You can now beat your obesity, high blood pressure with this plant-based calorie-free sweetener!

New Delhi, September 26: Many people make lifestyle changes, such as losing weight or making their diet healthier, in order to lower it. Well, good news for all of them! Soon, treating obesity, hypertension and elevated levels of blood sugar and lipids can be as easy as taking a calorie-free sweetener.

According to the researchers, the Stevia rebaudiana (SR) plant has pharmacological and therapeutic activity, including effects that make them natural alternatives for treating all the disorders associated with metabolic syndrome. However, the new research has revealed that artificial sweeteners may have a negative effect on metabolism, gut bacteria and appetite.

The potential for using SR extracts to combat this growing public health problem is the focus of study. Authors Areli Carrera-Lanestosa and Maira Segura-Campos, Autonomous University of Yucatan and Yolanda Moguel-Ordoñez, National Institute for Forest, Agronomic, and Livestock Research, Yucatan, Mexico, reviewed the antiobesity, antihyperglycemic, antihypertensive and antihyperlipidemic effects. The steviol compounds and aqueous and alcoholic extracts derived from the leaves, flowers, and roots of SR work as a calorie-free sweetener. 

The diabetic issue is particularly worrying since consumption of artificial sweeteners is on the rise. Indeed, sales of diet soft drinks have increased in recent years with full-sugar drinks making up just 38 per cent of the market. If this research comes out to be successful then we all will be blessed with a healthy sugar-free life.