Coca, Pepsi, and Stevia

Yazmin

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June 13, 2011IN THIS ISSUE...Seven Danger Signs of a Toxic LiverHealthy Diet Drinks -- Can You Trust Them?The 10 Biggest and Deadliest Heart MythsRemote Control ChemotherapySEVEN DANGER SIGNS OF A TOXIC LIVERThere are seven danger signs that could be your body’s way of telling you that you have a toxic liver. The scary thing is that these signs could easily be mistaken for other, less common health problems.But the fact is that, if you’re experiencing any one of these seven danger signs, your liver could be full of harmful toxins.To find out about these Seven Danger signs, watch this free special presentation right now.

HEALTHY DIET DRINKS -- CAN YOU TRUST THEM?
Is anyone surprised to find beverage giants Coca-Cola and PepsiCo scrambling to reposition themselves as producers of drinks that are good -- or at least not bad -- for your health? Both have introduced new diet drinks formulated with their own versions of stevia, a sweetener that comes from nature rather than from a laboratory. Coca-Cola worked with the giant agribusiness company Cargill to develop a purified derivative of stevia that it calls Truvia... and PepsiCo followed shortly thereafter with its own very similar version called PureVia. So, for several years now, consumers have been drinking Coca-Cola’s Sprite Green and PepsiCo’s 0 Calorie SoBe Lifewater made with their new stevia-based sweeteners -- but, are they really, truly safe for your health?
WHY SHOULD WE BE WORRIED?
To understand why anyone would even ask that question requires a bit of history. Made from the leaves of the stevia plant, stevia has been used for medicinal purposes and as a sweetener for centuries in South America. It’s a popular sweetener in Japan, but here in the US we require more evidence of its safety than is yet available. While research has largely shown stevia to be safe, some questions remain -- it has possible harmful effects on blood sugar control, the kidneys and the cardiovascular and reproductive systems.
That’s why the Food and Drug Administration refused to approve importation of stevia as a sweetener. But as wily types always do, importers figured out a way around that. They decided to call stevia a supplement, for which the regulations are far more lax. As a result, you now can find stevia sold as a supplement in health-food stores and online, but people in the know use it as a sweetener. Stevia is sold in powder and liquid form. You can even buy plants to grow yourself a ready supply of leaves! And none of these products carries any label warning of health dangers.
But, you may be wondering, how is it that Coca-Cola and PepsiCo are using their forms of stevia as a sweetening food additive? Indeed this situation bothers many consumer advocates. I called Daily Health News medical editor Andrew Rubman, ND, for his take on the stevia conundrum. You may be surprised when I tell you that he said we actually can trust the soda sellers on this one... they did their research!
HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH?
It’s all about quantity, Dr. Rubman explained. He said that the reason for restricting any substance, including stevia, to supplement status only is to be sure that people will use it in limited quantities. In contrast, food additives will be used in many foods and drinks that people consume daily, which -- the FDAassumes -- adds up to far higher quantities. But, Dr. Rubman said, in this particular situation, consumers are safe, at least in the short term. After carefully reviewing the literature for Daily Health News readers, Dr. Rubman told me that the toxicological studies of Coca-Cola’s Truvia and PepsiCo’s PureVia revealed nothing that would be cause for concern healthwise. Both PureVia and Truvia are more than 90% rebaudioside A, a refined extract of stevia which the FDA has labeled GRAS -- generally regarded as safe. If you feel you must drink very sweet beverages, Dr. Rubman said, in his view you’d do far better to select the Sprite Green or the Sobe Lifewater than a diet sodasweetened with aspartame (which is associated with numerous health risks, including migraines, abdominal pains and asthma) or a regular soda loaded with sugar. Similarly, he believes using stevia to sweeten tea or coffee is preferable to NutraSweet or Sweet’N Low.
There is a caveat, however. Dr. Rubman told me that some folks may find that when they quaff drinks made with Truvia and PureVia, they feel a bit bloated and gassy. The impact is the same as with other sweeteners on the market. It’s a problem for some, Dr. Rubman told me, but not others -- only personal experimentation will tell.
But in any case Dr. Rubman’s overall advice is to limit your consumption of any sweetener -- natural or not -- including this one.
Source(s): 

Andrew L. Rubman, ND, founder and director, Southbury Clinic for Traditional Medicines, Southbury, Connecticut. www.SouthburyClinic.com.

 

Anonymous

Thanks Yazmin, real good lesson on the functions of the liver as a miracle worker.  Always thought that there was something to it not processing my estrogen efficiently....have all the symptoms of a "tired" liver.  Am taking a supplement with same 7 ingredients as prevention.