HEALTHY SWEETNESS: Stevia’s Health Benefits and What About TASTE?

Stevia is the name of a plant. It looks like this:

The leaves of this plant are very sweet, yet they do not contain sugar. They are non-caloric, just as many other leaves of plants. Stevia has been consumed by native people in South and Central America for thousands of years – it even features in the ancient Mayan text, the Popol Vuh (i). Stevia has been used commercially in food products in numerous countries such as Japan since the 1970s and the US and Europe since the 2000s. In addition to eating it directly, it is used to make sweet tea and as a medicinal plant for those with high blood pressure, pre-diabetes, and diabetes as it helps to regulate blood pressure and blood glucose. Given its medicinal applications, there has been a large amount of research (>1,000 studies) conducted on it for food and medical applications (ii, iii, iv, v). In addition to the thousands of years of human consumption, the research evidence on this plant has only further confirmed its helpful effects (vi).

HOW MUCH IS MEDICINAL?

Stevia leaf extract is 300x as sweet as sugar, so if you eat or drink a stevia-sweetened product, you will most likely get 50-170mg per food/drink that is sweetened with stevia leaf extract (labelled usually as steviol glycosides, the scientific name for the plant’s sweet molecules). It is important to remember that some studies on stevia’s health benefits use higher doses than this. However, there are still benefits of smaller doses according to the scientific literature.

Stevia IMPROVES METABOLISM and REDUCES BLOOD GLUCOSE

After oral intake, steviol glycosides are broken down by gut microbiota. Free steviol is absorbed and transformed into steviol glucuronide, which goes to peripheral blood and is excreted by the kidneys (vii, viii). In non-obese, Type 2 diabetes, stevioside (the main steviol glycoside) significantly reduces blood glucose spikes by 30% (incremental area under the curve), by improving insulin secretion and sensitivity, and suppressing glucagon (v). Interestingly, stevia seems to behave in an adaptogenic medicinal way, as stevioside does not cause hypoglycemia (excess blood glucose lowering) in non-diabetic (metabolically ‘normal’) controls (v, ix). Stevia appears to act directly on both taste receptor cells and pancreatic β cells to appropriately modulate glucose-induced insulin secretion, preventing diabetic hyperglycemia (x). In both animal and human trials, depending on the dose, stevia improves insulin sensitivity and fasting blood glucose.  

Here are a few examples of the many studies evaluating stevia as an anti-diabetic medicine. This animal study indicates that stevia improves insulin sensitivity in lean subjects (left panels show the glucose curve after an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test), with less insulin needed (bottom left panel) to create the same blood glucose lowering (xiii). On the right, obese subjects experience a lower blood glucose curve, with the same amount of insulin. Thus, stevia improves insulin’s efficacy in both lean and obese subjects. 

Fig 1. Glucose (top) and insulin (bottom) responses during an OGTT in lean Zucker rats (left panels) and in obese Zucker rats (right panels) after 2 hours treatment with SVS (500 mg/kg body weight). LV, lean vehicle-treated group; LS, lean SVS-treated group; FV, obese vehicle-treated group, FS, obese SVS-treated group. Values are means ± SE for 5 animals per group. *P < .05 v respective vehicle-treated control.Lailerd, N. (2004)

Another animal study gave fructose-induced type 2 diabetic subjects 0.5mg, 1mg, 5mg of stevioside (one of the main steviol glycosides) twice a day for 15 days and showed a dose dependent response in lowering blood glucose (xviii). The vehicle is saline.

Chen, TH. et al (2005)

Stevia IMPROVES MUSCLE CELL INSULIN SENSITIVITY and ENHANCES MUSCLE GLYCOGEN REPLENSHIMENT

Muscle cell insulin resistance and impaired muscle glycogen synthesis are among the earliest biomarkers of metabolic syndrome, hyperglycemia, and Type 2 diabetes (xi, xii). Research indicates that stevioside enhances glucose transport in insulin resistant skeletal muscle cells (in both lean and obese animal models), directly ameliorating this early dysfunction in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance (xiii). While muscle glycogen replenishment function is often impaired in Type 2 diabetes, research demonstrates that physiological levels of stevioside increase glycogen replenishment by 35% compared to controls, which is remarkable and relevant for muscle maintenance and athletic performance, in addition to enhancing and maintaining metabolic health generally (xiv).

Jeppesen, P.B. and Lavrsen, S. (2016)

Stevia helps in Losing and Maintaining Weight

In a 12-week animal study in female rats, comparing a standard diet (Negative control) with the same diet plus sucrose dissolved in water (Positive control: 500mg/kg/day, c. 30g of sugar for an average adult human), and compared to 4 groups with various doses of stevia, demonstrated that the stevia groups consumed less calories and lost weight vs. both control groups that gained weight (xix).

