Being the descendant of a long line of diabetics or not-yet-diagnosed-possible-diabetics, I have always had it drilled into my head that I “must control my sugar intake”. I have therefore always looked on, in interest while Sanjeev Kapoor and Bipasha Basu swear by Artificial Sweeteners as their life savers on TV. The brands, Sugarfree Gold and Sugarfree Natura, contain aspartame and sucralose respectively. Sucralose is derived from sugar, while aspartame is a non-saccharide, an artificial chemical sweetener. While both are clearly sugar replacements, they can hardly be considered wholly natural and healthy options. Consumption of sucralose can possibly trigger migraine attacks. Most of the independent mouse studies about aspartame have found dangerous side effects in the subjects. But the worst part about artificial sweeteners is that there is no way to say for certain that they are safe for everyone.
One other such sugar replacement is stevia, a tropical plant native to South America. Stevia extracts have up to 300 times the sweetness of sugar, with the potential to enhance glucose tolerance, reduce blood pressure and control obesity. Since the market demand for food products that help control diabetes and obesity is extremely high; a product such as stevia should not find it hard to gain popularity. This is true even in the case of nations like India, where the demand for “luxury” food products is slowly catching up with the demand for necessities.
However, stevia has yet to overcome many hurdles to reach the popularity of aspartame and sucralose. There have been many debates, not just in the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, but also all over the world about the legalisation of stevia. Stevia has been in use for quite some time, however, it was only accepted as a food supplement or an additive recently. Australia, and New Zealand legalised stevia extracts in October 2008; the US FDA approved a stevia extract called Rebaudioside A in December 2008, while the European Food Safety Authority only approved stevia or Steviol glycosides as late as December 2011. Brands like Pepsi and Coca-Cola have already released stevia-versions of their beverages in North and South America, Europe, Japan and Turkey. However, no such laws have yet been approved in India, and the debate rages on.
A panel from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India submitted a recommendation for approving the product after companies like Cargill, Coca-Cola and Stevia Biotech submitted applications for the use of stevia in their products. The panel also included recommendations from WHO-EFSA (European Food Safety Agency), JECPHA (Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives) as well as Australian and New Zealand Government's regulations to support their arguments. But there has been no talk of its approval as a tabletop sweetener. Supporters of stevia cite the example of Japan, which uses the ingredient in over 80% of its food products and has never reported any negative effects. Supporters also say that there is no need to differentiate between stevia and other products; it can simply be used as a supplement, in combination with other additives.
Stevia, like any other product, has had to face many hurdles in the form of its various “side effects”. Reports pore in about its supposed link to cancer, its effect on fertility, both male and female, as well as its harmful effect on an unborn foetus. Some studies even claim that despite being sugar-free, the product is detrimental to dental health. It is important to know that there have been no reports that directly link any ailments to the use of stevia, and laboratory experiments study the effect of a purer strain of stevia, in a dose that is much higher than what would be normally consumed. However, stevia has been known to cause an allergic reaction, anaphylaxis, in people who are allergic to flowers like marigolds, chrysanthemums or daises with symptoms like hives, shortness of breath, dizziness, weakness etc. Another common problem with stevia consumption is that, in strong doses, it has a bitter after taste, with a liquorice-like mouthfeel.
The issue about stevia’s unpleasant after taste has already been remedied by most of the companies implementing the ingredient in their products. The side-effects of stevia, in the case of consumers with allergies, are also a lot clearer than those of artificial sweeteners where no accurate predictions can be made. This makes it easier for consumers to make informed choices. Aspartame and sucralose gained popularity almost overnight, once their benefits were made known. At the moment, stevia is not as well known in India as it is overseas. But I think it is only a matter of time till India catches on with the Western trend. Once approval for stevia’s use has been granted, which is believed to be around the corner, stevia versions of “Sugarfree” will bag as much air time on TV as their sucralose counterparts. Global brands like Pepsi and Coca-Cola are simply biding their time till stevia is approved in India to launch stevia-based products that are already being widely consumed in Europe and the US. While no one can predict how quickly stevia will gain popularity, I think with time, it will definitely be on par with artificial sweeteners.
One other such sugar replacement is stevia, a tropical plant native to South America. Stevia extracts have up to 300 times the sweetness of sugar, with the potential to enhance glucose tolerance, reduce blood pressure and control obesity. Since the market demand for food products that help control diabetes and obesity is extremely high; a product such as stevia should not find it hard to gain popularity. This is true even in the case of nations like India, where the demand for “luxury” food products is slowly catching up with the demand for necessities.
However, stevia has yet to overcome many hurdles to reach the popularity of aspartame and sucralose. There have been many debates, not just in the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, but also all over the world about the legalisation of stevia. Stevia has been in use for quite some time, however, it was only accepted as a food supplement or an additive recently. Australia, and New Zealand legalised stevia extracts in October 2008; the US FDA approved a stevia extract called Rebaudioside A in December 2008, while the European Food Safety Authority only approved stevia or Steviol glycosides as late as December 2011. Brands like Pepsi and Coca-Cola have already released stevia-versions of their beverages in North and South America, Europe, Japan and Turkey. However, no such laws have yet been approved in India, and the debate rages on.
A panel from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India submitted a recommendation for approving the product after companies like Cargill, Coca-Cola and Stevia Biotech submitted applications for the use of stevia in their products. The panel also included recommendations from WHO-EFSA (European Food Safety Agency), JECPHA (Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives) as well as Australian and New Zealand Government's regulations to support their arguments. But there has been no talk of its approval as a tabletop sweetener. Supporters of stevia cite the example of Japan, which uses the ingredient in over 80% of its food products and has never reported any negative effects. Supporters also say that there is no need to differentiate between stevia and other products; it can simply be used as a supplement, in combination with other additives.
Stevia, like any other product, has had to face many hurdles in the form of its various “side effects”. Reports pore in about its supposed link to cancer, its effect on fertility, both male and female, as well as its harmful effect on an unborn foetus. Some studies even claim that despite being sugar-free, the product is detrimental to dental health. It is important to know that there have been no reports that directly link any ailments to the use of stevia, and laboratory experiments study the effect of a purer strain of stevia, in a dose that is much higher than what would be normally consumed. However, stevia has been known to cause an allergic reaction, anaphylaxis, in people who are allergic to flowers like marigolds, chrysanthemums or daises with symptoms like hives, shortness of breath, dizziness, weakness etc. Another common problem with stevia consumption is that, in strong doses, it has a bitter after taste, with a liquorice-like mouthfeel.
The issue about stevia’s unpleasant after taste has already been remedied by most of the companies implementing the ingredient in their products. The side-effects of stevia, in the case of consumers with allergies, are also a lot clearer than those of artificial sweeteners where no accurate predictions can be made. This makes it easier for consumers to make informed choices. Aspartame and sucralose gained popularity almost overnight, once their benefits were made known. At the moment, stevia is not as well known in India as it is overseas. But I think it is only a matter of time till India catches on with the Western trend. Once approval for stevia’s use has been granted, which is believed to be around the corner, stevia versions of “Sugarfree” will bag as much air time on TV as their sucralose counterparts. Global brands like Pepsi and Coca-Cola are simply biding their time till stevia is approved in India to launch stevia-based products that are already being widely consumed in Europe and the US. While no one can predict how quickly stevia will gain popularity, I think with time, it will definitely be on par with artificial sweeteners.
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