Stevioside - benefit and harm

The popular name of stevia is "honey grass". And indeed, herbal tea from this plant is very sweet and without the addition of sugar. The thing is in a special substance - glycoside, which is contained in all parts of stevia, but most of it is in the roots. Scientists-chemists have found it possible to obtain an extract of honey grass and made it the basis of the sweetener of stevioside. It is completely identical to the natural substance, although it is produced in the laboratory. Today it is a very popular product in many countries of the world, and the greatest demand for it in Japan. But, despite this prevalence, not all people know what the benefits and harm of stevioside are.

Stevioside composition

The benefits and damages of stevioside are determined by its composition. In its original form, the sweetener is a white powder. But for the convenience of consumers, it is compressed into tablets of 100 mg each. So it is easier to use, store and dosed when used. The package can be 100-150 tablets. In each, apart from, directly, Stevia extract, ascorbic acid, chicory and licorice root extract are present. There are no artificial additives harmful to health.

Benefits of stevioside

The sweetener has zero caloric value and is sweeter than sugar several dozen times. This means that it is shown to people suffering from obesity and diabetes. First, it helps to lose weight, the second - to lower the level of sugar in the blood, because it can be added to beverages and food is much less, in comparison with sugar, the amount of substance. It is also recommended to use hypertensive drugs instead of the usual sweeteners and sugar. Steviosil is not a drug and even a dietary supplement, so it does not heal anything and can not be considered a source of useful vitamins and minerals.

The advantage of a sweetener can be considered as the absence of contraindications. Harm from stevioside can not be, although some time ago he was suspected of the fact that he can have a mutagenic effect on the cells of the body. But this hypothesis has not been confirmed. It is possible to speak, rather, about some shortcomings of this product. And it concerns, first of all, its taste, which is somewhat specific and sometimes has an unpleasant bitterness.

Also, the allergy to stevia or the individual intolerance of the sweetener components is not ruled out.