Stevia

Hi,

Randi said:

I love Splenda but decided to try Stevia. I looked online to find
out more about Stevia and all I found were warnings from the US FDA,
Japan,
Singapore, and other countries.
I have yet to find information about WHY Stevia is so controversial.
Can someone fill me in?

The animal studies resulted in male rats with shrunken testicles.

Take care,
Carmen

dOn Thu said:

I love Splenda but decided to try Stevia. I looked online to find out more
about Stevia and all I found were warnings from the US FDA, Japan,
Singapore, and other countries.

I have seen it recommended in most places where they worry about unnatural
stuff. it is just a leaf but it can be processed an taste pretty bad. the best
taste comes from the whole leaf or ground leaf. the extracts can be pretty bad
tasting.

--
Knight-Toolworks & Custom Planes
Custom made wooden planes at reasonable prices
See http://www.knight-toolworks.com For prices and ordering instructions.

Steve Knight said:

dOn Thu said:

I love Splenda but decided to try Stevia. I looked online to find out

more

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

about Stevia and all I found were warnings from the US FDA, Japan,
Singapore, and other countries.

The US FDA seems to be against it, but are you sure there were warnings from
Japan? It's approved in Japan, has been for years. Also approved in some
South American countries, and I think it has got a step nearer approval from
the EU. Dunno about Singapore.

The places where it hasn't been approved don't say it's found harmful, just
that there haven't been enough tests yet.

There seems to be some kind of personal feud involving proponents of stevia
and proponets of aspartame, but there isn't much real danger in either
product sfaik. Stevia leaf has been used for centuries as a sweetener in
South America where it grows.

Quoted message said:

I have seen it recommended in most places where they worry about unnatural
stuff.

And bad-mouthed by those who worry about natural stuff. 🙂

Quoted message said:

it is just a leaf but it can be processed an taste pretty bad. the best
taste comes from the whole leaf or ground leaf. the extracts can be pretty

bad

Quoted message said:

tasting.

I love the whole leaf, I just rub it to make a powder when I want powder. I
didn't care for the processed white stuff.

Skinny

Carmen said:

Hi,
On 11-Nov-2004, "Randi" <[email hidden]> wrote:

/snip/

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I have yet to find information about WHY Stevia is so controversial.
Can someone fill me in?

The animal studies resulted in male rats with shrunken testicles.

Do you have a cite for that detail? I heard something about infertility. It
would be easy to check if there were any such effect on humans: just have a
questionnaire for patients at fertility clinics in Japan and South American
countries where it's in use (and ftm, in the US, where it's been sold as a
'supplement'.)

Skinny

Quoted message said:

The US FDA seems to be against it, but are you sure there were warnings from
Japan? It's approved in Japan, has been for years. Also approved in some
South American countries, and I think it has got a step nearer approval from
the EU. Dunno about Singapore.

because they like things like aspertame and saccrine (G) those are really good
for you. don't forget olestra and all of the sugar alcohol's. yes the FDA is
really for our health unless there is money to be made.

--
Knight-Toolworks & Custom Planes
Custom made wooden planes at reasonable prices
See http://www.knight-toolworks.com For prices and ordering instructions.

Steve Knight <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

The US FDA seems to be against it, but are you sure there were
warnings from Japan? It's approved in Japan, has been for years. Also
approved in some South American countries, and I think it has got a
step nearer approval from the EU. Dunno about Singapore.

because they like things like aspertame and saccrine (G) those are
really good for you. don't forget olestra and all of the sugar
alcohol's. yes the FDA is really for our health unless there is money
to be made.

Hm. I sense a Catch-22 here. If the FDA approves something, it's in the
pockets of the people who make it. If the FDA won't approve something,
it's because Big Brother is interfering in our lives, or because the FDA is
in the pockets of the people who make competing products.

Chakolate

--
I am extraordinarily patient, provided I get my own way in the end.
--Margaret Thatcher

Quoted message said:

Hm. I sense a Catch-22 here. If the FDA approves something, it's in the
pockets of the people who make it. If the FDA won't approve something,
it's because Big Brother is interfering in our lives, or because the FDA is
in the pockets of the people who make competing products.

or the wrong member is on the board that approves it. looking at the FDA track
record their recommendations are not all that good.

--
Knight-Toolworks & Custom Planes
Custom made wooden planes at reasonable prices
See http://www.knight-toolworks.com For prices and ordering instructions.

Quoted message said:

Hm. I sense a Catch-22 here. If the FDA approves something, it's in the
pockets of the people who make it. If the FDA won't approve something,
it's because Big Brother is interfering in our lives, or because the FDA is
in the pockets of the people who make competing products.

or the wrong member is on the board that approves it. looking at the FDA track
record their recommendations are not all that good.

--
Knight-Toolworks & Custom Planes
Custom made wooden planes at reasonable prices
See http://www.knight-toolworks.com For prices and ordering instructions.

Sfaik, both products are safe enough: aspartame and stevia. Aspartame has
had more lab tests in the US, but stevia leaf has been in use as a sweetener
for centuries.

As to the difference in their approval status, there's a simpler explanation
than favoritism. Many tests are required, and the company who wants to sell
the product has to pay for them. A deep pocket company can have many tests
run on its product, designed to make it look good. They can also have tests
run on the competition designed to raise possible danger issues; then the
competition may not be able to afford tests to satisfy those issues.

With stevia there is a big difference in pockets. It's a plant, it's not
patentable. If it's approved, any number of people can grow and sell it,
competing with each other and keeping the profit margin low. It's a spoiler
for the more expensive products, it would hurt their sales. So they all
(including real sugar interests) have a motive to pay for tests to try to
find possible danger issues, to keep it off the market.

There's no incentive for any deep pocket/s to pay for all the tests needed
to get stevia approved. There's not enough potential profit in stevia, it
would be split among too many suppliers. (Some companies and trade
organizations have done some tests, but they haven't done enough yet.)

Skinny
-----------------

On Sat, 13 Nov 2004 03:15:47 GMT, Steve Knight wrote:
/snip/

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

If the FDA approves something, it's in the
pockets of the people who make it. If the FDA won't approve something,
it's because Big Brother is interfering in our lives, or because the FDA

is

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

in the pockets of the people who make competing products.

or the wrong member is on the board that approves it. looking at the FDA

track

Quoted message said:

record their recommendations are not all that good.