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Studies Back Coke's Natural Sweetener Made From Stevia's
Safety 5-15-08
A set of scientific studies probing the health effects and stability of a
calorie-free natural sweetener that Cargill Inc. and Coca-Cola Co. aim to market
are expected to be published Thursday, offering evidence of its safety,
according to people familiar with the research.
The findings were funded by Cargill and are being published online in the
journal Food and Chemical Toxicology. The results could put the two companies
one step closer toward gaining U.S. regulatory approval for their sweetener,
which is derived from the South American herb
stevia.
The companies hope the sweetener, which bears the brand name Truvia and the
common name rebiana, will give them a lock on the "holy grail" of sweeteners:
one that sweetens foods and beverages naturally, has no calories and tastes
good.
Stevia isn't
approved for use as a food additive in the U.S. Studies over the past two
decades on its health effects have logged in a number of problems, from research
in 1985 finding potential mutations in the livers of rats to concerns about
fertility problems in men. Some countries banned
stevia after
the 1985 findings. In the early 1990s, the Food and Drug Administration
concluded that there wasn't enough data available to demonstrate
stevia's
safety as a food additive, although it later allowed it to be sold as a dietary
supplement.
Coke and Cargill dispute the 1985 study and have said their new product differs
from the unrefined versions of
stevia used
in early tests. A more recent World Health Organization report found no major
toxicity risks, but said more data are needed on the herb's effect on
hypertension and blood-sugar levels, given some concerns that high doses of
stevia
compounds may lower blood pressure or blood-sugar levels in diabetics.
The studies being published Thursday explored those questions and others. The
series of animal studies and human clinical trials found that consumption of the
sweetener didn't affect blood-sugar control in Type 2 diabetics, and it had no
major effect on blood pressure of healthy adults, among other questions. A study
of rats explored the sweetener's effect on male and female reproductive systems.
The companies said last year that they would move to market the sweetener in 12
countries where it is approved as a food additive, including Japan, Brazil and
China. But limited supply means it will take some time before it is widely
available.
Comment:
Can you imagine a world free of artificial sweeteners and all forbidden diet foods are sweetened with stevia?