Stevia sugar Benefits-Here’s A Must Watch About Stevia Fruit

Stevia is a kind of plant that belongs to the sunflower family and is extensively grown for its sweet-tasting leaves. It has been popularly used as a healthy alternative sweetener and as sugar substitute.

Stevia has recently gained this attention and popularity because its extract is said to be 300 times sweeter than sugar and yet low in carbohydrates and glucose and therefore beneficial to people who need to watch their carbohydrates and blood glucose level. Its taste is believed to have a longer duration than that of sugar.

Stevia is also believed to possess contraceptive properties as shown in an experiment with fertile adult female laboratory rats when given a preparation of the plant extract. It continued to decrease fertility 50 to 60 days after the preparation was taken. It also showed that the extract did not, in any way, affect appetite and the general health of the rats

Another study conducted on prepuberty rats showed that regular supplementation of Stevia extract caused a reduction on testicular weight and seminal vesicle. It also reduced the fructose content of the accessory sex glands, decreased sperm concentration and decreased blood testosterone level. These findings support the claim that Stevia may possess contraceptive properties.

Stevia is also believed to have promising medicinal benefits to people who have problems with obesity and high blood pressure.

This alternative sweetener has been used since ancient times by the Guarani tribes of Bolivia, Peru and Brazil as sweetener for their medicinal teas and for treating heartburns and other illness. It does not affect blood glucose level and in fact promotes glucose tolerance which makes it an ideal preparation for diabetics and those with carbohydrate regulated diets.

Stevia currently accounts for 40% of the alternative sweetener market in Japan. Its ingredients rebaudioside A and stevioside are gaining popularity in the US.

In a breaking news article, the US Food and Drug Administration has issued a letter of non-objection to the use of this zero calorie natural sweetener. The FDA has apparently succumbed to the pressure exerted by influential business companies to legalize a food and beverage ingredient the government agency once banned from the US market.

However, it appears that the approval of Stevia as an alternative sweetener proved to be beneficial to consumers because it would replace aspartame, an artificial sweetener which has been linked to numerous neurological disorders that include headaches and muscle pains and certain eye disorders.

The FDA’s favorable action will also encourage manufacturers to produce Stevia-sweetened products to cater to consumers especially diabetics, who prefer low calorie and carbohydrated regulated natural food items.

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