NutritionEd:

It’s been a Natural Health sweetener for years yet usually only found at health food stores. Now, Stevia is coming to the masses (in the US at least) as big brands like Coka-Cola and PepsiCo release their versions to the world; with all their distribution and brand power behind it.

I always find it interesting when products such as this, which have had relatively low consumption rates in the past due to their niche marketing, are suddenly distributed by large multinational corporations thereby significantly increasing the consumption pattern. It effectively results in a huge societal safety experiment where unforseen/untested properties may come to light. Sure, Stevia (and its components) have gone through some clinical safety research, albeti much of it provided by the distributing companies themselves. Indeed some research suggests a concern for possible DNA damage caused by one of the chemical extracts.  And DNA damage is often linked to risk of Cancer. With the potential for exponential consumption of Stevia if its marketing is successful, only time will tell its true colours. For society is replete with examples of “safe” products whose dangers only manifest themselves when consumed on a societal scale.

Sidenote: I wonder what happened to Tagatose? Another natural sweetener that was big in the media a few years ago. I’ll have to check into it!

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