Stevia: Understanding the Sweetener's Role in the Fight against Obesity and Diabetes

ATLANTA, Oct. 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- As registered dietitians from around the world met in Washington, DC this week for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Food and Nutrition Conference Expo (FNCE) to discuss best practices in health and nutrition, the issues of obesity and diabetes were certainly on the agenda. Dr. Keith Ayoob, Associate Clinical Professor Emeritus at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, has spoken over the past year about his research on these all-too-common health epidemics.

"Obesity is a gateway disease for diabetes as well as chronic conditions including metabolic syndrome, hypertension and cardiovascular risk," said Ayoob. "It's a problem we are facing every day in this country." In response to a 2016 survey conducted by the Harris Poll on behalf of the Calorie Control Council of more than 2,000 American adults, twenty percent said they had been diagnosed with diabetes or prediabetes by a medical professional.

Obesity and diabetes rates are estimated to increase in the future. In North America, the International Diabetes Foundation predicts that 60.5 million people will have diabetes by 2040, compared with 44.3 million in 2015.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a decrease in added sugars to less than 10% of total calories. "Without changes, such as replacing sugar with low and no calorie sweeteners, such as stevia, this level of reduction will be extremely difficult for most people to achieve in the present environment," said Ayoob.

Ayoob took a look at the scientific evidence of stevia in this role, from evidence-based systematic reviews and meta analyses, and found positive impact on insulin signaling and release from in-vitro studies, improved plasma glucose levels in animal studies and reduced postprandial glucose in human studies with persons with diabetes.

In one 16-week study, 122 diabetic adults were given 1000mg of Reb A stevia per day. The study found there to be no negative effects on glycemic load, HbA1C, fasting glucose, or serum insulin.

For a copy of the complete presentation, click here. For more information about stevia, contact the International Stevia Council or the Calorie Control Council.

SOURCE Calorie Control Council