Stevia - safe or not?!
>>>You might look at the approved sugar substitutes like, Equal, Splendid, Sweet 'n Low as opposed to "Stevia"
Acute toxicity of stevioside, a natural sweetener, and its metabolite, steviol, in several animal species, Drug Chem. Toxicol. 20 (31): 31-44
>>>>>>
I looked up the paper this person cited.
(Note: the definition of "acute" in medicine refers to the effects from one dose in the study, as opposed to chronic repeated doses. It does not mean the same as "intense" or "severe")
LD50 (mg/kg) values:
for stevioside in mice, rats and hamsters > 15000.
For steviol, 5200 for hamsters and > 15000 for rats.
For sodium saccharin (Sweet n Low): 1280
For aspartame: 5000
For sucralose (Splenda): 10,000
For sucrose: 30,000 (all these are for rats)
Based on rats, only sucrose is less lethal than stevia.
While the LD50 refers to lethality, not toxicity, please be aware that anyone can twist data and word it to their liking.
Answers: Here is a quote from a certain V&V user.
>>>You might look at the approved sugar substitutes like, Equal, Splendid, Sweet 'n Low as opposed to "Stevia"
Acute toxicity of stevioside, a natural sweetener, and its metabolite, steviol, in several animal species, Drug Chem. Toxicol. 20 (31): 31-44
>>>>>>
I looked up the paper this person cited.
(Note: the definition of "acute" in medicine refers to the effects from one dose in the study, as opposed to chronic repeated doses. It does not mean the same as "intense" or "severe")
LD50 (mg/kg) values:
for stevioside in mice, rats and hamsters > 15000.
For steviol, 5200 for hamsters and > 15000 for rats.
For sodium saccharin (Sweet n Low): 1280
For aspartame: 5000
For sucralose (Splenda): 10,000
For sucrose: 30,000 (all these are for rats)
Based on rats, only sucrose is less lethal than stevia.
While the LD50 refers to lethality, not toxicity, please be aware that anyone can twist data and word it to their liking.
This has nothing to do with your question, but I will now host a parade in your honor for making Skully look like an idiot. Pick a host city for your parade.
EDIT: Notice how recently BOTH Skully and FlexiVeg started using the abbreviation "IMO"? Intriguing.
I tried Stevia & do not like the taste any better that the other substitute sweeteners. I try not to eat so many sweets & drink water. To me, limiting my use of the real thing is better than the artificials. There always seems to be draw backs they don't tell us about until later.
Before "Stevia" there was saccrin. You can die from drinking to much water.....all this crap we put in our food/drinks/drugs are going to be found lethal eventually...it's all a money game....keeping truth hidden.
I like it and think its pretty natural.If you don't like the powdered packet kind,try buying a stevia plant and use the leaves,they're great.
Most of the stevia "supplements" you buy (stevia is not approved as a sweetener) are cut with dextrose, if a powder, or glycerine, if a liquid. If you're o.k. with those ingredients (glycerine can cause GI issues for some), give it a try. There is an aftertaste, but it's not harsh.
You need so little of the stuff to sweeten your coffee/tea/etc, reaching a lethal or even toxic dose is highly unlikely.
I tried stevia and found it sickly sweet. I'll stick to raw sugar myself.
there is a pattern. it seems that all sugar substitutes are horrible for you and sugar really isnt that bad. I would say that aspartame is probably the worst for you and it doesnt have the smallest lethal dose, it begs the question are you really going to OD on sugar substitute? Is the LD50 really the most pertinant statistic for this? Probably not....
Raw sugar is the way to go.It has only 16 calories in a teaspoon,and no other chemicals.All the artificial sweeteners including Stevia are poison to your system.So many of us are always trying to get away from the simple and natural foods.Do yourself a huge favor,and get a copy of Kevin Trudeau's book"Natural Cures"they don't want you to know about.He's a bit radical,but makes some excellent points on staying with whole natural foods.Amazon has it for only a couple of dollars.You library has it for free.
Use agave nectar, you can't go wrong with it!
I agree with the raw sugar advocate. It's what I use ... that and honey. Stevia is not approved by the FDA as a sweetener. So I don't use it as well as not using other artificial sweeteners.
Personally, I'd have to read the article myself. I just don't trust your intepretation. You sound kinda young and Ms. Skully is pretty much on target and able to deal with nuances. She's a very critical thinker -- You aren't, IMO. I'll bet you didn't intepret the data correctly. I hope she weighs in on this, but I put my money on her.
Well, read the article myself, son, and you just plain got it all wrong. You just don't understand what you are reading. No sense in arguing with you, it just isn't worth my time fooling with kids and bimbos. Sorry I had to block you and another person, boy.
The plant is great. It is diabetic safe and it doesn't have a bitter aftertaste. It is very hard to find in certain parts of the U.S. and the seeds are available to be bought online but they are hard to sow. The processed powder stevia has added chemicals, not natural, and has a bitter aftertaste.