Elnaga, N.I.E. et al (2016)

This study also revealed significant dose-dependent lowering in blood glucose of the stevia groups (p<0.05), and improved lipid profiles: significant reductions in total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, vLDL and improved LDL/HDL ratio (p<0.05). While the higher doses of stevia would be in the supplement range (vs. what you would eat/drink in food/beverage products), the lower level translates to what one could consume naturally. 

In a human study (n=20), drinking a non-caloric stevia-sweetened beverage prior to a meal significantly improved satiety and lowered overall calorie intake vs. water (p=0.013) (xx). As you can see in the first chart, the stevia-drink group did not compensate by eating more at lunch despite having no calories compared to the other beverage groups. The study again also demonstrates the blood glucose AUC of stevia being the same as water and significantly lower vs. beverages with maltodextrin, glucose, or sucrose.

Stamataki, NS. et al (2019)

Another human study (n=28) demonstrated that taking 25mg of commercially available stevia drops 2x/day, resulted in better satiety, lower calorie intake and maintenance / reduction in body weight compared to the control group that continued their normal diet had higher hunger scores (p=0.041) and gained weight (xxi). The control group had a high correlation between sweet cravings and sugar intake (p=0.027).

Stamataki, NS. et al (2020)

Stevia can PROTECT AGAINST ATHEROSCLEROSIS (Cardiovascular Disease) and has IMMUNOREGULATORY EFFECTS

Multiple studies have demonstrated stevia’s powerful antioxidant impacts, including boosting levels of our own body’s major antioxidants such as superoxide dismutase (SOD). Research has demonstrated that stevioside treatment significantly improved insulin signaling in adipose tissue, reduced oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL), reduced macrophages and lipids in atherosclerotic plaque and increased smooth muscle cells that promote more stable plaque in the aorta. Stevioside also has a direct anti-inflammatory effect, by lowering expression of genes that increase inflammation and that recruit monocytes to the blood vessel wall.

Stevioside also has a direct anti-inflammatory effect, by lowering expression of genes that increase inflammation and that recruit monocytes to the blood vessel wall. Stevioside also doubled levels of adiponectin, a key anti-inflammatory, anti-atherogenic, insulin-sensitizing and weight-loss related hormone that is often abnormally low in cases of metabolic dysfunction and obesity (xv). In high doses (750-1,500mg/day - more than the c. 250-300mg/day typically consumed in stevia-sweetened products), stevia has been shown to have significant therapeutic effects, including reducing blood pressure, improving Type 2 diabetes, immune system function, and having anti-carcinogenic (anti-cancer) effects (xvi). Given stevia’s significant free-radical scavenging and anti-inflammatory effects, including in specifically reducing the inflammatory cytokines Il-1β, Il-6, TNF-α, researchers suggest that 5g of dried stevia leaf can help acutely to fight sepsis (xvii). 

How can STEVIA TASTE GREAT? You may have tried products with stevia and found they tasted unpleasant or bitter.

The problem is that food ingredients companies use chemicals to extract the sweet molecules from the leaves, changing their biochemical structure and taste (for the worse). This process creates bitter and unpleasant aftertastes. How you process food makes a big difference to how it tastes! We know this in the kitchen, yet we take it for granted when buying what we think are ‘standardized’ ingredients. There are some commodities that taste similar wherever they come from, no matter how they are produced, including sugar. Whether from sugar beets or sugar-cane, sugar tastes the same. However, most foods taste very different, depending on how they are grown or extracted.

The SECRET is that we use the world’s ONLY Virgin stevia leaf extract. As with olive oil, ‘Virgin’ means extracted PHYSICALLY instead of chemically. There is only one source in the world for virgin stevia, which is extracted solely using water and physical membranes from beginning to end. This physical extraction and purification results in sweet molecules that have a different shape to those that are chemically purified. The shape of the virgin stevia sweet molecules results in a natural interaction with the cell’s sweet taste receptor, with no odd aftertaste.

Growing the plants organically, using solely water to purify, creates a delicious, sweet taste. It truly tastes amazing and can easily replace sugar when combined with the right ingredients. Combining this organic virgin stevia extract with the right ratios of other ingredients creates a well-rounded sweet taste that is key to deliciousness. Don’t take our word for it - taste NOMOSU and decide for yourself. 

Nature has provided a sweet and healthy ingredient in its natural form. Science has enabled us to respect that with physical purification, resulting in pure deliciousness.

