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Stevia-based

Sweeteners:

FDA Approved

After 10+ years.

So,

Why Now?

(PART ONE OF TWO)

By Kelly Campbell

HEALTHYNEWAGE.COM

What is Stevia?

Stevia Rebaudiana

is an herb in the

Chrysanthemum family

which grows wild as

a small shrub in parts

of South America.

When extracted from the

leaf of the stevia plant,

Rebiana becomes the natural,

non-caloric sweetener that

has just recently been

GRAS-approved by the FDA

(”Generally  Recognized As Safe”).

What’s the big deal,

you ask about whole

food stevia extract?

Well, in 1991,

stevia was banned by the FDA –

which stated that

“toxicological information on

stevia [was] inadequate to

demonstrate stevia safety.”

Four years later,

the Dietary Supplement Health

and Education Act forced the

FDA to permit it as a

dietary supplement.

Fast forward to December 2008:

the FDA gave a “no objection”

approval for GRAS status

to Truvia®

(developed by Cargill and

The Coca-Cola Company)

and PureVia®

(developed by PepsiCo

and the Whole Earth

Sweetener Company,

a subsidiary of Merisant –

makers of aspartame),

both of which are derived

from the Stevia plant.

They both contain Rebiana,

or Rebaudioside A.

The isolation process for

Reb A results in a product

that delivers the desired

sweetness without a

bitter aftertaste.

Pure stevia extract must

continue to be labeled as a

“dietary supplement” because

the FDA has not actually

permitted the stevia plant itself

to be used as a food additive,

only the chemically-refined

Reb A extract.

All of the products containing

pure stevia are forced to reside

amongst the other supplements

in any given health food store,

not on the shelves where all

the other foods and beverages

are placed.

The pressure to approve a

natural sweetener was also due,

in part, to the myriad of adverse

health risks being reported

to the FDA by many who

consumed artificial sweeteners,

like aspartame

(sold as NutriSweet® or Equal®),

sucralose (sold as Splenda®),

or saccharin

(sold as Sweet ‘N Low®).

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Regardless of its prior ban

and classification of stevia,

the FDA has no choice but to

approve Truvia® and PureVia®

when both Pepsi and Coca-Cola

wanted to use the Rebiana-based

sweeteners in their respective

product lines.

If the FDA decided not to

approve them as safe

food additives,

then those particular bottles

of Pepsi and Coke containing

the herb would have only been

accessible in the supplement

aisle.

Clearly,

that would never happen!

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Aspartame is a molecule

composed of three ingredients:

40% aspartic acid

(an excitotoxin:

as an isolate,

a product that stimulates the

neurons of the brain to death,

causing brain damage),

10% methyl ester that

immediately converts

to methyl alcohol,

which then breaks down

to formaldehyde

(embalming fluid)

and formic acid

(ant sting poison),

and 50% phenylalanine,

(as an isolate,

a neurotoxin that lowers

the seizure threshold and

depletes serotonin,

triggering psychiatric

and behavioral problems).

The molecule itself breaks

down into multiple toxins,

including diketopiperazine,

an agent that triggered brain

tumors in original studies.

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It’s important to note that

the FDA has, to-date,

received more complaints

about adverse reactions to

aspartame than any other food

ingredient in the agency’s

history.

There is an enlightening

documentary on the subject

called

Sweet Misery –

The Truth About Aspartame

(LINK)

which exposes

Aspartame Dangers.

Consumers who shop in

grocery stores and supermarkets

will now find they have a

healthier alternative to

NutriSweet and other

artificial sweeteners.

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The two new products,

Truvia® and PureVia®,

could be patented because

they are not 100% stevia extract,

the first listed ingredient is

Erythritol

(a naturally fermented

sugar alcohol),

and Rebiana,

as well as other

“natural flavors.”

Excessive consumption

of Erythritol

(over 80 grams per day)

may result in digestive upset,

diarrhea,

and bloating.

Both of these sweeteners

can be purchased in boxes

of small packets.

Truvia® is an ingredient in

some new Coca-Cola products,

within its’ Odwalla® line.

PureVia® will be an ingredient

in some new PepsiCo products,

such as Sobe LifeWater

and Trop50 –

a light orange juice product.

“Although stevia today is sold in

the U.S. as a dietary supplement,

rebiana [is] the first available

sweetener that has been purified

from the stevia plant.

Unlike many existing

stevia products,

which generally contain

[unrefined] extracts of the plant,

rebiana is…consistent in quality,”

said the Truvia®

manufacturer,Cargill.

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