"I have a sweet tooth!
Do you recommend Stevia or Splenda?"

Stevia, an extract from a shrub that grows in Brazil and Paraguay, is “natural.” But just because something is “natural” does not mean it is safe. Arsenic is natural. Poison ivy is natural.

What is far more important is the scientific data on stevia, or stevioside, the main ingredient in stevia. (The two terms are often used interchangeably.) We as consumers need to ask: Have sufficient studies been published on stevia to validate that it is safe?

Not Enough Research

Unfortunately, very few studies have been published. Because of inadequate data on the safety of stevia, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not allowed the use of stevia in food, and describes it as an “unsafe food additive.” Since 1989, the FDA has rejected three industry requests to use stevia in foods and beverages.

Many other health organizations worldwide have also banned the use of stevia in foods until further data are published, including the World Health Organization, the European Union, and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (Canada’s equivalent of the FDA).

The Scientific Committee on Food for the European Commission concluded that “there are no satisfactory data to support the safe use of these products [stevia plants and leaves].” (1)

In its review of stevioside, the World Health Organization Expert Committee on Food Additives stated there was inadequate data on the composition and safety of stevioside and therefore gave stevioside no acceptable daily intake. (2)

Reproductive Problems

Moreover, the results from the few studies we do have are troubling. Stevioside may cause male reproductive problems, scientists from Japan concluded. When they fed male rats high doses of stevioside for 22 months, the rats produced fewer sperm, and there was an increase in cell proliferation in the testicles, which could cause infertility and other problems. (3)

And when researchers from Mahidol University in Bangkok fed female hamsters large amounts of a derivative of stevioside, the hamsters had fewer and smaller offspring. (4)

You’re probably not going to consume stevia in concentrations that the animals received, but we really don’t know at what point stevia may become toxic. Is it 10 teaspoons daily? 20 teaspoons? 50? We do know that Americans are quite capable of consuming many many teaspoons a day, especially if stevia were widely used in products like diet sodas. That is the FDA’s chief concern.

Sweet Marketing

And yes, you can buy stevia, heavily promoted by U.S. supplement makers as a “natural” alternative to synthetic sweeteners, in “dietary supplement” form. But that’s only because...

Read COMPLETE article...

Popular Pritikin Links

1. Pritikin's Calendar Specials
2. ePerspective: Newsletter Archive
3. 200 New Recipes
4. Heart Disease
5. Pritikin Eating Plan

What is Pritikin | Pritikin Center | Request Information

Copyright 2006 Pritikin Longevity Center & Spa. All rights reserved.
The Yacht Club at Turnberry Isle. 19735 Turnberry Way, Aventura, FL 33180
Phone (305) 935-7131

Pritikin Perspective - Healthy Living Made Easier
Pritikin Perspective is a publication for Alumni of the Pritikin Longevity Center. It is dedicated to helping people make healthy changes in their lives. The articles in this publication should not be considered specific medical advice, as each individual circumstance is different. You are strongly encouraged to seek medical advice before beginning a program of diet and exercise.
Editor/Writer: Eugenia Killoran.

If you would like to subscribe to future mailings, please visit 'Sign Up to Receive Pritikin's Newsletters' and indicate your preferences.

As a Pritikin ePerspective subscriber, you agreed that Pritikin Longevity Center® & Spa may contact you by email. If you would like to opt-out of receiving Pritikin ePerspective at this email address then please unsubscribe.

Please do not reply to this email. Replies to this email will not be responded to or read. If you have any questions or comments, contact us by email or postal mail: Pritikin Longevity Center® & Spa - 19735 Turnberry Way, Aventura, FL 33180.