References

(i) Tedlock, D. (Revised ed. 1996) ‘Popol Vuh: The Definitive Edition of the Mayan Book of the Dawn of Life and the Glories of Gods and Kings’, Touchstone

(ii)  Wölwer-Rieck, U. (2012) ‘The Leaves of Stevia rebaudiana (Bertoni), Their Constituents and the Analyses Thereof: A Review’, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 60(4)

(iii) Ceunen, S. and Geuns, J.M.C. (2013) ‘Steviol Glycosides: Chemical Diversity, Metabolism, and Function’, Journal of Natural Products, 76(6)

(iv) Kinghorn, D. (2002) ‘Stevia: The Genus Stevia (Medicinal and Aromatic Herbs)’, CRC Press

(v) Jeppesen, P.B. et al. (2002) ‘Stevioside induces antihyperglycaemic, insulinotropic and glucagonostatic effects in vivo: studies in the diabetic Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rats’, Phytomedicine, 9, pp. 9-14

(vi) Chatsudthipong, V. and Muanprasat, C. (2009) ‘Stevioside and related compounds: Therapeutic benefits beyond sweetness’, Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 121, pp. 41–54

(vii) Geuns, J.M.C. (2008) ‘Steviol Glucuronide as Excretion Product of Stevioside in Human Volunteers. Lack of Carcinogenic Properties of Steviol glycosides and Steviol’, Proceeding of the ACS Symposium on “Sweetness and Sweeteners”, Atlanta; 2006, Weerasinghe DK, Dubois G. ACS Symposium Series, 979, pp. 573-95

(viii) Geuns, J.M.C. et al. (2006) ‘Identification of Steviol Glucuronide in Human Urine’, J Agric Food Chem., 54(7), pp. 2794-8

(ix) Mikov, M., Bower, R., Jakovljevik, V., Raskovic, A. (2006) International Patent WO 2006/116814 A1, filed 2 May 2006, Published 9 November, 2006

(x) Philippaert, K. et al. (2017) ‘Steviol glycosides enhance pancreatic beta-cell function and taste sensation by potentiation of TRPM5 channel activity’, Nature Communications, 8(1)

(xi) Rothman, D.L. (1992) ‘31P nuclear magnetic resonance measurements of muscle glucose-6-phosphate. Evidence for reduced insulin-dependent muscle glucose transport or phosphorylation activity in noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus’, J Clin Invest., 89(4), pp. 1069-1075

(xii) Cline, G.W. et al. (1999) ‘Impaired glucose transport as a cause of decreased insulin stimulated muscle glycogen synthesis in Type 2 diabetes’,  N Engl J Med, 341, pp. 240-6

(xiii) Lailerd, N. (2004) ‘Effects of stevioside on glucose transport activity in insulin-sensitive and insulin-resistant rat skeletal muscle’, Metabolism, 53(1), pp. 101-107

(xiv) Jeppesen, P.B. and Lavrsen, S. (2016) ‘Compositions for use in restoring muscle glycogen and/or muscle mass’, US Patent US 2016/0074424 A1, Published 17 March, 2016

(xv) Achari A.E. and Jain, S.K. (2017) ‘Adiponectin, a Therapeutic Target for Obesity, Diabetes, and Endothelial Dysfunction’, Int. J. Mol. Sci. 18(6), p. 1321

(xvi) Mizushina, Y. et al. (2005) ‘Structural analysis of isosteviol and related compounds as DNA polymerase and DNA topoisomerase inhibitors’, Life Sci 77(17), pp. 2127−2140

(xvii) Cornelius, G.J.M. (2020) ‘Can Stevia Reduce Inflammation in COVID-19 Disease?’ Arch Food Sci Nutr Res., 1(1), p. 1001

(xviii) Chen, TH. et al (2005), ‘Mechanism of the hypoglycemic effect of stevioside, a glycoside of Stevia rebaudiana’, Planta Med. 2005 Feb;71(2):108-13

(xix) Elnaga, N.I.E. et al (2016), ‘Effect of stevia sweetener consumption as non-caloric sweetening on body weight gain and biochemical’s parameters in overweight female rats’, Annals of Agricultural Sciences, Volume 61, Issue 1, pp. 155-163

(xx) Stamataki, NS. et al (2019), ‘Stevia Beverage Consumption prior to Lunch Reduces Appetite and Total Energy Intake without Affecting Glycemia or Attentional Bias to Food Cues: A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial in Healthy Adults’, J Nutr. 2020 May 1;150(5):1126-1134

(xxi) Stamataki, NS. et al (2020), ‘Effects of the Daily Consumption of Stevia on Glucose Homeostasis, Body Weight, and Energy Intake: A Randomised Open-Label 12-Week Trial in Healthy Adults’, Nutrients. 2020 Oct 6;12(10):3049