21 replies to this topic

[rfarris]

I split this off from the anti-sweetener discussion. Following that discussion I, at least, decided to try out stevia. I don't have much of a sweet-tooth, but I do like to put some dark-brown sugar on my oats, so I decided to try out stevia.

There were several varieties on the shelf at Henry's (aka Wild Oats). The most interesting brand I saw was from KAL. It was in a bottle about the size of a salt shaker, and came with a tiny little scoop that, the label said, it would provide 932 servings. Although I like the idea of having a lifetime supply of something I could carry around in my shirt pocket, it seemed like it would be too easy to make a big mistake.

Next on the shelf there was a NOW product, labeled Stevia Extract, and it was a box containing single-serving packets, like the sugar packets you might see on the table at a restaurant. Each packet contained Rice Maltodextrin, Stevia Rebaudiana Extract (stevioside) and silica. I don't know what rice maltodextrin is, but I assume that they use it to thin out the stevia. I decided the convenience of the NOW product would be best for my purposes, so I took it home. ($9/100 packets)

This morning I made my oats, and added 2 packets of stevia for sweetening. Since I wouldn't get any molasses taste (I normally use dark-brown sugar), I decided to add some cinnamon to pump up the flavor. The result was really good. I think the next time I'll use three packets of sweetener instead of two. With the two packets, I barely got a taste of sweetness, mostly in the aftertaste. Still, tasty.

Here come my questions:

Can you use stevia when cooking? I normally add my sugar for the last 10 minutes of cooking my oats. If I boil the stevia will it reduce the sweetness, or otherwise change the taste?

How about baking? Can you get stevia several hundred degrees, without screwing up the recipe or changing the taste?


BTW, I see that NOW also has a stevia extract product that uses FOS (claimed that it feeds intestinal flora) for extending, instead of rice maltodextrin. I've recently begun re-colonizing my *dophilusii, so adding FOS whenever available sounds like a pretty good idea.

--Rick

[lemon]

Steviocide is heat stable to 200 degrees C or about 392 degrees F.

Common conversions are as follows:

Sugar Stevia Extract
1 cup 1 teaspoon
1 tablespoon 1/4 teaspoon
1 teaspoon A pinch

Stevia cookbooks abound on the net but good luck finding one in the local bookstore (I have looked in vain where I live).

Stevia dosn't behave like sugar when cooking mainly because it's not the bulking agent like sugar and it also doesn't carmalize.

[lemon]

As more and more people find out about this herb, some will begin asking why it's not in soft drinks and food and will begin to ask for it. Eventually the day will come when stevia is as ubiquitous as it is in Japan, China, South America, All of the Pacific Rim, and Israel !

[hurricanejedi]

I have individual stevia packets and add them to random things all the time. I've completely switched away from sugar, though I don't eat it to often anyway. I love it! It goes in my morning smoothies.

[lemon]

Huuicanejedi,

I can't think of anything more important to someone wanting to live a long and healthy life than to eliminate refined sugar from their diet.

Please remember to spread the word (in a cool way as you don't want to be the guy on the rooftop with a bullhorn speaking of armegeddon as I sometimes come across as).

[hurricanejedi]

I have a friend who is diabetic who I hope will give this a try. My dad always buys diet drinks but luckily dosne't like sweet tea (its a strange concept to northerns, the only sweet drink I like is lemonade - can't stand soda). I think diet is even worse than regular. I don't understand what the bitter taste is with Stevia. Maybe because I wasn't brought up with sweets, anything somewhat sweet tastes good! But I certainly don't taste a bitterness. I'm considering getting the liquid form since the packets are good for my smoothies but not so much for baking.

[curious_sle]

take the liquid extract like the product from NOW. I like it *a lot* and it's good for yout teeth as it kill some nasty inhabitants plus it's good for diabetics since it causes some insulin secretion by an alternative mean. (There are trials in gram doses in Brasil investigating this effect for use in type I diabetics for instance)

[rfarris]

take the liquid extract like the product from NOW. I like it *a lot* and it's good for yout teeth as it kill some nasty inhabitants plus it's good for diabetics since it causes some insulin secretion by an alternative mean. (There are trials in gram doses in Brasil investigating this effect for use in type I diabetics for instance)

There are a couple of problems there, Sle. First, Type II diabetics already have too much insulin. Something that causes more insulin to be secreted would not be a good thing.

Secondly, Type I diabetics cannot secrete any insulin at all under any circumstances.

Other than that, though, your points are interesting.

--Rick

[lemon]

F.Y.I.

Apparently a Japanese company, through cross breeding and extraction methods, has developed an extract of 90% Rebaudioside A (which is the pure sweet steviocide component). Typically a store bought extract will have 40% Rebaudioside A.

