Apart of known benefits Stevia has some side effects to human health. Stevia or sweetleaf is derived from the Stevia rebaudiana plant from South America. This sweetener is popular since it will not raise your blood glucose and does not consist of calories like most traditional sweeteners on the market. In spite of these advantages there are a few side effects that you should watch out for if you will be using stevia frequently. What precautions should you take to avoid these side effects?
What Is Stevia?
1. Sweetening agent
Stevia is the extract from the stevia rebaudiana plant that is purified into rebaudioside A. This is normally considered safe by the FDA to be used as a sweetener in beverages and foods. When improved for cooking, stevia acts as nonnutritive sweeteners that are perfect for those trying to drop weight. They do not help in weight loss compared to other sweeteners, nevertheless, and there is a risk of mild side effects such as causing the individual to feel complete or nauseous.
2. Not Approved Food Addictive
The FDA has actually not approved crude or whole-leaf stevia to be used as a food additive because there are some concerns concerning the potential for side effects. The FDA has notes that stevia might have a negative effect on the kidneys, reproductive, cardiovascular systems or blood sugar level control.
3. Other Uses
Stevia is often used to treat heartburn, diabetes or hypertension, avoiding pregnancy, increasing the muscle contractions in the heart to pump blood throughout the body and decreasing uric acid levels.
What Are the Side Effects of Stevia
1. Allergic Reaction
Stevia has actually been understood to hardly ever cause anaphylaxis, however this is more common in those that currently have an allergic reaction to chrysanthemums, marigolds, ragweed or daisies. Those that establish an allergic reaction to stevia might see problem swallowing, shortness of breath, hives, dizziness, pale skin, wheezing or weakness. If you develop these symptoms after consuming stevia you should seek emergency medical treatment instantly to prevent possibly fatal complications. So, allergy reaction is one of the serious and dangerous side effect of stevia.
2. Upset Stomach
Stevia sweeteners contain stevioside which might cause an indigestion, queasiness or bloating after being taken in. It may also reduce your appetite. These responses are generally mild, but you ought to call your doctor if these symptoms do not diminish or if they become severe.
3. Metabolic Process Change
Experiments on animal showed that ingesting large doses of stevoside can cause disturbance in the way the body takes in carbs. This can limit your capability to convert food to energy.
4. Additional Side Effects
Other symptoms that infrequently happen when consuming Stevia products include numbness, dizziness and body pains. This dizziness can impact your ability to walk effectively or stand without assistance. If these types of symptoms persist you need to talk to your doctor to make sure that you do not need extra medical focus on resolve your medical problems.
Stevia Usage Precautions
1. Suggested Dosage
The suggested dosage of stevia depends on numerous aspects such as the user’s age, health, in addition to a number of other conditions. Up up until no, there is no sufficient clinical evidence to figure out a proper range of doses for stevia. Bear in mind that natural products are not always necessarily safe and doses can be crucial. Follow pertinent instructions on item labels and consult your pharmacist or health care expert before using.
2. Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
There has actually not been a good deal of research performed to determine how Stevia might influence those that are pregnant or breastfeeding. In order to prevent possible complications those that are pregnant or breastfeeding needs to prevent using this item.
3. Adverse Ragweed and Related Plants
Stevia has been known to cause an allergic reaction in individuals who are allergic to plants in the Compositae or Asteraceae family. This might include typical plants such as daisies, chrysanthemums, ragweed or marigolds. Those that have such allergies should prevent using products that are known to include Stevia sweeteners.
4. Diabetes
Some research has actually shown that chemicals in the Stevia plant can drop blood sugar levels in such a way that will restrict the body’s capability to control the blood sugar level. Nevertheless, other experiments have suggested that this is not the case. Those that have diabetes need to thoroughly monitor their blood glucose while using Stevia products and report any changes or significant side effects to their doctor to identify if it is safe to continue using this product as a sweetener.
5. Lower Blood Pressure
Some evidence implies that frequently consuming Stevia or the chemicals in this product might help to decrease your blood pressure, though this research is not conclusive. There is some concern that if individuals who currently have low blood pressure take in large amounts of Stevia products it can cause their high blood pressure to drop to a point which can be harmful. If you have low high blood pressure and have been considering using Stevia as an option for your regular sweeteners you ought to speak with your routine health care company about this potential side effect to prevent any negative health issues.
6. Medication Interactions
Lithium has been known to communicate adversely with Stevia. Stevia functions as a diuretic which can prevent the body’s ability to rid itself of lithium, which might result in hazardous side effects. If you are taking a product which contains lithium speak with your doctor about the safety of using lithium.
Diabetes medications may also interact adversely with Stevia as both are used to reduce the body’s blood sugar level. If the blood sugar level drops too low it can be harmful, so those with diabetes should monitor their condition closely while using Stevia.
Medications for high blood pressure are understood to interact inadequately with Stevia for similar reasons. Both of these products will lower the body’s high blood pressure which can cause it to drop to a hazardous level. Those that are on medication to treat high blood pressure ought to not use Stevia.
