweetener, I developed a very itchy, hot rash, with large white bumps. In appearance it looked as if I had rubbed my face and neck in nettles. At that time I did not connect it with Stevia. I then had the same reaction at the airport after drinking tea sweetened using a Stevia sachet, on 2 separate occasions. Luckily each time it subsided after about 1 1/2 hrs. I then put two and two together and realised what the problem was! I asked my friend if she had used Stevia in my tea each time, and she said yes! Fast forward 4 years when another friend made a dessert which I did not realise contained Stevia (Truvia). Within minutes, once again, my eyes itched terribly, and large weals appeared all over my face and neck. I immediately knew what it was and she confirmed that she had used Stevia, and was mortified. She said her Slimming Club recommend it. I took an antihistamine and it subsided after about an hour or so, but it is a very unpleasant immediate reaction. I am a keen gardener and never have allergies to plants, nor have I ever had hay fever, so it is a bit of a mystery. I never use sweeteners of any sort now.
Stevia side effects
Had a stevia raw juice tea, after few days started reactive hypoglycemia. So visited endocrinologist, suggested to stop stevia usage. Dr Endocrinology Expert said STEVIA is banned, contains 2 deadly dangerous steroids and kills neurotransmitters instantly. the impact of neurotransmitter are anxiety, extreme fear, extreme level heart palpitation, senses doesn’t send communication to brain, reacts extreme fear and reactive hypoglycemia, low blood generated by pancreas due to damage of pancreatic hormones.
Stevia causes lift term health problem, avoid stevia or any sugarcane sugar substitutes.
follow what your ancestors ate and followed. Don’t damage your DNA and your next generation. Don’t try any new food substitute