It is Chrysanta 99 but I have no idea how to buy it. If anyone finds a retailer please let me know.

http://www.dic.co.jp...neup/index.html

[curious_sle]

Rick, do me a favor and do a quick search at pubmed for stevia and insulin :-). As for type II diabetics. Stevia improves insulin sensitivity. But really you need gram doses to have much of any insulin secretion...

[free]

I bought both the powder and liquid KAL brand, some months ago, to try. Did not use much of either, just when making chai. FWIW, the powder was a waste, it is now a solid clump, ready to be tossed into the trash. I live in Hawaii, lots of humidity here....so the liquid wins in my book.

[lemon]

It looks like it's only a matter of time before stevia is G.R.A.S. in the U.S. Sooolite is knocking on F.D.A.'s door !

The new >99.5% RebA product will be priced at $220/Kg and sold in 5 Kg units until further notice. It is our intention that, by September, 2006, this price will be halved and, with a GRAS determination in early 2008, it will be reduced again.

Gras Status:
We are currently expending tremendous amounts of our resources toward our petition for GRAS status and believe that  is far more likely to achieve this status than other Stevia extracts due to 's high purity level and consistent quality.

Why is SooOLite!™-Pure important? Purity in any edible material is the “holy grail” of our industry. Some customers complained that, even at 5%, the bitter notes of the stevioside in our SooOLite™ product could be tasted in their higher- quality products. More importantly, in our quest for GRAS determination in the US and approval in Europe, getting FDA to agree to a GRAS determination and European authorities to accept a pure, natural, unadulterated molecule is far easier than trying to get approval for a varying, indefinable mixture of Stevia glycosides.

http://www.sooolite.com/index.html

Sweeeet !!

[lemon]

...though while they're knockin' on F.D.A.'s door with one hand they're holding a patent with the other. Funny how these things work.

[rfarris]

Rick, do me a favor and do a quick search at pubmed for stevia and insulin :-). As for type II diabetics. Stevia improves insulin sensitivity. But really you need gram doses to have much of any insulin secretion...

Ok, Sle, I did. And you know what? It didn't say that stevia "improves insulin sensitivity", nor did it say anything about "have much of any insulin secretion." Are you just making this stuff up? If not, perhaps you could be more specific.

-- Rick

[lemon]

For anyone who does not like the subtle licorice aftertaste of stevia, this is the product you want:

http://www.iherb.com/sooolite3.html

95% Rebaudioside A

Sooolite has a patent and is just starting to produce a 99.5% Rebaudioside A product. This is the product they are approaching the F.D.A. for G.R.A.S. acceptance.

[curious_sle]

Ok, Sle, I did.  And you know what?  It didn't say that stevia "improves insulin sensitivity", nor did it say anything about "have much of any insulin secretion."  Are you just making this stuff up?  If not, perhaps you could be more specific.

-- Rick

No idea what you were looking for exactly but for your comfort here are a few tidbits.

-

Stevioside acts directly on pancreatic beta cells to secrete insulin:
actions independent of cyclic adenosine monophosphate and adenosine
triphosphate-sensitive K+-channel activity.

Jeppesen PB, Gregersen S, Poulsen CR, Hermansen K.

Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Aarhus University Hospital,
Denmark.

The natural sweetener stevioside, which is found in the plant Stevia
rebaudiana Bertoni, has been used for many years in the treatment of
diabetes among Indians in Paraguay and Brazil. However, the mechanism
for the blood glucose-lowering effect remains unknown. To elucidate the
impact of stevioside and its aglucon steviol on insulin release from
normal mouse islets and the beta-cell line INS-1 were used. Both
stevioside and steviol (1 nmol/L to 1 mmol/L) dose-dependently enhanced
insulin secretion from incubated mouse islets in the presence of 16.7
mmol/L glucose (P < .05). The insulinotropic effects of stevioside and
steviol were critically dependent on the prevailing glucose
concentration, ie, stevioside (1 mmol/L) and steviol (1 micromol/L) only
potentiated insulin secretion at or above 8.3 mmol/L glucose (P < .05).
Interestingly, the insulinotropic effects of both stevioside and steviol
were preserved in the absence of extracellular Ca2+. During perifusion
of islets, stevioside (1 mmol/L) and steviol (1 micromol/L) had a
long-lasting and apparently reversible insulinotropic effect in the
presence of 16.7 mmol/L glucose (P < .05). To determine if stevioside
and steviol act directly on beta cells, the effects on INS-1 cells were
also investigated. Stevioside and steviol both potentiated insulin
secretion from INS-1 cells (P < .05). Neither stevioside (1 to 100
micromol/L) nor steviol (10 nmol/L to 10 micromol/L) influenced the
plasma membrane K+ adenosine triphosphate ((K+)ATP)-sensitive channel
activity, nor did they alter cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)
levels in islets. In conclusion, stevioside and steviol stimulate
insulin secretion via a direct action on beta cells. The results
indicate that the compounds may have a potential role as
antihyperglycemic agents in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

PMID: 10690946 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

-

Small study in Denmark on "Twelve type 2 diabetic patients were included
in an acute, paired cross-over study."

