Re: Dangers of stevia?

Stevia leaves have been used for over 1500 years by the Guarani Indians of Paraguay as a soothing tonic for the stomach and as a healing concentrate when cooked in water (no ARTIFICIAL sweeteners can say the same, artificial sweeteners haven't been around long enough to know the dangers!). Stevia was first discovered and introduced to Europe in 1899 by M.S. Bertoni. Since then, hundreds of scientific tests have been performed on these sweet leaves, which have been found to contain, among other elements, Vitamin C, calcium, beta- carotene, chromium, fiber, iron, magnesium, niacin, potassium, protein, and silicon. It is the intensely sweet glycosides, referred to as steviosides, produced within the leaves that make Stevia so sweet. Research has shown that the body does not digest or metabolize these intensely sweet glycosides. They are not converted into glucose in the body and, therefore, have a glycemic index of 0. This makes stevia a most valuable sweetening source for those with Sugar restrictions, such as diabetes, hypoglycemia, or weight control.

Every Holistic M.D. I have spoken with highly recommends stevia, and more than 75% of the dieticians I have worked with only recommend stevia. Those artificial sweeteners cause more problems in the long run and most of the artificial sweetener companies don't want a natural sweetener to take over their billion dollar business, I think they had false studies created to make stevia look bad IMO. ilove stevia and highly recommend it over all other synthetic sweeteners, the more natural the better InMyOpinion.