The dangers of stevia…is it a case of “much a do about nothing”?

With the inevitable explosion of stevia on the market, many a question will be raised on the dangers of stevia. Is this herb which, when refined, has the sweetness of cane sugar multiplied by 300, too good to be true? Potentially, it could destroy the artificial sweetener market. Potentially, it could overrun the cane sugar market. Potentially, it could also be the salvation of many a consumer.

When rehashing the dangers of stevia, those who claim it to be harmful usually have three points of dispute. The first point that addresses potential stevia side effects, would be that some of the ingredients in the make up of stevia can promote cancer due to the mutation of certain cells in the body. The second point that will come up will certainly be that stevia has a negative impact on male sperm count and female reproduction rates and infant size. Last but not least, concerns have been raised about stevia interfering with the absorption of carbohydrates and therefore inhibiting growth, especially amongst children. It should however be noted that all these conclusions have been drawn after experiments with mice and other small rodents, and that all of these studies were funded by companies that produce artificial sweeteners like aspartame.

As of yet, there is no evidence whatsoever that stevia consumption poses any threat to humans. On the contrary: despite the mumblings about the so called dangers of stevia, the Japanese have been the largest consumer nation of stevia since 1970 with not a single health related issue reported due to the ingestion of stevia. The Japanese Ministry of Health has approved stevia to be used in pharmaceuticals. The Australian Government has dismissed the claimed dangers of stevia and has welcomed the product at its shores. Even some large companies such as Coca Cola are planning on using stevia in their products as soon as the US FDA lifts all restrictions on this herb. Currently stevia is allowed to be sold only as a food supplement in the US.

You might want to compare all of this with the many proven health benefits of stevia. It has proven to be beneficial to diabetics, aiding in weight loss, reducing blood pressure problems, raising energy levels and improving brain activity. Other benefits of stevia include the improvement of bad skin conditions. Stevia has been proven to reduce the production of plaque and thus improving general dental health.

Furthermore, stevia is tremendously versatile and can be used in food, beverages, medication, cosmetics, condiments, wine and spirits. A great attribute of stevia is that it does not ferment and it actually slows down the growth of bacteria in food, so it actually improves the shelf life of your products!

There are many reputable publications dismissing the dangers of stevia. One such publication by the American Herbal Products Association, April 23, 1992, states "There are no reports of any government agency in any of the above countries indicating any public health concern whatsoever in connection with the use of stevia in foods."

Sounds sweet, doesn’t it?