Stevia Diabetes

Stevia Diabetes

Diabetes Mellitus is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin to regulate the amount of glucose or sugar in the blood. It starts out as a dysfunction in the pancreas, but can impact vision, mobility (feet particularly), heart functioning, and other disabilities.

A diabetic diet for diabetics is simply a balanced healthy diet which is vital for diabetic treatment, however, a lot of people have the misconception that these diet consist only diabetic foods. The regulation of blood sugar in the non-diabetic is automatic, adjusting to whatever foods are eaten. But, for the diabetic, extra caution is needed to balance food intake with exercise, insulin injections and any other glucose altering activity

The problem with sugar is that because it is stripped of nutrients, but contains calories, the body does not receive any of the nutrients it needs and expects from food. Studies have linked sugar with obesity, diabetes and other disorders. Sugar depresses the immune system. Refined white sugar may be converted to saturated fat. Sugar may aggravate some types of asthma, allergies and arthritis.

Artificial sugar substitutes in the market contain various kinds of chemicals and artificial ingredients, and they may be harmful to our bodies. This is why more and more diabetic patients, health practitioners, and nutritionists are switching to a natural sugar substitute, Stevia.

Stevia has some very interesting properties. It has no calories but has effects similar to several currently used medications. It stimulates the release of insulin and normalizes the response to glucose, especially in type 2 diabetes. It is used in Latin America as an inexpensive therapy for hyperglycemia.

Because Stevia has little to no effect on blood glucose, it is very beneficial to diabetics. It enables a diabetic to enjoy many regular food product without worrying about their glucose levels. Stevia has been widely used in countries such as Japan, China, Paraguay, and Brazil for over 30 years.
There are in fact a number of diabetics recipe books using Stevia as an ingredient. These books include Diabetic Recipes, No Fuss Diabetes Recipes and Sugar-Free Cooking with Stevia.

In 1986, Brazilian researchers from the Universities of Maringa and Sao Paolo evaluated the role of Stevia in blood sugar (Curi, 1986). Sixteen healthy volunteers were given extracts of 5 grams of Stevia leaves every six hours for three days. The extracts from the leaves were prepared by immersing them in boiling water for 20 minutes. A glucose tolerance test (GTT) was performed before and after the administration of the extract and the results were compared to another group who did not receive the Stevia extracts. During a GTT, patients are given a glass of water with glucose and their blood sugar levels are evaluated over the next few hours. Those who have a predisposition to diabetes will have a marked rise in blood sugar levels. The volunteers on Stevia were found to have significantly lower blood sugar levels after ingestion of Stevia. This is a positive indication that a can potentially be beneficial to diabetics who substitute Stevia in order to decrease their sugar consumption. Even if Stevia by itself is not able to lower blood sugar levels, just the fact that a diabetic would consume less sugar is of significant importance in maintaining better blood sugar control.

Because Stevia can lower blood sugar, individuals also taking insulin and other medications for diabetes should consult a doctor first before using Stevia, and check their blood sugar levels often while using Stevia. Essentially an herbal product, it is not recommended for pregnant or breast-feeding women, or those on other medications that can react with herbal products. You should consult your pharmacist, doctor, or health practitioner about using Stevia while on other medications.

Any body on a low-carbohydrate diet and zero-sugar will appreciate the natural sweetener for diabetics, Zerovia®. For a sweet, natural alternative to sugar, give Zerovia® a try.