Is stevia safe to take for type 2 diabetes?

Introduction

Stevia rebaudiana, commonly known as stevia, is a natural sweetener that has gained attention for its potential benefits in managing type 2 diabetes. This synthesis aims to evaluate the safety and efficacy of stevia for individuals with type 2 diabetes based on recent research findings.

Key Insights

Hypoglycemic Effects:
- Stevia significantly lowers fasting and post-prandial blood glucose levels in type 2 diabetic patients .
- Stevioside, a compound in stevia, reduces postprandial blood glucose levels and improves the insulinogenic index.
Lipid Profile Improvement:
- Stevia consumption is associated with reduced serum triglycerides and VLDL-C levels, indicating potential benefits for lipid profiles in diabetic patients .
Antioxidant and Anti-inflammatory Properties:
- Stevia exhibits antioxidant properties, reducing oxidative stress markers and improving antioxidant enzyme levels in diabetic rats .
- It also shows anti-inflammatory effects, reducing markers of inflammation and necroptosis in diabetic-induced testicular damage.
Cardioprotective Effects:
- Stevia extracts have cardioprotective effects, reducing markers of myocardial damage and fibrosis in diabetic rats.
- It may help prevent cardiovascular diseases in long-standing diabetes by improving lipid profiles and reducing oxidative stress .
Renal Protective Effects:
- Stevia alleviates kidney damage in diabetic rats, improving glomerular filtration rates and reducing markers of renal stress.
Appetite and Energy Intake:
- Stevia lowers appetite sensation without increasing overall food intake or postprandial glucose levels, suggesting it could be useful in obesity and diabetes management.
Safety and Toxicity:
- While stevia shows numerous benefits, uncontrolled consumption of commercially available stevia-based sweeteners may have toxicological effects, particularly on heart and kidney histopathology in diabetic rats.
- Clinical trials indicate that stevia does not significantly affect fasting blood sugar, insulin, or lipid levels when used as a tea sweetener, suggesting it is a safe alternative to artificial sweeteners.

Conclusion

Stevia appears to be a safe and effective natural sweetener for managing type 2 diabetes. It offers multiple benefits, including lowering blood glucose levels, improving lipid profiles, and providing antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. However, caution is advised regarding the uncontrolled consumption of commercially available stevia-based sweeteners due to potential toxicological effects. Overall, stevia can be a valuable addition to diabetes management strategies under medical supervision.

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Is stevia safe to take for type 2 diabetes?

Summary

Consensus Meter

Introduction

Key Insights

Conclusion

Sources and full results

Nutritional composition of Stevia rebaudiana, a sweet herb, and its hypoglycaemic and hypolipidaemic effect on patients with non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus.

Stevia rebaudiana can safely be used as an anti-diabetic herb, as a sweetener substitute, and may help prevent cardiovascular diseases in patients with long-standing diabetes.

Antioxidant, anti-diabetic and renal protective properties of Stevia rebaudiana.

Stevia leaves and its extracted polyphenols can reduce diabetes and its complications, as well as alleviate liver and kidney damage in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

Effects of Stevia Extract on Postprandial Glucose Response, Satiety and Energy Intake: A Three-Arm Crossover Trial

Stevia lowers appetite sensation and does not further increase food intake or postprandial glucose levels, potentially aiding in obesity and diabetes prevention and management.

2137-PUB: Exercise and Stevia R. Extracts Attenuate Diabetic Cardiomyopathy in Type 2 Diabetic Rats via Upregulation of Nrf2 and Suppression of Oxidative Stress, Fibrosis, Apoptosis, and Sympathetic Overactivity

Exercise and stevia extracts have cardioprotective effects against diabetic cardiomyopathy in type 2 diabetic rats, with stevia extracts offering a more protective effect than exercise.

Safely effective hypoglycemic action of stevia and turmeric extracts on diabetic Albino rats.

Turmeric roots and stevia leaves extracts can effectively reduce blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetic rats, potentially aiding in the gradual substitution of synthetic antidiabetic drugs under medical supervision.

Preventive effects of a soy-based diet supplemented with stevioside on the development of the metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes in Zucker diabetic fatty rats.

A soy-based diet supplemented with stevioside shows potential in reducing blood glucose, blood pressure, and cardiovascular risk markers in type 2 diabetic rats.

Effects of stevia on glycemic and lipid profile of type 2 diabetic patients: A randomized controlled trial

Stevia in sweetened tea can be an alternative to sucralose in diabetic patients without affecting blood glucose, HbA1C, insulin, and lipid levels.

Antihyperglycemic effects of stevioside in type 2 diabetic subjects.

Stevioside reduces postprandial blood glucose levels in type 2 diabetic patients, suggesting beneficial effects on glucose metabolism and potential for use in diabetes treatment.

1621-P: Commercially Available Stevia-Based Sweetener, Antidiabetic or Toxic—An Ad Libitum Feeding Study in a Type 2 Diabetes Model of Rat

Uncontrolled consumption of stevia-based non-nutritive sweeteners has no significant antidiabetic effect but may have some toxicological effects in an animal model of type 2 diabetes.

Protective effect of Stevia on diabetic induced testicular damage: an immunohistochemical and ultrastructural study.

Stevia, an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, can reduce diabetic-induced testicular damage by modulating oxidative stress, inflammation, necroptosis, and apoptosis.

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