All Natural Stevia Plant: A Scrutinized Solution for Diabetes Sufferers
By: Brad Taylor
If you’re a diabetic, then you’ve experienced how hard life can be knowing that the sweetest cake or cookie could dramatically harm you. But there is a new solution to the potentially deadly desire. An all natural sweetener, Stevia, is shown to not only be an alternative sweetener for diabetics, whom have to normally abstain entirely from sugar else they will suffer terminally, but may also reduce the effectiveness of the diabetic condition. The diabetic consumer’s desires can now be fully realized with the introduction of this healthful alternative solution to sugar.
Stevia Scrutiny
So where does this sweetener come from, and what makes it such a breakthrough? It comes from the namesake plant grown in the Southern Americas, known as Stevia Rebaudiana, a member of the Chrysanthemum family of plants. Though it grows rampantly in the native lands, it has been used and cultivated around the world for the past several decades.
This new sweetener has come under some scrutiny as to whether or not it is safe to use, and some people simply don’t like the taste. There have been a barrage of comments discounting the whole plant as a worthwhile alternative to sugar, such as a strange aftertaste or generally bitter compared to real cane sugar. While some previous studies have linked stevia with decreased infertility in rats, these studies have been refuted.
Needless to say, stevia is considerably safer and more healthful than artificial sweeteners like aspartame and MSG, which have been linked to a number of diseases. Research shows stevia to be especially beneficial for diabetics, going to great lengths to reduce the symptoms and ailments of diabetes. This evidence has yet to be found concrete in human subjects, but it certainly is a much better choice than aspartame ever would have been.
One abstract of a study states:
Treatment of diabetes with sulfonylurea drugs (glibenclamide) causes hypoglycemia followed by greater reduction in body weight, which are the most worrisome effects of these drugs. Stevia extract was found to [have] … a revitalizing effect on β-cells of pancreas.
The downside to Stevia is the same to many of the naturally occurring substances that have been proposed as a solution: government regulations, and very targeted scientific validation from none other than the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA has previously deemed stevia to be a dietary food supplement and can only be purchased in the same quality. They have received many requests to validate Stevia as a food item, but have continually put off the rigorous testing processes so that when they say that “[The] data and information necessary to support the safe use [of Stevia has] been lacking.” In recent years, however, it has been approved in the U.S. and the EU.
Stevia Solution for Diabetes, Obesity
Of course stevia is loaded with numerous health benefits. Stevia, unlike fructose — particularly high-fructose corn syrup, does not feed cancer cells. Additionally, natural sweeteners like Stevia not only contain 0 calories while still retaining a sweet taste, but they have also been found to prevent and reverse conditions like diabetes. This shows how natural sweeteners can eliminate soaring cancer, obesity, and diabetes rates.
Is Splenda safe? Or is MSG and aspartame safe? Research says no. Don’t hesitate to replace these harmful sweeteners with healthful alternatives.
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