Guest guest Posted December 9, 2007 Report Share Posted December 9, 2007 Clare this is the first time i have seen any specified adverse effect from Stevia - has anyone else seen this info? Do you reckon it is legitimate? Or a sugar company ploy? I have copied the info below - we use it all the time at home............ Anyone? Best, Jane Stevia and Stevioside Wednesday 27 March 2002 Stevioside is a high intensity sweetener, 250-300 times sweeter than sucrose. It is isolated and purified from the leaves of the Stevia plant (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni), where it is present at levels up to 13%, and has been used for a number of years as a sweetener in South America, Asia, Japan and China. As a result of the outcome of safety assessments which have been carried out Stevia and stevioside are not permitted for sale as food or food ingredients in the UK or elsewhere within the EU. Back to top Safety Evaluations Sweeteners and other food additives are tightly regulated within the European Union (EU) and may only be used once their safety has been rigorously assessed. The EC Scientific Committee on Food (SCF) is an independent committee that advises the European Commission on questions concerning consumer health and food safety, in particular relating to toxicology and food hygiene. The SCF identified safety problems with stevioside and recently rejected applications to market the plant and its products as sweeteners and as novel foods within the European Union. Stevioside was first considered by the SCF for approval for use as a sweetener within the EU in 1985 and the review was updated in 1989. On both occasions the Committee raised several questions of concern and concluded that, based on the submitted documentation, it could not accept its use. Extracts from Stevia rebaudiana leaves were also considered as toxicologically not acceptable. A further application for approval of stevioside was received by the European Commission in 1998 and again referred to the SCF. The data considered by the Committee indicated that the extract has the potential to produce adverse effects in the male reproductive system that could affect fertility and that a metabolite produced by the human gut microflora, steviol, is genotoxic (ie. damages DNA). The Committee concluded that stevioside was not acceptable as a sweetener. In 1998 a request was made for Stevia (the plants and dried leaves of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni) to be marketed as a novel food under the EU novel foods legislation (Regulation 258/97(EC)). The application was initially evaluated by the Belgian Authorities who recommended that the product should not be approved. The product was then considered in the UK by the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes (ACNFP) as part of the approval process for novel foods. The ACNFP agreed with the opinion of the Belgian Authorities and recommended that the product should not be approved due to lack of information supporting its safety, a view that was shared by a number of other Member States. The application was subsequently referred to the SCF. The SCF concluded in June 1999 that the information submitted on the plant products was insufficient with regard to specification and standardisation of the commercial product and contained no safety studies. There was no satisfactory data to support the safe use of these products as ingredients in food or as sucrose substitutes. In December 1999 the Joint MAFF/DH Food Safety and Standards Group wrote to various companies known to be trading in Stevia products, informing them of the SCF's opinion and stating that Stevia should not be offered for sale as a food or food ingredient in the UK. A copy of the SCF's opinion on Stevia as a sweetener and its opinion on Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni plants and leaves is available at the link below. Click here to view the letter setting out the ACNFP's views Alternatively, copies can be obtained by post from the Food Standards Agency at Food Standards Agency Chemical Safety and Toxicology Division,Room 515B, Aviation House, 125 Kingsway, London WC2B 6NH Telephone: 020 7276 8589Fax: 020 7276 8514Email: foodadditives - clare mcconville - harris Wednesday, December 05, 2007 10:28 AM TWO ISSUES - Diabetes...... ? on stevia Dear Dr. Bernstein, I have recently read your book and must congratulate you on the most informative and revolutionary contents. A friend in the USA recommended the book to me as, at the age of 62, I have adult onset diabetes. Having read your book and drastically changed my dietary habits, I find that the symptoms have virtually all disappeared, so it does seem to prove that the problem is diet-related. I am also following your resistance training exercise plan, and this appears to be working for me, too. What is extraordinary is that the major institutions, such as the British Diabetic Association, are still advocating the high carbohydrate/low fat diet approach to diabetes, despite the growing evidence from yourself and other sources that such a diet is harmful! The main reason for my letter is that I feel you would like to know that stevia-derived sweeteners are banned in Europe since they are deemed to cause problems with the male reproductive system. It would be wise to be cautious in the use of these products. Details of the problem can be found on the Food Standards Agency Web site . Trevor United Kingdom http://www.diabetes-normalsugars.com/testimonials/testimonials.shtml Hubbie and I are both late onset diabeties....... and have regained excellent control of our blood sugars..... this particular website and Doc bernstein have great information Clare in tassie http://www.grisoft.com Anti-Virus Scanned this message Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 9, 2007 Report Share Posted December 9, 2007 , " Jane MacRoss " <highfield1 wrote: > > BlankClare this is the first time i have seen any specified adverse effect from Stevia - has anyone else seen this info? Do you reckon it is legitimate? Or a sugar company ploy? I have copied the info below - we use it all the time at home............ Anyone? > > Best, > > Jane > > Stevia and Stevioside > Wednesday 27 March 2002 > > Stevioside is a high intensity sweetener, 250-300 times sweeter than sucrose. > > It is isolated and purified from the leaves of the Stevia plant (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni), where it is present at levels up to 13%, and has been used for a number of years as a sweetener in South America, Asia, Japan and China. > > As a result of the outcome of safety assessments which have been carried out Stevia and stevioside are not permitted for sale as food or food ingredients in the UK or elsewhere within the EU. > > Back to top > Safety Evaluations > Sweeteners and other food additives are tightly regulated within the European Union (EU) and may only be used once their safety has been rigorously assessed. > > The EC Scientific Committee on Food (SCF) is an independent committee that advises the European Commission on questions concerning consumer health and food safety, in particular relating to toxicology and food hygiene. > > The SCF identified safety problems with stevioside and recently rejected applications to market the plant and its products as sweeteners and as novel foods within the European Union. > > Stevioside was first considered by the SCF for approval for use as a sweetener within the EU in 1985 and the review was updated in 1989. > > On both occasions the Committee raised several questions of concern and concluded that, based on the submitted documentation, it could not accept its use. Extracts from Stevia rebaudiana leaves were also considered as toxicologically not acceptable. > > A further application for approval of stevioside was received by the European Commission in 1998 and again referred to the SCF. > > The data considered by the Committee indicated that the extract has the potential to produce adverse effects in the male reproductive system that could affect fertility and that a metabolite produced by the human gut microflora, steviol, is genotoxic (ie. damages DNA). > > The Committee concluded that stevioside was not acceptable as a sweetener. > > In 1998 a request was made for Stevia (the plants and dried leaves of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni) to be marketed as a novel food under the EU novel foods legislation (Regulation 258/97(EC)). > > The application was initially evaluated by the Belgian Authorities who recommended that the product should not be approved. > > The product was then considered in the UK by the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes (ACNFP) as part of the approval process for novel foods. > > The ACNFP agreed with the opinion of the Belgian Authorities and recommended that the product should not be approved due to lack of information supporting its safety, a view that was shared by a number of other Member States. The application was subsequently referred to the SCF. > > The SCF concluded in June 1999 that the information submitted on the plant products was insufficient with regard to specification and standardisation of the commercial product and contained no safety studies. > > There was no satisfactory data to support the safe use of these products as ingredients in food or as sucrose substitutes. > > In December 1999 the Joint MAFF/DH Food Safety and Standards Group wrote to various companies known to be trading in Stevia products, informing them of the SCF's opinion and stating that Stevia should not be offered for sale as a food or food ingredient in the UK. > > A copy of the SCF's opinion on Stevia as a sweetener and its opinion on Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni plants and leaves is available at the link below. > > Click here to view the letter setting out the ACNFP's views > > Alternatively, copies can be obtained by post from the Food Standards Agency at > > Food Standards Agency > Chemical Safety and Toxicology Division, > Room 515B, > Aviation House, > 125 Kingsway, > London WC2B 6NH > > Telephone: 020 7276 8589 > Fax: 020 7276 8514 > Email: foodadditives > > > > - > clare mcconville - harris > > Wednesday, December 05, 2007 10:28 AM > TWO ISSUES - Diabetes...... ? on stevia > > > Dear Dr. Bernstein, > > I have recently read your book and must congratulate you on the most informative and revolutionary contents. A friend in the USA recommended the book to me as, at the age of 62, I have adult onset diabetes. > > Having read your book and drastically changed my dietary habits, I find that the symptoms have virtually all disappeared, so it does seem to prove that the problem is diet-related. I am also following your resistance training exercise plan, and this appears to be working for me, too. > > What is extraordinary is that the major institutions, such as the British Diabetic Association, are still advocating the high carbohydrate/low fat diet approach to diabetes, despite the growing evidence from yourself and other sources that such a diet is harmful! > > The main reason for my letter is that I feel you would like to know that stevia-derived sweeteners are banned in Europe since they are deemed to cause problems with the male reproductive system. It would be wise to be cautious in the use of these products. Details of the problem can be found on the Food Standards Agency Web site . > > Trevor > United Kingdom > http://www.diabetes- normalsugars.com/testimonials/testimonials.shtml > > > > Hubbie and I are both late onset diabeties....... and have regained excellent control of our blood sugars..... this particular website and Doc bernstein have great information > > > > Clare in tassie > > http://www.grisoft.com Anti-Virus Scanned this message > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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