Stevioside acts directly on pancreatic beta cells to secrete insulin:
actions independent of cyclic adenosine monophosphate and adenosine
triphosphate-sensitive K+-channel activity.

"In conclusion, stevioside and steviol stimulate insulin secretion via a
direct action on beta cells. The results indicate that the compounds may
have a potential role as antihyperglycemic agents in the treatment of
type 2 diabetes mellitus."

Geuns JM
Laboratory of Plant Physiology, Catholic University of Leuven,
Kasteelpark Arenberg 31, B 3001 Leuven, Belgium

"The conclusion is that Stevia and stevioside are safe when used as a
sweetener. It is suited for both diabetics, and PKU patients, as well as
for obese persons intending to lose weight by avoiding sugar supplements
in the diet. No allergic reactions to it seem to exist."

Phytomedicine 2002 Jan; 9(1): 9-14 (ISSN: 0944-7113)
Study in Denmark on rats.

"In conclusion, stevioside exerts antihyperglycaemic, insulinotropic,
and glucagonostatic actions in the type 2 diabetic GK rat, and may have
the potential of becoming a new antidiabetic drug for use in type 2
diabetes."

Clin Ther 2003 Nov; 25(11): 2797-808 (ISSN: 0149-2918)
This study was undertaken to investigate the long-term (2-year) efficacy
and tolerability of stevioside in patients with mild essential
hypertension.

This was a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled
trial in Chinese men and women aged between 20 and 75 years with mild
essential hypertension (systolic blood pressure [SBP] 140-159 mm Hg and
diastolic blood pressure [DBP] 90-99 mm Hg). Patients took capsules
containing 500 mg stevioside powder or placebo 3 times daily for 2 years

"after 2 years, 6 of 52 patients (11.5%) in the stevioside group had
left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), compared with 17 of 50 patients
(34.0%) in the placebo group (P < 0.001). Of those who did not have LVH
at baseline, 3 of 46 patients (6.5%) in the stevioside group had
developed LVH after 2 years, compared with 9 of 37 patients (24.3%) in
the placebo group (P < 0.001).
CONCLUSIONS: In this 2-year study in
Chinese patients with mild hypertension, oral stevioside significantly
decreased SBP and DBP compared with placebo. QOL was improved, and no
significant adverse effects were noted."

-

Metabolism. 2004 Jan;53(1):73-6. Related Articles, Links

Antihyperglycemic effects of stevioside in type 2 diabetic subjects.

Gregersen S, Jeppesen PB, Holst JJ, Hermansen K.

Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism C, Aarhus University
Hospital, Denmark.

Stevioside is present in the plant Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni (SrB).
Extracts of SrB have been used for the treatment of diabetes in, for
example, Brazil, although a positive effect on glucose metabolism has
not been unequivocally demonstrated. We studied the acute effects of
stevioside in type 2 diabetic patients. We hypothesize that
supplementation with stevioside to a test meal causes a reduction in
postprandial blood glucose. Twelve type 2 diabetic patients were
included in an acute, paired cross-over study. A standard test meal was
supplemented with either 1 g of stevioside or 1 g of maize starch
(control). Blood samples were drawn at 30 minutes before and for 240
minutes after ingestion of the test meal. Compared to control,
stevioside reduced the incremental area under the glucose response
curve by 18% (P =.013). The insulinogenic index
(AUC(i,insulin)/AUC(i,glucose)) was increased by approximately 40% by
stevioside compared to control (P <.001). Stevioside tended to decrease
glucagon levels, while it did not significantly alter the area under
the insulin, glucagon-like peptide 1, and glucose-dependent
insulinotropic polypeptide curves. In conclusion, stevioside reduces
postprandial blood glucose levels in type 2 diabetic patients,
indicating beneficial effects on the glucose metabolism. Stevioside may
be advantageous in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

Publication Types:
Clinical Trial
Randomized Controlled Trial

PMID: 14681845 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

-

Effect of Stevia rebaudiana on glucose tolerance in normal adult
humans.

Curi R, Alvarez M, Bazotte RB, Botion LM, Godoy JL, Bracht A.

Departamento de Farmacia-Bioquimica, Universidade de Maringa, Brasil.

