Does Stevia Trigger People to Eat More?
My mentor Sanjeev Javia sites from Time Magazine, “Some experts believe artificial sweeteners trigger receptors in the brain, which cause body to prefer for an influx of calories, causing people to eat more.”
He points out that yes artificial sweeteners called “non-nutritive sweeteners like Saccharin” causes problems. Some point to Stevia as being problematic. It isn’t because it is “Natural Sweetener.”
Facts about Stevia:
- Stevia is Stevia rebaudiana, a plant and natural sweetener. It is an extract from the leaves of the Stevia plant. It is safe.
- People use Stevia because it is calorie fee.
- Stevia is 200-400x sweeter than cane sugar. Very little is needed. Remember, sugar has calories and carbohydrates.
- Stevia does not seem to affect glycemic (sugar) response in the body. Insulin levels stays stable
Diet Drinkers Are At Greater Risk
In a Harvard study, Sanjeev found that “people who drink diet beverages are at a greater risk of being obese and gaining weight.” “Diet drinkers desire more sweetener” and their ”brain responds differently to the sweetener causing them to crave more calories.” Also “diet drinkers felt it less necessary or exercise or eat healthier foods.”