The FDA has had a ban on stevia as a food additive for decades over studies that suggest a concern over steviol, a breakdown product of stevia, which might cause genetic mutations.
Coca Cola and Cargill would like to change that so stevia can become the sweetener du jour in processed foods and beverages. Cargill’s truvia is currently on shelves in New York as a test run and will soon be available at stores nationwide as a natural alternative to artificial sweeteners (aka splenda and others).
The LA Times has an interesting piece on the safety concerns. It seems the earlier studies are “outdated” and the latest evidence shows little concern for harm. Many countries allow stevia in their products already. I am sure many Americans would prefer something like stevia in processed foods because of aversions to artificial sweeteners or the preference for “natural”.
From the LA Times:
The eight studies published in Food and Chemical Toxicology last month went even further. One report showed no reproductive toxicity in rats exposed to the sweetener for two generations, and two human studies showed that 1,000 mg of rebaudioside A per day was safe for healthy adults as well as those with Type 2 diabetes. Rebaudioside A (dubbed Rebiana by Coca-Cola and Cargill) is “safe for human consumption,” three of the study authors wrote. They did not report on stevioside.
So it seems there is scientific support for safety of rebiana, but hold the stevioside for now. If you would like to see the studies yourself, follow this link. Of course, the deal with research is that study results contradict each other for years and that’s how real evidence builds. And pesky bias (as unintentional as it may be) exists – especially when researchers want to keep funding coming in. Researchers! Back me up on this…
Please post other links if you can download the studies for free from another website.
The bottom line: it is a personal decision if you want to use splenda or truvia or plain old sugar or honey or agave nectar… or… yada yada. But the bigger picture is always more important. If you are eating mostly healthy, whole foods (fruits and vegetables, beans, nuts, legumes, lean protein foods, and whole grains) then there is little room left for the other stuff that might have rebiana added. Not a real reason to worry. However, if your cereal, bread, yogurt, oatmeal, diet sodas and other beverages, etc. etc. have it and these foods are overpowering the whole, natural foods… shift the focus on changing your overall diet and don’t worry about the kind of sweetener. You’ll consume less of it because you changed your diet. You’ll be better off.
Filed under: eating healthy, food, food industry, food marketing and advertising Tagged: | cargill, coca cola, dietary supplements, FDA, rebiana, stevia, truvia
I couldn’t agree more about making your own decision and also eating a more healthful diet based on whole foods in their natural state.
You’d think that drinking soda and other sweetened drinks is a complete necessity in this country. Water is my drink of choice. I save calories for the important antioxidants — such as dark chocolate. But that’s another story.
You asked for other alternative health links that can be downloaded for free and I’d like to share the health newsletters written by Jon Barron, a world known nutraceutical researcher. Coincidently, he wrote a terrific newsletter that addresses the use of stevia as it relates to governmental regulatory agencies. You can find it at: http://www.jonbarron.org/diabetes-program/10-08-2007.php
The newsletter is titled “Stevia Shibboleth” A shibboleth, as described in the Bible, was a secret word used by the ancient Gileadites to identify outsiders who were unable to pronounce the word correctly. In a sense, we can see that stevia is being used as a shibboleth by regulatory agencies to separate the insiders (the large commercial entities with major political influence) from the outsiders (the purveyors of all-natural healthy products). It really gives you a great overview of stevia. In addition, download the free book written by Jon Barron “Lessons From the Miracle Doctors”, which is my own bible since I became an alternative health nut.
I find it curious that the ban on stevia as a food additive is being lifted just as Coca Cola gets involved with it.
Politics, public health and money.
Nice.
Touche!
Although I do think a lot of people who prefer natural over artificial — and more importantly those who can’t do artificial for health reasons (PKU, ADHD, migranes, etc.) are welcoming a potential lift on the ban because all F&B companies can use stevia as a food additive. These smaller companies don’t have the deep pockets that others have. So in a sense everyone wins.
Rebecca
[...] Rebecca Scritchfield talked about Truvia – the stevia product that Coca Cola is positioning to be the ‘green’ version of aspartame. [...]
Friends have suggested to us that we try stevia products for a while. This weekend we finally broke down and did so. I typically drink a couple of cups of sweetened hot tea a day. I can’t stand the taste of Sucralose and Aspartame, so had high hopes for Truvia.
I liked it. I have no idea of the health/harm, but it doesn’t have any of the nasty aftertastes in the other non-sugar sweeteners. I will try it for a while longer to see, but so far, so good – at least in hot tea with a little milk
I get Migranes from Choclate and Artificial Sweetners like Splenda. Is using Trivia safe so that I will not get Migranes? I would like a sample of it if possible. Thank you. Jane Tizio
I can’t help with samples and the only way to know if it will give you a problem is to try it.
I have friends who get migranes and I know it is unpleasant. I hope stevia works for you as an alternative.