Stevia- Zero calorie sugar for diabetes

Are you carving for sweet?

Wait...Think again ...Sugar alone add 500 calorie per day. Intake of excessive sugar is not a good idea. Table sugar increases blood sugar level which leads to insulin resistance with increase in body weight. People craving for sweet always want to find substitute, but unfortunately most sugar substitute available in the market are artificial and have dangerous health implications.

In search of natural sweetener, researcher developed plant-based sweetener “Stevia”, it has 200-300 times sweeter than table sugar and have no calorie (Zero calorie). In 1970’s Japanese scientist developed the first commercial Stevia-derived sweetener, which quickly gains popularity among fitness and dieters because of its calorie count (zero).  

Stevia has 200 years of history, Stevia reabaudiana Bertoni is herb native to South America. South American tribes using the plant crushed leaves to sweeten green herbal tea called Mate and other drinks.

It contains eight glycosides. These are the sweet components isolated and purified from the leaves. These glycoside include stevioside, rebaudiosides A, B, C, D, E and F, steviolbioside and dulcoside A. They are extracted through a process of harvesting leaves, then drying, water extraction and purification. Crude Stevia has bitter taste until it is bleached or decoloured. It takes 40 steps to process the final Stevia pure extract.

The main producer and consumer of Stevia are Japan, China, Taiwan, Thailand, Korea, Brazil, Malaysia, Israel, Canada and America. Americans are top consumers of sugar in the world with the average person taking in one-quarter of a cup of added sugars per day. It’s no wonder that zero calorie sweeteners are gaining favour.

According to the researchers on Stevia says, it doesn’t provide glucose, it doesn’t provide calorie, so, it doesn’t stimulate insulin rise in the blood. Only consumed and it pass through digestive system without chemically breaking down, which make safe for those who need to control their blood sugar. So effectively Stevia can be said to provide zero calories.

WHO’s (World Health Organization) joint expert committee has approved daily intake of Stevia up to 4 mg/kg of body weight. The intake high purity Stevia is most preferred. Now high purity Stevia leaf extract is being used globally to reduce energy and added sugar content in food and beverages. It is added in soft drinks (diet drinks), canned fruits and jams, ice creams and other dairy products, cake, desserts and alcoholic beverages.  According to an analysis by market and market research firm, the market of Stevia sugar will reach $16.5 billion by 2020.

In addition to non-caloric sweetening, it has many medicinal values

1.     Helps to manage diabetes

      Having zero calorie and no glucose, it doesn’t increase blood sugar level

2.     Reduces body weight

      Replacing sugar with Stevia can lower caloric intake

3.     Help to control blood pressure  
      It relaxes blood vessels and removes harmful compounds through increased urination.

4.     Promote dental health

      It has antimicrobial properties. Reduce risk of cavities and gingivitis and maintains healthy mouth

5.     Help to maintain healthy skin

      Application on skin helps to reduce acne and prohibit spread of bacteria

6.     Help to promote healthy bones

      Stevia increase strength of bones

In India diabetes increased 20-30 % in 10 years and chemical sweeteners doesn’t help you to manage diabetes and weight loss. Shifting to natural non-caloric sweetener like Stevia will change your life style. By the way consuming anything in excess has its own bad effect on health.