Dr. Andrew Weil on Stevia and Aspartame

Hi dearies (I hope you don't mind my calling you all dearies; that's what I call all my friends!) I just came across this on Dr. Andrew Weil's website...someone I have learned to trust in regard to health & nutrition issues over the years....which doesn't mean that you have to of course. We all must make up our own minds...

Q Is Stevia Really Safe?

You've recommended stevia as a sweetener in the past. I've heard that it soon may be approved to sweeten all kinds of foods. Can you update me on its use and any safety concerns?

 

A Answer (Published 12/3/2007)

Stevia comes from an herb in the chrysanthemum family called Stevia rebaudiana. It is native to , also grows in and , and is cultivated in . The leaves have been used for centuries by native peoples to make sweet teas, or to sweeten other foods, with no evidence of harm. It is available in the , and the European Union as a dietary supplement and is sold here in whole-leaf form or as stevioside, the extracted sweet principle, sold as a granular white powder. The powder has very few calories but is so sweet that to use it, you must dissolve it in water, then dispense the solution by drops. A teaspoon of the liquid is equivalent in sweetness of a whole cup of sugar. Stevia is safe for diabetics and is widely used as a nonnutritive sweetener around the world.

Over the years, the FDA has turned down several requests to use stevia in foods. The agency cites a handful of studies suggesting that large amounts of stevia could be harmful. One study showed that high doses reduced sperm production and might cause infertility in male rats; another showed that when female hamsters were fed large amounts of a stevia derivative, they had smaller babies. Other studies indicated that stevia might be carcinogenic and might disrupt metabolism.

None of these possibilities has been proved, and stevia has an excellent safety profile in , where it has been used for more than 30 years in foods.

In spite of its rocky past in the , stevia may soon make a breakthrough. Some 180 new products including teas, potato snacks, dressing and beverages sweetened with it have been introduced around the world during the past year, and I've read that no less a food-market player than the 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, food manufacturers will either have to provide scientific documentation that stevia should be classified as "generally recognized as safe (GRAS)" or petition the FDA to approve it as a food additive.

Personally, I don't care for the taste of stevia, and I don't like the flavor it imparts to foods and beverages, but I consider it safer than aspartame, saccharin, and sucralose and have seen no compelling evidence that stevia poses a threat to human health. As a side benefit, unlike those other sweeteners, stevia can be grown by home gardeners; I've grown it myself at my home near Tucson, Arizona.

Andrew Weil, M.D.

http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA400318/Is-Stevia-Really-Safe

Dearies! I like that!    Thanks for the info on Stevia!   Btw, I really like your VLogs! 

Interesting. I've never heard of Dr,. Weil, and if it's his belief that it's safe, then good for him. I double checked the list of approved post-bariatric sweeteners in my handbook from my nutritionist and surgeon and it's not on the list - probably because it can't legally be sold as a food product! "Examples of Acceptable Sugar Substitutes: Splenda, Equal, Sweet n'Low, Aspartame, Saccharin, Nutrasweet"  I'm going with the FDA and my surgeon on this one!

And so you should! Please don't misunderstand..I am not trying to talk anyone into Stevia. I am just exploring it myself and sharing what I find with all of you. I appreciate your concern and your position. I might not have looked into it so closely without your input. I do still plan to talk to the EMMC nutritionist about it and make sure they think it is ok. As far as Dr Weil is concerned, I have read many of his books and trust him as much as I would trust anyone in the field, though that doesn't mean I follow everything he says...I wouldn't be having weight loss surgery if I did! I wouldn't have to...LOL. Here is his bio just in case anyone is interested...

Andrew Weil, M.D., has devoted the past thirty years to developing, practicing, and teaching others about the principles of integrative medicine. Dr. Weil combines a Harvard education and a lifetime of practicing natural and preventive medicine to provide a unique approach to health care which encompasses body, mind, and spirit. He is the Founder and Director of the Program in Integrative Medicine (PIM) at the College of Medicine, University of Arizona, where he is also a Clinical Professor of Medicine and Professor of Public Health and the Lovell-Jones Professor of Integrative Rheumatology. Dr. Weil received both his medical degree and his undergraduate AB degree in biology (botany) from Harvard University.

PIM, established i***** trains physicians, medical students, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, and allied health professionals on the philosophy and practice of integrative medicine. The program's overriding mission is to lead the transformation of health care by creating, educating, and actively supporting a community of professionals who embody the philosophy and practice of integrative medicine. The program features a broad range of comprehensive fellowship training programs, online educational courses on specific topics, an integrative clinic, and an NIH-supported research group. Through PIM, Dr. Weil hopes to expand and strengthen integrative medicine and ultimately help to transform health care in North America and the world. A world-renowned leader and pioneer in the field of integrative medicine, Dr. Weil is a best-selling author and editorial director of DrWeil.com, the leading online resource for healthy living based on the philosophy of integrative medicine. Dr. Weil's books include the national bestsellers Spontaneous Healing, 8 Weeks to Optimum Health, Eating Well for Optimum Health, and The Healthy Kitchen. His latest book, Healthy Aging: A Lifelong Guide to Your Physical and Spiritual Well-Being, was published in October 2005. He also authors the popular Self Healing newsletter and is the Director of Integrative Health & Healing at Miraval Life in Balance Resort. Dr. Weil is an internationally-recognized expert on integrative medicine, medicinal plants, mind-body interactions and the future of medicine and health care. As a frequent guest on Larry King Live, Oprah, and The Today Show, Dr. Weil provides valuable information and insight on how to incorporate conventional and complementary medicine practices in one's life to optimize the body's natural healing power. Andrew Weil, M.D., helped to establish Weil Lifestyle, LLC in order to create a stream of funding for integrative medicine and to supply healthful consumer products not otherwise available to the public. Weil Lifestyle, LLC licenses the right to use Dr. Weil's name and likeness to companies philosophically aligned with his principles and committed to advancing integrative medicine. To qualify for licensing, the products themselves must also conform to the principles of integrative medicine. Current licensees are: Origins Natural Resources (skin-care products), IdeaSphere (vitamins and supplements), Jamieson Laboratories (vitamins and supplements), Waterford Wedgwood (healthy cookware and housewares), and Natural Pet Nutrition (premium pet food). Dr. Weil donates to the Weil Foundation all of his after-tax profits from royalties received by Weil Lifestyle, LLC from the sale of these products. The Weil Foundation is a charitable foundation dedicated to advancing integrative medicine by supporting education and research. It is funded by donations from Dr. Weil and by others committed to education and research in integrative medicine. Weil Lifestyle's licensing efforts began in 2004, and 2005 was the company's first profitable year. Dr. Weil's 2005 after-tax profits from sales were $154,589, which he donated to the Weil Foundation in May 2006. Projections are that Dr. Weil will donate in excess of $350,000 to the Foundation based on 2006 revenue.