Is Stevia Safe?

Absolutely. Stevia has been used around the world with NO reports of stevia overdose or toxicity to humans in the past forty years. It has been used since pre-Colombian times with no reports of ill side affects. Stevia has also withstood years of research that has proven Stevia to be safe for human and animal consumption.

The Japanese Food and Drug Safety Center has found stevia not to be mutagenic. Only one study has shown stevia to be potentially a mutagenic and this study has been criticized for errors in procedure. Scientist in Great Britain said that according to the study’s formula, distilled water is mutagenic.

Two studies showed stevia to have a contraceptive effect. The first study was done in Uruguay over 30 years ago and since then no one has been able to reproduce the results. The second study was done by a graduate student in Rio de Janeiro and the results and methods have been questionable. Multiple other studies have shown that stevia has no contraceptive effect.

Stevia have been introduced around the world during the past years, now Coca-Cola company has filed 24 patent applications for stevia and is joining with the giant food marketer Cargill to introduce a stevia-derived sweetener. For FDA approval, some food manufacturers have provided scientific documentation that stevia should be classified as "generally recognized as safe (GRAS)".

The FDA says that more than 90 studies support stevia safety. Studies showed that Stevia and stevioside are safe when used as a sweetener. It is suited for both diabetics, and PKU patients, as well as for obese people intending to lose weight by avoiding sugar in their diet. No allergic reactions to it seem to exist. Reference

Whole-leaf stevia or crude stevia extracts aren't FDA-approved.

It is definitely considered safer than aspartame, sucralose and saccharin, and there is no any kind of evidence that stevia poses a threat to human health like those other sweeteners.

Safety Research Studies

JOINT FAO/WHO EXPERT COMMITTEE ON FOOD ADDITIVES, 17-26 June 2008

Overview: The history, technical function and safety of rebaudioside A, a naturally occurring steviol glycoside, for use in food and beverages

M.C. Carakostasa, L.L. Curryb, A.C. Boileaub, D.J. Brusickc

Clinical studies provide further evidence that purified rebaudioside A has no effect on either blood pressure or glucose homeostasis. This paper summarizes the information used to conclude that high purity rebaudioside A (rebiana) produced to food-grade specifications and according to Good Manufacturing Practices is safe for human consumption under its intended conditions of use as a general purpose sweetener.

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