The effect of aqueous extracts of Stevia rebaudiana leaves on a glucose
tolerance test was investigated in 16 normal volunteers. Aqueous
extracts of 5 grams of leaves were administered to volunteers at
regular 6-h intervals for 3 days. Glucose tolerance tests were
performed before and after extract administration. A second group of 6
normal volunteers who ingested an aqueous arabinose solution was also
studied to eliminate possible stress effects. The extract of Stevia
rebaudiana increased glucose tolerance. The extract significantly
decreased plasma glucose levels during the test and after overnight
fasting in all volunteers.

PMID: 3651629 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

-

Stevioside acts directly on pancreatic beta cells to secrete insulin:
actions independent of cyclic adenosine monophosphate and adenosine
triphosphate-sensitive K+-channel activity.

Jeppesen PB, Gregersen S, Poulsen CR, Hermansen K.

Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Aarhus University Hospital,
Denmark.

The natural sweetener stevioside, which is found in the plant Stevia
rebaudiana Bertoni, has been used for many years in the treatment of
diabetes among Indians in Paraguay and Brazil. However, the mechanism
for the blood glucose-lowering effect remains unknown. To elucidate the
impact of stevioside and its aglucon steviol on insulin release from
normal mouse islets and the beta-cell line INS-1 were used. Both
stevioside and steviol (1 nmol/L to 1 mmol/L) dose-dependently enhanced
insulin secretion from incubated mouse islets in the presence of 16.7
mmol/L glucose (P < .05). The insulinotropic effects of stevioside and
steviol were critically dependent on the prevailing glucose
concentration, ie, stevioside (1 mmol/L) and steviol (1 micromol/L) only
potentiated insulin secretion at or above 8.3 mmol/L glucose (P < .05).
Interestingly, the insulinotropic effects of both stevioside and steviol
were preserved in the absence of extracellular Ca2+. During perifusion
of islets, stevioside (1 mmol/L) and steviol (1 micromol/L) had a
long-lasting and apparently reversible insulinotropic effect in the
presence of 16.7 mmol/L glucose (P < .05). To determine if stevioside
and steviol act directly on beta cells, the effects on INS-1 cells were
also investigated. Stevioside and steviol both potentiated insulin
secretion from INS-1 cells (P < .05). Neither stevioside (1 to 100
micromol/L) nor steviol (10 nmol/L to 10 micromol/L) influenced the
plasma membrane K+ adenosine triphosphate ((K+)ATP)-sensitive channel
activity, nor did they alter cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)
levels in islets. In conclusion, stevioside and steviol stimulate
insulin secretion via a direct action on beta cells. The results
indicate that the compounds may have a potential role as
antihyperglycemic agents in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

PMID: 10690946 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

[rfarris]

Thank you, Sle. That was very interesting. From those abstracts I see why you couldn't find any information about Type I diabetics, because stevioside stimulates the beta cells, and Type I diabetics don't have any.

The bad news, for Type II diabetics, is that many doctors are suggesting that having excess insulin (like stevioside does, in large amounts) is worse than excess glucose.

As excesses of insulin wash over the delicate insulin-receptors located on cell membranes, the powerful hormone robs more and more of the receptors' sensitivity. If the insulin saturation becomes too extreme, the receptors can be totally burned out. Reckless carbohydrate consumption exacerbates this sequence.

During insulin resistance, the pancreas is aware of the hyperglycemia (mounting glucose in the bloodstream) and, in an effort to correct the malfunction, discharges copious amounts of insulin as a compensatory gesture. Although this homeostatic mechanism allows glucose to enter the cell, hyperinsulinemia results. Unfortunately, a number of drugs prescribed to treat Type II diabetes stimulate the pancreas to produce more and more insulin. This approach temporarily lowers blood glucose levels but at the expense of the insulin receptor. Although debated, some contend that a surplus of insulin in the bloodstream causes more medical complications than an excess of glucose.

As an obese Type II diabetic, I've had to learn to avoid reckless carbohydrate consumption. Because the amounts of stevioside that stimulate insulin production (the evil thing), is a far larger quantity of stevioside than I intend to use, I'm going to add it to my steel-cut oats meal.

-- Rick

[curious_sle]

Obviously it is no cure all. YMMV after all you already are type II diebatic so more caution is due.

But hey no one is holding you back from getting your own finds and take on the matter.

[sentrysnipe]

Sometimes when Stevia isn't enough, especially for people suffering from Candida Albicans and other yeast infections, vegetable glycerin is the safest, and just as sweet.

[icyT]

Does Stevia have any health or nutritional benefits?

[wydell]

I understand that Stevia may increase insulin secretion. Is it known whether increased insulin production is a factor in the causation of disease or premature aging in non-diabetics?

I am just wondering whether Stevia causes harm by possibly increasing insulin production in non-diabetics. I do enjoy stevia in my food, but I will cut it if I think it has a negative health effect.

[rover]

It's a little less sweet than sugar, but I have been using about one to one, so far. Of course, it also has a different texture, so that effects things too.


Regards
Benefits of Stevia