Stevia’s health benefits go beyond sugar reduction – it could also be a natural alternative for treating metabolic disorders, such as obesity and type 2 diabetes, say researchers.
Publishing their findings in the peer-reviewed Journal of Medicinal Food, the Mexican researchers reviewed both in vitro and in vivo studies which looked at the beneficial effects reported for steviol compounds – aqueous and alcoholic stevia extracts – derived from the leaves, flowers and roots of the stevia plant.
These studies analysed the plant’s anti-obesity, anti-hyperglycemic, anti-hypertensive and anti-hyperlipidemic effects, all of which make it interesting to tackle the symptoms of metabolic syndrome. This is characterised by factors such as abdominal obesity, inflammation and diabetes, that are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases.
While there are several chemically synthesized pharmaceuticals for treating these diseases, many of them have secondary undesirable effects such as lactic acidosis, metallic taste, and vitamin B12 deficiency, according to the reviewers from the from the Autonomous University of Yucatan.
“Therefore, there is a demand for new natural-based medicinal compounds [and] Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni [is] a potential source for these compounds,” they write, particularly due to its absence of toxicity and reputation as an edible plant worldwide.
Currently, stevia is commercially cultivated to extract its sweeteners but it also contains other compounds, such as phytochemicals, that provide beneficial properties to health.
Theses include: diterpenes, labdabos, triterpenes, stigmasterol, tannins, ascorbic acid, alkaloids, steroids, saponins, flavonoids, b-carotene, chromium, cobalt, magnesium, iron, potassium, phosphorus, riboflavin, thiamine, tin, zinc, apigenin, austroinilina, avicularin, b-sitosterol, caffeic acid, campesterol, caryophyllene, centaureidin, chlorogenic acid, chlorophyll, kaempferol, luteolin and quercetin.
The authors identify three separates rat or mice studies in which orally administered stevia for a period of between three and nine weeks led to a weight reduction.
One 2015 study looking for sucrose replacement in beverages found that that satiety levels of SR, aspartame, and saccharose were similar among each other but stevia reduced the glucose and postprandial insulin levels, write the authors.
Other human and animal studies identified stevia as beneficial in lowering blood pressure. For instance, one study , hypertensive patients were given 250 mg of steviosides for one year. “Results indicate that their systolic and diastolic APs decreased after 3 months of starting the treatment without any negative effect on the biochemical parameters.”
The authors conclude that more research is needed to determine the diverse mechanisms of action of stevia-based treatments.
Source: Journal of Medicinal Food
