For those of you who have diabetes, you may be familiar with artificial sweetener. To reduce glucose levels in the blood, you begin to divert sugar and sweetener consumption similar to artificial sweetener that will reduce the risk of hyperglycemia. It is because the sugar you usually know is one cause of the rise of blood glucose.
Most artificial sweeteners are not entirely safe. Some artificial sweeteners are made from the extraction of natural sweetener fruit or fructose. Meanwhile, fructose in a single form like this works with adverse effects on the body, especially on the kidneys and liver. Meanwhile, the others are the same chemical sweeteners harmful to the kidneys and liver. Those with diabetes then develop the risk of long-term kidney and liver damage.
After a long time, people in the world know stevia. This artificial sweetener also includes a natural sweetener because it comes from stevia leaf extract that has a sweet taste up to 40 times higher than the sweetness in sugarcane.
Stevia leaves
Stevia grows in the Central American region. Stevia is a scientific name for the species of shrubs that reside in the Asteraceae family. In many types of these species, there is one kind of plant named Latin Stevia rebaudiana which proved to have a robust sweet taste and has many benefits of protection and nutrients to the body.
So far, stevia is traditionally known in the American continent as a natural sweetener for some food and beverage products locally. Local people dub this leaf as a sweetleaf because it tastes very sweet.
In its natural form, stevia leaves have a sweet effect up to 40 times that of the natural sweetener. While the extract from the leaves has a sweet taste exceeds the natural sugar. Some artificial sweeteners made from stevia in a dose of 1 teaspoon will have a sweet taste equivalent to 8 tablespoons of regular sugar. High levels of sweetness in stevia are derived from many glycoside sweetening components such as stevioside, rebaudioside, steviolbioside, and glucosides. Stevia has a shallow calorie content, does not affect glycemic load, and also does not affect the production of insulin in the body.
The stevia leaves become an ingredient in many sweetening products by processing glycoside components in stevia and presenting them in a concentrated formula. While some other sweetener products are a combination of stevia products or stevia component concentrates with other sweetening ingredients.
What are the benefits of stevia?
In some literature said that stevia is the most healthy artificial sweetener when compared to other sweeteners. If some sugar substitute sweeteners on the market hurt liver, kidney, and worsening the condition of diabetes, stevia plays a role in helping to overcome hyperglycemia while helping to overcome some other complaints.
You can find some nutrients such as iron, potassium, magnesium, vitamin A, vitamin C, and sodium in fresh stevia leaves. Some nutrients you can get in extraction and component concentrates. Here are the benefits of stevia for health and a healthy reason why stevia is a sugar substitute:
1. Stevia cures hyperglycemia and diabetes
The study explains that diabetic patients who routinely replace their sugar consumption with 1 gram of stevioside daily will significantly decrease blood glucose. Stevia proved to be more efficient in controlling blood sugar rise. Stevia does not increase levels of calories and carbohydrates, even in concentrations of 0%. Stevia works to stimulate the production of insulin to encourage a decrease in glucose levels.
2. Stevia helps maintain blood pressure stability
One of the components of glycosides is stevioside that has been shown to play a role in the process of decreasing blood pressure. Studies have proven how many patients with stevioside therapy show a reasonably efficient drop in blood pressure.
The properties of stevioside maintain blood pressure stability in a safe level and do not decrease significantly. Therapy for 2 years with stevioside will lead to a reduction in blood pressure levels. Stevioside will also help lower the risk of heart swelling, related to high blood pressure cases.
3. Stevia strengthens bones
A study was proving that therapy with stevia would help improve bone quality, this also demonstrated in research on chicken egg shells. Calcium in high stevia helps increase bone density in chickens.
4. Stevia for anti-cancer
Anti-cancer is also another component of stevia that makes it can exceed other sweeteners. Meanwhile, some sugar substitute sweeteners increase the risk of cancer in the long term. Stevia has an antioxidant component that can help lower the risk of cancer.
5. Stevia helps maintain weight and encourages metabolism
The bacteria in the intestine will consume glycosides in stevia. Glycosides work like probiotics in the gut. It makes glycosides do not get into the bloodstream and glycosides do not affect blood glucose levels. So it means it will not change calorie levels either.
Sucrose has a very high-calorie content, so using stevia as a sugar substitute will make some sweet foods that are known to be more calorie-friendly to you who are running low-calorie diet and weight loss.
Stevia does not increase the calorie and sugar levels in the body, so naturally, the body will perform the function of reserve metabolism by producing energy from fat and sugar reserves in the body. The good news is that glycoside turns into steviol that will encourage the liver to work stronger to run the metabolism.
Is it safe to consume Stevia?
Many people are doubtful about the safety of sugar substitutes. Most people find information on how some artificial sweeteners in circulation have side effects on insulin production performance, disrupt metabolism, interfere with liver and kidney performance and may even work as a carcinogen.
What about stevia? Stevia is a sugar substitute sweetener that is safe and has a relatively very low risk. Up to this point, Stevia is a reliable and low risk, even this is good for people with diabetes and hypertension, and it is also safe for those with low blood pressure problems.