My local paper had an article about Stevia on Fri. Evidently, in the USA and other countries stevia is banned as an additive. So you can buy it and add it to your coffee yourself but you cannot buy foods already sweetened with stevia.
Stevia is an herb that is used as a sweetener. The FDA banned it's in 1991 and then in 1994 modified the ruling to banning it's use as an additive.
The article says it's concerns are some animal studies that indicate stevia can negatively affect fertility and may have some carcinogenic properties. The article doesn't say how much stevia was given the animal to produce these results.
Here's the kicker. It also may lower blood pressure and blood sugar which may cause a problem for those taking medication for these issues. I would guess the problem would be they wouldn't need as much medication. Which sounds like more of a problem for the drug companies than for the patient.
Actually, what I understand is that stevia nourishes the pancreas which causes it to do what it's supposed to do so you don't need as much or any insulin. So which would you rather? Add a natural herbal sweetener to your beverage or foods that nourishes the body, strengthens it so it functions better, or take a drug with all the side effects that weakens your system?
This is a question you have to ask and answer yourself. Personally, I do anything I can to stay off drugs. Just say no. If you can. Even to legal drugs.
I wonder what would happen to those animals they tested if they gave them the drugs they give people for high blood pressure and high blood sugar.
Just a thought.
And I never even got into the stevia as a "dangerous" additive versus the artifical sweeteners used as a "safe" alterntive. Which are approved by the FDA.
Carol
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