What are the health benefits of stevia?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am a 50-year-old female. I would like to know some information about Stevia. I heard that stevia can serve as a sugar substitute. What are the main components of stevia that contribute to its sweetness? What are the potential health benefits of using stevia as a sugar substitute? How can Stevia help manage conditions like diabetes and obesity? How does stevia affect blood glucose and insulin levels? How can stevia contribute to weight management and a reduction in calorie intake? Kindly help.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I read your query and can understand your concern.

Stevia is probably best known as a source of natural sweeteners. Some people take stevia by mouth for medical purposes such as lowering blood pressure, treating diabetes and heartburn, high uric acid levels in the blood, weight loss, stimulating the heart rate, and water retention.Stevia sweetener:

They come in a variety of forms: liquid, granulated, individual packets or sticks, and cubes or tablets. Only twenty-five products have pure stevia leaf extract. The vast majority of the sweeteners you buy are going to have a filler. The most common filler is erythritol (a sugar alcohol used as a low-calorie sweetener).

Stevia is 30 times sweeter than sugar when unprocessed and 250 to 300 times sweeter after purification. Products are created from stevia and have no calories.

According to one study, stevia is safe for patients with diabetes (raise in blood sugar levels), obesity (excessive body fat), and high blood pressure. It suggests that substituting stevia for sugar may help prevent these diseases. Other research has shown that stevia has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It may also improve your kidney function.

Stevia's potential side effects can include nausea, bloating, decreased blood pressure, and potential impacts on the liver.

Most specialists agree that additional research is needed into stevia's long-term effects, notably on weight control and diabetes. Still, commercial stevia sweeteners available appear to be a safe sugar alternative. Just avoid depending on stevia as an assurance for weight loss. Stevia, as a sugar substitute, contains very few calories. Evidence shows that this may be beneficial to people with diabetes when used appropriately.

I hope this information will help you.

Kindly revert in case of further queries.

Thank you.