Note from Connie: You may already have heard about stevia, the herb that’s some 150 to 300 times sweeter than sugar, has zero calories and doesn’t raise blood sugar levels.
Now, a new study suggests that the shrub, which is grown in parts of south America and Asia ans used as a sweetener over there, may help protect against DNA damage and cancer. Bear in mind that stevia is not sold as a sweetener here in the U.S. but is available as a supplement, as I point out in my book SUGAR SHOCK! My blogging assistant Karen James gives you more info.
Scientists from the Indian Institute of Chemical Biology in Kilkata recently found that an extract from Stevia rebaudiana leaves contained high levels of several antioxidant polyphenols, wrote Stephen Daniells for NutraIngredients.com.
Findings from the study — which were published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry — indicated that the stevia extract could help protect against damage to DNA strands.
"These results indicate that Stevia rebaudiana may be useful as a potential source of natural antioxidants," wrote lead author Srijani Ghanta, according to the NutraIngredients.com story.
Stevia, a shrub indigenous to parts of Brazil and Paraguay, has been used in South America as a sweetener for centuries, and it has more recently gained popularity in Asia, particularly Japan, according to www.stevia.com.
While considerably sweeter than sugar, the low-calorie, low-carb substance is purported to not contain sugarâs unhealthy traits, particularly its effects on the body’s blood sugar levels.
Citing safety concerns (scroll to the third paragraph from the bottom), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved stevia for sale as a sweetener, however it may be sold as a âdietary supplement.â
Karen James for SUGAR SHOCK! Blog