I know artificial sweeteners increase insulin and all togther are not good for us. But I wonder if Stevia is ok? Does it react differently in the body? Or does the body view it as just another simple sweetener that spikes insulin too? Thanks.

It's ok to add a little stevia if you like.

Great news, but does stevia react like artificial sweeteners in the body or is it a different response?

Stevia is an herb with no known side affects, its been used for hundreds of years by indigenous people. Artificial sweeteners are chemical concoctions with various dangers associated with them.
Some say the "sweetness" of stevia may trick your pancreas, but really.....I don;t think so. There are other herbs that are "sweet", cinnamon, aniseseed, etc. which actually are good for your bloodsugar.
Stevia also contains inulin, a soluble fiber. Not a bad thing.

I do think that stevia can stimulate a letdown of insulin, just as other artificial sweeteners do. So, for that reason, I think it acts the same as the artificial sweeteners. Cinnamon and other herbs likely don't do this because we generally don't use them for the purpose of sweetening, and therefore use less.

However, I like the idea of putting something more natural in my mouth, and not some manufactured sweetener. So, if I am going to use a sweetener, it would be stevia.

Well, that brings up another issue for me since I use ALOT of cinnamon. Should I assume a high level of cinnamon increases insulin?

Actually studies show that both Turmeric and Cinnamon both help to lower blood sugar.

Hi I found some great information on stevia and it contradicts much of what is said here
http://www.thebetterhealthstore.com...iafaq.html
It's a GREAT sweetner

I've read a lot about Stevia, and it is the only sweetener I use, when I use any sweetener at all - which is rarely.
This is the most comprehensive list and nicely abbreviated I've seen on studies, results, and benefits of Stevia.
Thanks Tech! I've had a few Stevia websites bookmarked, but this is a great resource.
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The only thought that some worried about with Stevia is that although it does not affect blood sugar, the tatse of the sweetener alone was thought to possibly invoke, even if very negligible, an insulin response. Apparently not.

No doubt stevia is a great sweetener!
I prefer it over any of the others, and I carry around a ziplock baggie with some packets, so that I can add some to my coffee when out and about.

Interesting article from tech support, although I question the source; their goal is to sell product.

I don't see a reference to the initial insulin let-down, maybe I missed that in the article. Seems to be quite beneficial for diabetics, but I only see blood sugar discussed. The initial insulin let-down is what stimulates hunger and cravings. If anyone else saw it in the article, could you point me to where it was?

thanks, Tech Support!
CC, there is no initial insulin letdown to my knowledge....I use it everyday. It simply doesn't affect insulin.

Janet, I don't know if that is true or not...

I don't think most of us would recognize the initial insulin let-down. Perhaps you do, but I know I have not ever actually sensed it.

My impression is that this let down of insulin is a response to the sweetness of the product. Sugar causes it, all other artificial sweeteners cause it. The tongue does not know how to differentiate between sugar and artificial. It senses taste, not carbs. So, I would assume that the let down occurs with anything that is sweet, regardless of whether it is sugar or artificial.

Normally, a food that is sweetened, like fruit for example, usually has some carbohydrate, and when the insulin is let down, and the carbs are digested, everything works in balance.

The problem, of course, is that when a sweetened carb-free product is consumed, then there are no carbs to digest, and so this insulin is floating around in the body stimulating hunger or cravings.

I guess I could be wrong (wouldn't be the first time), so please share any more information that you may have, hopefully we can all come to an understanding on it!

