Stevia extract helps with weight loss

Stevia extract is said to help you lose weight

21/03/2012

The medicinal plant stevia is considered a new miracle cure for the sugar substitute. Because the extract is calorie-free, sweeter than sugar and does not harm the dental health. In addition, Stevia is said to have a health-promoting effect. It should contribute, for example, to lowering blood pressure.

Stevia is the sugar of the 21st century?
The sweetener extract is obtained from leaves of the plant Stevia rebaudiana growing in the South American border area between Paraguay and Brazil. Udo Kienle from the University of Hohenheim called the natural sweetener as „21st century sugar“. Because he is said to have many positive qualities: First, stevia, unlike sugar calorie-free and can thus be used in products that are to help with weight loss. On the other hand, the sugar substitute is not harmful to the teeth. The food industry is already planning to use the natural plant in calorie-reduced drinks, yoghurts, cereals or chocolate. The world's largest producer of beverages, Coca-Cola, has also announced that it intends to launch a whole range of new beverages in Germany. Soft drinks with stevia extract have already been introduced in France and the USA. As early as 2007, the Group had registered 24 patents for the use of the plant. Coca-Cola has been working with Cargill as a partner to expand its product range. The commercialization of Stevia rebaudiana, also used as a medicinal plant, began years ago.

From the leaves of the plant Steviolglykosid is obtained, which should be 200 to 300 times sweeter than sugar. Since the end of 2011, it has been authorized as a food additive in the European Union (EU). However, a daily maximum of approximately 10 milligrams per kilo of body weight should not be exceeded.

Stevia hides behind E960 on the list of ingredients
Steviol glycoside is found in German supermarkets as sweetener, in dairy products, drinks and jams. Consumers will find a reference to stevia in the ingredient list on the product packaging. E960 corresponds to steviol glycoside. However, Stevia is less suitable for baking cakes. „Steviol glycoside has too little volume and therefore can not replace the sugar“, says Gudrun Köster from the consumer center in Kiel. Because dosing is difficult, food manufacturers often use the sweetener in combination with classic sugar. Stevia-containing products are often advertised with pictures of the stevia plant as special „natural food“. „Steviol glycoside is an isolated component obtained using chemistry and complicated physical processes, so 'nature' should not be advertised“, explains the consumer advocate. Although the leaves of the stevia plant are a pure natural product, they have not yet been approved as food in the EU. Botanist Peter Klock from Hamburg, however, sees no problem in this: „This is completely unproblematic, Stevia is used throughout the world.“ He also knows the healing power that is said to be the leaves of the stevia plant. Among other things, they are supposed to reduce blood pressure. „You have to be careful with these side effects“, warns Udo Kienle. There would be no clear scientific findings to date.

In addition, the agronomist explains: „The exchange of sugar in food is only half the battle.“ Kienle has known the sweetener for several years, as it was in Switzerland before the EU approval in the trade. He advises, however, before buying on the Internet. „Since you should always keep your fingers away!“. If you buy the products in the supermarket, on the other hand, make sure that it is approved. Consumer advocate Köster confirms this: „The consumer can now rely on the purity of the product.“ She further states that the daily limit of about 10 milligrams per kilo of body weight should not be exceeded. „For a child, that's already exceeded with a bottle of lemonade.“

Stevia is not a miracle cure for diabetics
Professor Hermann von Lilienfeld-Toal from the German Diabetic Association in Hesse explains: „Especially with a tea infusion with plant leaves many unknown ingredients are solved.“ Therefore, the expert advises to resort only to the approved steviol glycoside. Stevia makes sense, for example, if you want to lose weight. For diabetic patients, however, the extract is not a panacea, because affected people would have to eat consciously and healthily, because it is particularly important to fat intake.

Organization like „diabetesDE“ and the „Association of Diabetes Counseling and Training Professions in Germany“ (VDBD) warned in January before the unclear consequences of overdose of the sugar substitute. Professor Hans-Georg Joost, Scientific Director of the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbrücke (DifE) and Head of the Department of Science of "diabetesDE" - German Diabetes Aid reports that the dangers of overdose of Stevia are still unclear and the dosage currently difficult for the consumer to control. Heidrun Mund from the sweetener association in Cologne explains: „The maximum amount is a hundredfold safety factor in it.“

In addition, Stevia was previously suspected of being carcinogenic and hereditary and to reduce fertility. In various studies, none of these risks could be confirmed, so the „Stevia“ was also authorized in the EU. Stevia has been used as a sweetener and medicinal herb in Japan for over 50 years. (Ag)

Read about Stevia:
Diabetes: overdose with stevia possible?
Stevia: Natural sweetness approved without calories
Jerusalem artichokes: Sweet tubers with dietary value
Stevia: Exploitation of sweetener from nature?
Diet: A sweet plant grows against sugar

Picture: Sigrid Rossmann