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INSUFFICIENT RELIABLE EVIDENCE to RATE

• Diabetes. It is unclear if oral stevia is beneficial in patients with diabetes; the available research is conflicting. Details: A small single-dose study shows that taking stevia leaf extract 1000 mg, standardized to contain 91% stevioside, along with a meal reduces postprandial glucose levels by 18% in adults with type 2 diabetes when compared with a starch control (11812). However, clinical research in patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes shows that taking stevioside 250 mg three times daily for 3 months does not affect blood glucose levels or glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C) when compared with baseline (16705). Also, a small clinical study in patients with diabetes shows that drinking 200 mL of black tea, sweetened with stevia extract 2%, three times daily for 8 weeks does not affect glycemic indices when compared with drinking tea sweetened with sucralose (103695).
• Hypertension. It is unclear if oral stevia is beneficial in patients with hypertension; the available research is conflicting. Details: Some clinical research in patients with mild to moderate hypertension shows that taking stevioside, a constituent of stevia, 750-1500 mg in three divided doses daily reduces systolic blood pressure by 10-14 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure by 6-14 mmHg within one week to three months of treatment initiation and continuing for up to 2 years (11809,11810). However, other clinical research in patients with mild hypertension shows that taking stevioside in doses up to 15 mg/kg daily does not significantly reduce blood pressure (16706).
• Obesity. It is unclear if oral stevia is beneficial in patients with obesity; the available research is conflicting. Details: Although a small clinical study in healthy adults shows that drinking water with stevia (Truvia) 245 ppm as a single dose reduces appetite and energy intake when compared with drinking water alone (103697), other small, single-dose studies have shown no effect of stevia 15.3 mg or 1 gram as a single dose on satiety, energy intake, or fullness when compared with either water alone or a non-nutritive sweetener (103696,110124). A small clinical study in healthy adults shows that taking an aqueous stevia leaf extract (SweetLeaf) twice daily for 12 weeks does not affect body weight, compared with an increase in weight in the control group. This suggests that stevia extract may have attenuated weight gain in this study (106458). More evidence is needed to rate stevia for these uses.

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LIKELY SAFE ...when certain stevia constituents, including stevioside and rebaudiosides A, D, and M, are used orally as sweeteners in foods. These constituents have generally recognized as safe (GRAS) status in the US for this purpose (16699,16700,16702,16705,16706,108049). The stevia constituent stevioside has been safely used in doses of up to 1500 mg daily for 2 years (11809,11810,11811). There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of whole stevia or stevia extracts when used orally. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has determined that the acceptable intake of steviol glycosides is 4 mg/kg daily (106456); however, it is unclear how this relates to the use of whole stevia or stevia extract.

PREGNANCY AND LACTATION:
Insufficient reliable information available; avoid using.

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ANTIDIABETES DRUGS Interaction Rating = Minor Be watchful with this combination. Severity = Mild •  Occurrence = Possible •  Level of Evidence = D Theoretically, stevia might increase the risk for hypoglycemia when combined with antidiabetes drugs.  Details Preliminary clinical research in patients with type 2 diabetes suggests that taking a single dose of stevia extract 1000 mg reduces postprandial blood glucose levels when taken with a meal (11812). However, other clinical research in patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes suggests that taking stevioside 250 mg three times daily does not significantly affect blood glucose levels or glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C) after three months of treatment (16705).

ANTIHYPERTENSIVE DRUGS Interaction Rating = Minor Be watchful with this combination. Severity = Mild •  Occurrence = Possible •  Level of Evidence = D Theoretically, combining stevia or stevia constituents with antihypertensive agents might increase the risk of hypotension.  Details Stevia extract and stevioside might lower blood pressure in patients with hypertension (3745,3747,5031,11809,11810). However, other clinical research suggests that stevioside does not significantly lower blood pressure in patients with hypertension (16706).

LITHIUM Interaction Rating = Moderate Be cautious with this combination. Severity = Moderate •  Occurrence = Possible •  Level of Evidence = D Theoretically, stevia might decrease clearance and increase levels of lithium.  Details Animal research suggests that stevia extracts might have diuretic activity (3746,3747). Theoretically, increased reabsorption of lithium along with sodium might reduce excretion and increase levels of lithium.

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General ...Orally, stevia and steviol glycosides appear to be well tolerated. Most minor adverse effects seem to resolve after the first week of use.
Most Common Adverse Effects:
Abdominal bloating, dizziness, headache, myalgia, nausea, and numbness.
Serious Adverse Effects (Rare):
Allergic reactions.

Gastrointestinal ...Orally, stevia and steviol glycosides such as stevioside, can cause gastrointestinal adverse effects such as abdominal fullness and nausea. However, these generally resolve after the first week of use (11809,11810).

Immunologic ...Theoretically, stevia might cause allergic reactions in individuals sensitive to plants in the Asteraceae/Compositae family (11811). Members of this family include ragweed, chrysanthemums, marigolds, daisies, and many other herbs.

Musculoskeletal ...Orally, stevia and steviol glycosides may cause myalgia, but this generally resolves after the first week of use (11809,11810).

Neurologic/CNS ...Orally, stevia and steviol glycosides may cause headache, dizziness, and numbness (11809,11810).

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