Stevia Leaf Extract

Stevia Leaf Extract

Stevia Leaf Extract

What is it:

Stevia is a plant from the chrysanthemum family that when processed as a sweetener can be more than 200 times sweeter than sugar but is non-nutritive, meaning it has zero calories. Due to safety concerns regarding stevia in its full-leaf form, the FDA has only designated extracts of stevia to be generally recognized as safe (GRAS). To refine stevia, the leaves are steeped in hot water and filtered and centrifuged to separate certain compounds from the whole leaf, which are then extracted with alcohol and undergo a multi-step distillation. Stevia leaf extract can be found as a non-nutritive sweetener in stores in crystallized or liquid form and is also included in many packaged foods to increase sweetness without adding sugar.

Rating:

While commercial stevia extract is non-GMO and is not processed with harsh chemicals, the stevia leaf undergoes a refinement process that is far different from its natural whole-leaf form. Additionally, many popular Stevia brands mix stevia extract with other artificial sweeteners, fillers, and natural flavors which may be genetically modified or carry their own health risks. While one study found that extremely high and unrealistic doses of compounds in stevia may have some weak mutagenic activity (ability to make a cell mutate), other studies have found that stevia may actually have anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory processes.

Resources:

  1. FDA approves Stevia Extract as GRAS
  2. Potential mutagenicity of stevia at high amounts
  3. Stevia compounds exert toxic affect to cancer cells
  4. Stevia compounds speed up death of breast cancer cells 
  5. Stevia compounds exert anti-inflammatory effects

How we rate ingredients

Health is like a bank account, certain ingredients make a deposit into your health bank, meaning they add to
your health. Certain ingredients withdraw from your health bank. We want health promoting ingredients in our diet. To keep things simple, we rate ingredients on a green, yellow, red scale:

Clean

It is naturally occurring in food and has no harmful effects on the body. It is real food. It is health promoting.

Caution

It goes into one or more of the below categories

  • It is not naturally occurring in food but doesn’t have data showing it has a harmful effect on the body (additives like Gellan Gum)
  • It is naturally occurring but can have some harmful effects on the body (added sugars, oils, gums etc.)

We Avoid

It is known to have a harmful effect on the body (ex. All food colorings, Natural Flavors, MSG, Potassium bromate, aspartame, artificial flavors)

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