Natural Standard Featured CE/CME: Stevia

Natural Standard's featured CE/CME for the month of January is Stevia: Safety & Effectiveness.

Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) leaf extracts have been used for many years in traditional treatment of diabetes in South America. Paraguay's rural and indigenous populations have used stevia for birth control. Rebaudioside A and stevioside are steviol glycoside compounds extracted from stevia that are used as natural sweeteners or dietary supplements. These compounds reportedly possess up to 250 times the sweetness intensity of sucrose.

Natural Standard offers CE/CME modules for multidisciplinary healthcare professionals. Students and other users may take courses for training purposes without generating credit certificates. Continuing Education requirements differ based on discipline, license and location. If you are unsure of your specific needs, please contact your local agency.

Comments

[deb]

Antidiabetic, contraceptive, antihypertensive, and sweetener are four different uses based on tradition or theory. I wonder what is its mechanism of action. Even though using this natural product for diabetic patients as a sweetener makes more sense, CE/CME modules would definitely take us a step futher on the knowledge of Stevia.

[Amber]

I've definitely have been hearing about this and seeing this a lot. Just the other day, I saw a dropper bottle of Stevia at Trader Joe's. I knew what it was, but i did find is strange that it was in liquid form. I suppose the dropper concept makes sense since stevia is very concentrated, and a little goes a long way. ..and..it's been used for birth control?? Interesting. I'll need to check out the Natural Standard monograph on this!

[MS]

According to the Natural Standard website, stevia has a grade C (Unclear or Conflicting Scientific Evidence) for hyperglycemia, while it has a grade B (good scientific evidence) for hypertension. It has become a general belief that Stevia can cause cancer. This is a wrong thought, since there are not many strong studies to prove this and studies have shown stevia to have anti-tumor and anti-mutagenic effects therefore it can possibly be used against cancer, although futher studies are needed in this area. The mechanism of action for stevia to be used as contraception is unknown, Paraguay is the location where it has been traditionally used for this purpose. The animal studies are conflicting for contraception, only two studies that date back to 40 years ago showed it as having anti-fertility effects.

[bz]

I appreciate the posting from kl listing the conversions for using in place of sugar. It is interesting how much more concentrated Stevia is in comparison to sugar; I've tasted it before and didn't realize this at the time, and thought it was too sweet for me - I guess I was just using too much! I wonder how the conversions would affect baking, with less volume being used by Stevia it may alter the recipe a bit. I suppose I will have to give it a try to find out, it would certainly be a worthwhile experiment!

[kl]

For anyone out there who is considering switching from sugar to Stevia, I have some sweetness conversions for you. One cup of sugar is equivalent to one teaspoon of either powder or liquid Stevia. One tablespoon of sugar is about 1/4 teaspoon of Stevia, and one teaspoon of sugar is equivalent to a pinch of Stevia. Any recipe with sugar could potentially be substituted with Stevia. Give it a try and let us know what you think!

[JS]

I was wondering if stevia had any adverse effects because it seems like a great natural sugar substitute. I learned that overall it is very well tolerated. However, there have been reports of abdominal fullness, nausea, dizziness, and low blood pressure. It also should be used with caution in people with kidney disease. I might have to try stevia in my coffee sometime and see if it actually tastes comparable to sugar.

[AR]

I find it interesting and concerning that Stevia has been used as birth control by the indigenous populations in Paraguay. What does this mean for pregnant and breastfeeding women? Can it cause harm to a fetus or infant?
I am certainly curious to learn more about this artificial sweetener and am glad to see information posted on Natural Standard about Stevia.
I also found it interesting that the FDA does not consider crude or whole-leaf Stevia to be GRAS due to a lack of information. This can be read on the FDA website at:
http://www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/Transparency/Basics/ucm214864.htm

[pc]

I am glad to see a CE about stevia posted right after the article about decreasing sugar intake to decrease weight. Stevia is a tasty natural sweetener, and I am looking forward to learning more about it in this CE. I have been hearing a lot more about it in the past few years as it has been gaining popularity as the new non-sugar sweetener, but I have not had an opportunity to sit down and learn more about it just yet. I also had no idea that people used it for birth control! I am certainly interested in learning more about that aspect of the plant.

[ac]

I have always been skeptical of these natural sweeteners. A friend of mine uses a similar product called truvia as a sugar substitute - the taste is very distinguishable from real sugar. However, it was interesting to learn that Stevia had a Natural Standard evidence grade of "B" for good scientific evidence for hypertension and a grade of "C" unclear or conflicting evidence for hyperglycemia.

[kl]

In my mind, Stevia is a natural, zero-calorie, sweetener people can add to their coffee instead of artificial sweeteners like Splenda and Sweet'N Low. I had no idea that Stevia taken in supplemental doses had a Natural Standard evidence grade of B, for good scientific evidence, for hypertension and a grade of C, for unclear or conflicting scientific evidence, for hyperglycemia. Preliminary studies have also shown Stevia may be effective in treating or preventing type II diabetes. More studies are needed, but it seems as those Stevia may be a great alternative to pure sugar in people needing their coffee a little bit sweeter.

[BC]

I've been hearing about Stevia quite a bit for use in diabetic patients and an alternative method to stay away from artificial sweeteners. I think offering CE/CME modules on this topic is a great way of educating health care professionals on alternative supplemental options available.