A recent study published in The Journal of Nutrition indicates that stevia, when consumed as a beverage alone or with glucose, does not trigger significant short-term hormonal or appetite responses in adults, providing reassurance about its safety as a sugar alternative.
A new study accepted by The Journal of Nutrition suggests that stevia, when consumed as a drink on its own or alongside glucose, does not trigger meaningful short-term changes in the hormones linked to blood sugar control or appetite in adults with normal weight, overweight and type 2 diabetes. The findings add to a mixed but generally reassuring body of evidence on stevia, a non-nutritive sweetener used to deliver sweetness without the calories of sugar.
In the randomised, double-blind crossover trial, researchers compared water, glucose, stevia and a glucose-stevia combination in three groups of adults aged 18 to 50. Blood tests tracked glucose, insulin and several gut hormones for three hours after consumption, followed by a meal to measure how much participants ate. Across the study, there were no significant differences in glucose, insulin, glucagon, GLP-1, GIP or peptide YY between stevia and water, or between glucose and glucose plus stevia. Appetite ratings and meal intake were also broadly unchanged.
The results fit with earlier clinical studies that have generally found little evidence stevia raises post-meal glucose or insulin. A 12-week randomised trial in healthy adults reported no significant glycaemic effects and suggested lower energy intake in the stevia group, while a crossover study in healthy men found stevia-sweetened drinks did not change postprandial glucose, insulin or calorie intake compared with sucrose. Other trials in people with insulin resistance have likewise found no meaningful acute effect on glucose, insulin or appetite.
Still, the new study has limits. It tested only acute exposure, was not designed to compare the three participant groups against one another, and included relatively infrequent stevia users. The trial was funded by Cargill, whose research centre prepared and labelled the study beverages, and three authors were employees of the company during the research. Even so, the broader message from the available human evidence is that stevia appears unlikely to cause a short-term hormonal or appetite rebound when used in beverage form, though longer-term studies remain needed.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