Tried to research:
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From YAHOO ANSWERS:
Does the taste of sweet trigger an insulin response automatically, regardless of the source of the "sweet"?
I read that the taste of something sweet--even if it's sweet-n-low--will trigger an insulin response. That's sounds positively ridiculous to me. Has anyone any experience or knowledge about this??
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It's possible. There are several phases to insulin secretion. One of them, the cephalic response, is when the brain is anticipating food (and is hungry) and signals to the pancrease to release insulin. However, the amount of insulin is small--it wouldn't cause the person to have a low blood sugar if they didn't eat anything afterwards. So, I wouldn't be surprised if a sweet taste--even from sweet-n-low--would cause a small insulin response. I can say, though, that this isn't immediately transferrable to diabetics. Type 1 diabetics don't produce any insulin and type 2s have an abnormal insulin response. In face, type 2s tend to lack something called the first phase insulin response (which is different than the cephalic response) and so I don't think that they would respond in the same way.
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From a body Building site, blog, unscientific:
OK I'm no expert in nutrition but I do know quite a bit about psychology. What does that have to do with the question being asked? Well, in one of my first year undergraduate psychology classes I remember reading about studies relevant to your question. Sorry, I don't have the references and the details are a little fuzzy (this was several years ago) but you should be able to find studies using "conditioned insulin response" as a search term.
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Anyway, the gist of it is that insulin can be released in response to stimuli that shouldn't inherently trigger it through classical conditioning (remember Pavlov's dog?). Your body learns to associate events that occur in temporal proximity.
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So you eat a quickly digested carb source, as it gets digested your body releases insulin. Other stimuli that co-occur with the ingestion of the carbs can eventually elicit the same response as ingesting the carbs. So the sight, smell, taste of the carbs can come to elicit the insulin response before you even eat anything. I don't know how strong the insulin response is though...
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From Dr.Mercola webaite:
This is major news that hit most of the traditional media. However, it was no surprise to me as I have been emphasizing for many years that sugar, which in excess often leads to obesity, is one of the primary factors in cancer. If you have cancer you simply can?t eat sugar.
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Dr. Warburg received the Nobel Prize over 70 years ago for finding out that cancer cells thrive on glucose. How long does it take before we get it?
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However, as I explain in my book The No-Grain Diet it is not just sugar that causes the problem but also grains. Grains break down very rapidly to sugar and trigger the same issues.
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Grains and sugar are the primary reason why two-thirds of our country?s population is overweight or obese. Most of us would benefit by avoiding or seriously limiting our grain intake.
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What really did surprise me was that this study was funded by Nutrasweet and Coca-Cola. I don?t understand the connection or what their reason for funding a study with this obvious conclusion. Would they use it to promote the use of Nutrasweet?
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If they did they would be seriously incorrect as anything sweet is likely to cause similar problems. Just like Pavlov?s dogs salivated when he rang a bell that was associated with the steak, people will still release insulin when given something sweet like artificial sweeteners even though there are no calories. The sweetness itself will raise insulin levels just like sugar does.
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If you find yourself tempted by fast-food and sweets when you don?t have time to prepare a meal, consider the completely nutritious superfood, Living Fuel. Living Fuel Rx contains concentrated sources of vitamins, minerals, proteins, essential fats, enzymes, co-enzymes, herbs, botanical extracts, and soluble and insoluble plant fibers in a convenient powder form.
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While whole foods are always best, if you are on the run or don?t have access to healthy food, Living Fuel Rx is a smart choice. It will give you nearly all of the necessary nutrients, and its low-glycemic formula will not cause an insulin response. Living Fuel Rx also makes a great meal replacement for those trying to lose weight."

thanks, John, but the article was not conclusive....and so, I will continue to use stevia freely, but can understand if others do not want to.
And CC, I have also been wrong before (there, I've said it!) lol.

Hey, no problem Janet! I choose stevia over the others, too. I just don't use any of them freely. Actually, there really isn't much that I would use it in, except my coffee--and most of the time I end up drinking it black when I am at work. I don't really have a need to sweeten anything else.

Thanks for the info, John.

Actually, I have never seen an official source on the insulin "let down", only have read about it in Zone Q&A and I also read about it during a zone chat that Sears did years ago. However, I have long lost the text of that chat!

Thanks for all the information about stevia everyone. I did want to bring up the grains issue that the gentleman above mentioned. I eat fiber one cereal ever now and then primarily for the its high fiber. I do eat a lot of fruits and vegetables but it doesn't seem to provide me with enough fiber to keep me regular. Any suggestions? I also supplement with Metamucil.

Stevia does not add to blood sugar, so no insulin response to increase in blood sugar levels.
Psychological "taste" or "conditioned response" though negligible is still a question for any supposed non-blood sugar sweeteners.