With any product out on the market, you will always find your skeptics. So to deliver all the information in a non-biased form, scientists have been researching the potential toxicology and toxicity that stevia may have:
- Energy Metabolism: Large amounts of stevioside can potentially interfere with absorption of carbohydrates in animals. It can further disrupt the metabolizing/conversion of food into energy.
- Cancer: Steviol has successfully been converted into a mutagenic compound, which may promote cancer by causing genetic mutation of a cell’s DNA. The catch? Scientists don’t yet know if this will happen in human cells.
- Reproductive problems: European scientists cite potential adverse side effects to the male reproductive system. When fed high doses of stevioside for nearly two years, sperm production in male rats was noticeably reduced and the weight of seminal vesicles declined. Likewise, when female hamsters were fed large amounts of a stevioside derivative called steviol, their offspring were found to be fewer and smaller. Again, it should be noted that this has been neither tested nor proven in humans.
Other symptoms that have been reported with the use of stevia has been:
- Dizziness
- Muscle pains
- Numbness
- Nausea
- Gas
- Bloating
The symptoms reported were short in duration. For me personally, I have never experienced any of the above symptoms and I use Stevia almost daily.
If you are pregnant or nursing it is recommended to not use stevia. ‘They’ say not enough research has been done to prove that stevia is safe for pregnant or nursing women. My only concern is, I personally believe stevia is much safer to use than any other sugar substitute left on the table, especially if you are pregnant.
Studies also show that stevia may lower your blood pressure and may lower your blood sugar. So if you are diabetic, please watch your insulin levels or alter your insulin levels accordingly.