Stevia anyone use it?

I have recently stumbled across this. Stevia is a natural sweetener that has been used in japan for ages. Its even to this day the most popular sweetener over there.

It has ALOT of benifits over ALL other sweeteneters. Its roughly 300 times as sweet as sugar, made from the Stevia rebaudiana herb. It has a host of positive effects on the body(not like aspartam and others that might have side effects and NO positive effects).

Most importantly it increases insulin sensitivity and glucose transportation into muscle tissue.

Quote:

---

Mechanism of the hypoglycemic effect of stevioside, a glycoside of Stevia rebaudiana.

Chen TH, Chen SC, Chan P, Chu YL, Yang HY, Cheng JT.

Department of Medicine, Taipei Medical University-Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.

We have studied the effects of stevioside on the glucose and insulin metabolism in 2 models of diabetes in rats, STZ-induced diabetic rats and NIDDM diabetic rats induced by feeding with fructose. Stevioside (0.5 mg/kg), lowered the blood glucose levels in STZ-induced diabetic rats, peaking at 90 min. Stevioside administered twice daily also demonstrated dose-dependent effects in lowering the glucose levels in both diabetic rat models. Stevioside reduced the rise in glucose during glucose tolerance testing in normal rats. Stevioside dose-dependently decreased protein levels of phosphoenol pyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) and PEPCK mRNA after 15 days of treatment. Stevioside also reduced insulin resistance in the diabetic animals as shown by the glucose lowering effects of tolbutamide. In conclusion, stevioside was able to regulate blood glucose levels by enhancing not only insulin secretion, but also insulin utilization in insulin-deficient rats; the latter was due to decreased PEPCK gene expression in rat liver by stevioside's action of slowing down gluconeogenesis. Further studies of this agent for the treatment of diabetes appear warranted.

PMID: 15729617 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

---

Quote:

---

Effects of stevioside on glucose transport activity in insulin-sensitive and insulin-resistant rat skeletal muscle.

Lailerd N, Saengsirisuwan V, Sloniger JA, Toskulkao C, Henriksen EJ.

Muscle Metabolism Laboratory, Department of Physiology, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tuscon, USA.

Stevioside (SVS), a natural sweetener extracted from Stevia rebaudiana, has been used as an antihyperglycemic agent. However, little is known regarding its potential action on skeletal muscle, the major site of glucose disposal. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to determine the effect of SVS treatment on skeletal muscle glucose transport activity in both insulin-sensitive lean (Fa/-) and insulin-resistant obese (fa/fa) Zucker rats. SVS was administered (500 mg/kg body weight by gavage) 2 hours before an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Whereas the glucose incremental area under the curve (IAUC(glucose)) was not affected by SVS in lean Zucker rats, the insulin incremental area under the curve (IAUC(insulin)) and the glucose-insulin index (product of glucose and insulin IAUCs and inversely related to whole-body insulin sensitivity) were decreased (P<.05) by 42% and 45%, respectively. Interestingly, in the obese Zucker rat, SVS also reduced the IAUC(insulin) by 44%, and significantly decreased the IAUC(glucose) (30%) and the glucose-insulin index (57%). Muscle glucose transport was assessed following in vitro SVS treatment. In lean Zucker rats, basal glucose transport in type I soleus and type IIb epitrochlearis muscles was not altered by 0.01 to 0.1 mmol/L SVS. In contrast, 0.1 mmol/L SVS enhanced insulin-stimulated (2 mU/mL) glucose transport in both epitrochlearis (15%) and soleus (48%). At 0.5 mmol/L or higher, the SVS effect was reversed. Similarly, basal glucose transport in soleus and epitrochlearis muscles in obese Zucker rats was not changed by lower doses of SVS (0.01 to 0.1 mmol/L). However, these lower doses of SVS significantly increased insulin-stimulated glucose transport in both obese epitrochlearis and soleus (15% to 20%). In conclusion, acute oral SVS increased whole-body insulin sensitivity, and low concentrations of SVS (0.01 to 0.1 mmol/L) modestly improved in vitro insulin action on skeletal muscle glucose transport in both lean and obese Zucker rats. These results indicate that one potential site of action of SVS is the skeletal muscle glucose transport system.

PMID: 14681850 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

---

Offcourse its 0 calories also and fairly cheap.

Does anyone else use Stevias a sweetener? Im gonna start using it now after reading these things. Its doing the body a favor to ditch the artifical possibly harmfull sweeteners and replace them with this natural, safe product.

I think they have that here, but I buy Splenda by the truckload at Costco.


~SC~

If you ever try stevia let me know how it tastes. Wont afford to buy it for a couple of weeks since I have to mail order it.

it also lowers blood pressure(atleast in rats)

Quote:

---

Antihyperglycemic and blood pressure-reducing effects of stevioside in the diabetic Goto-Kakizaki rat.

Jeppesen PB, Gregersen S, Rolfsen SE, Jepsen M, Colombo M, Agger A, Xiao J, Kruhoffer M, Orntoft T, Hermansen K.

Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory, Aarhus Amtssygehus, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.

Stevioside, a glycoside present in the leaves of the plant, Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni (SrB), has acute insulinotropic effects in vitro. Its potential antihyperglycemic and blood pressure-lowering effects were examined in a long-term study in the type 2 diabetic Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rat. Rats were fed 0.025 g x kg(-1) x d(-1) of stevioside (purity > 99.6%) for 6 weeks. An intra-arterial catheter was inserted into the rats after 5 weeks, and conscious rats were subjected to arterial glucose tolerance test (2.0 g x kg(-1)) during week 6. Stevioside had an antihyperglycemic effect (incremental area under the glucose response curve [IAUC]): 985 +/- 20 (stevioside) versus 1,575 +/- 21 (control) mmol/L x 180 minutes, (P <.05), it enhanced the first-phase insulin response (IAUC: 343 +/- 33 [stevioside] v 136 +/- 24 [control] microU/mL insulin x 30 minutes, P <.05) and concomitantly suppressed the glucagon levels (total AUC: 2,026 +/- 234 [stevioside] v 3,535 +/- 282 [control] pg/mL x 180 minutes, P <.05). In addition, stevioside caused a pronounced suppression of both the systolic (135 +/- 2 v 153 +/- 5 mm Hg; P <.001) and the diastolic blood pressure (74 +/- 1 v 83 +/- 1 mm Hg; P <.001). Bolus injections of stevioside (0.025 g x kg(-1)) did not induce hypoglycemia. Stevioside augmented the insulin content in the beta-cell line, INS-1. Stevioside may increase the insulin secretion, in part, by induction of genes involved in glycolysis. It may also improve the nutrient-sensing mechanisms, increase cytosolic long-chain fatty acyl-coenzyme A (CoA), and downregulate phosphodiesterase 1 (PDE1) estimated by the microarray gene chip technology. In conclusion, stevioside enjoys a dual positive effect by acting as an antihyperglycemic and a blood pressure-lowering substance; effects that may have therapeutic potential in the treatment of type 2 diabetes and the metabolic syndrome. Copyright 2003, Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.

PMID: 12647278 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

---

it has antibiotic and antiviral properties

Quote:

---

Analysis of anti-rotavirus activity of extract from Stevia rebaudiana.

Takahashi K, Matsuda M, Ohashi K, Taniguchi K, Nakagomi O, Abe Y, Mori S, Sato N, Okutani K, Shigeta S.

Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Fukushima Medical University, 1 Hikarigaoka, Fukushima-shi 960-1295, Japan. [email protected]

Anti-human rotavirus (HRV) activity of hot water extracts from Stevia rebaudiana (SE) was examined. SE inhibited the replication of all four serotypes of HRV in vitro. This inhibitory effect of SE was not reduced on the prior exposure of SE to HCl for 30 min at pH 2. Binding assay with radiolabeled purified viruses indicated that the inhibitory mechanism of SE is the blockade of virus binding. The SE inhibited the binding of anti-VP7 monoclonal antibody to HRV-infected MA104 cells. The inhibitory components of SE were found to be heterogeneous anionic polysaccharides with different ion charges. The component analyses suggested that the purified fraction named as Stevian with the highest inhibitory activity consists of the anionic polysaccharide with molecular weight of 9800, and contains Ser and Ala as amino acids. Analyses of sugar residues suggest uronic acid(s) as sugar components. It did not contain amino and neutral sugars and sulfate residues. These findings suggest that SE may bind to 37 kD VP7 and interfere with the binding of VP7 to the cellular receptors by steric hindrance, which results in the blockade of the virus attachment to cells.

PMID: 11166857 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

---

Quote:

---

Bactericidal activity of a fermented hot-water extract from Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni towards enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 and other food-borne pathogenic bacteria.

Tomita T, Sato N, Arai T, Shiraishi H, Sato M, Takeuchi M, Kamio Y.

Faculty of Agriculture, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan. [email protected]

A fermented aqueous extract from Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni showed strong bactericidal activity towards a wide range of food-borne pathogenic bacteria including enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7. The colony-forming ability of the food-borne pathogenic bacteria tested so far was reduced to < 10(-7) when exposed to > or = 40% (v/v) solutions of the fermented extract at 37 C for 2 hr. Secretion of verocytotoxin 1 and 2 by enterohemorrhagic E. coli was also diminished by fermented extract at a concentration of > or = 10% (v/v). In contrast, the fermented extract did not significantly kill Bifidobacteria or Lactobacilli. The active principle(s) of the fermented Stevia extract were bactericidal under acidic conditions.

PMID: 9492187 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

---

I grow stevia plants and I like to crush it in the bottom of a pitcher and brew iced tea in it. I also occassionally eat the leaves off of it, they taste kind of like apples, for a 'sugar' fix. The powdered forms cannot be used in any kind of beverage that will sit over time because it will become gritty. It is also difficult to cook with, but as far as sweetening oatmeal or drinks (by the serving) it is excellent.