Effect of stevia on blood glucose and HbA1C: A meta-analysis.

Mobina Zeinalabedini, Soraiya Ebrahimpour-Koujan, Nick Bellissimo, Leila Azadbakht, Marzieh Zare

Journal: Diabetes & metabolic syndrome 2024;18(7):103092

PMID: 39098209

Full Text on Elsevier Science View on PubMed

Abstract

BACKGROUND

The study investigates substituting non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) for sugar to address health concerns related to excess sugar intake. It specifically examines how stevia affects insulin and blood glucose levels. The systematic review and meta-analysis aim to evaluate stevia's impact on glycemic indices.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis following PRISMA guidelines, including 26 studies with 1439 participants. The PROSPERO registration number for this research is CRD42023414411. We systematically searched PubMed (MEDLINE), Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Additionally, we thoroughly reviewed the reference lists of the articles we extracted and relevant reviews. Two evaluators independently carried out screening, quality assessment, and data extraction. The GRADE (grading of recommendations, assessment, development, and evaluation) approach was utilized to evaluate the certainty of the evidence.

RESULTS

Stevia consumption was associated with significantly reducing blood glucose levels (WMD: -3.84; 95 % CI: -7.15, -0.53; P = 0.02, low certainty), especially in individuals with higher BMI, diabetes, and hypertension. Dose-response analysis revealed a decrease in blood glucose for ≥3342 mg/day of stevia consumption. Stevia consumption has been shown to reduce blood glucose levels within 1-4 months, as evidenced by dose-response analysis (less than 120 days) and subgroup analysis (more than four weeks). However, stevia did not significantly affect insulin concentration or HbA1C levels (very low and low certainty, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Low certainty evidence showed that stevia improved blood glucose control, especially when consumed for less than 120 days. However, more randomized trials with higher stevia dosages are required.

Address: Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Electronic address: [email protected].; Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Electronic address: [email protected].; Department of Clinical Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Cancer Research Center, Cancer Institute of Iran, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Electronic address: [email protected].; School of Nutrition, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, ON, Canada. Electronic address: [email protected].; Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Diabetes Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinical Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutrition and Food Science, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran. Electronic address: [email protected].

DOI: 10.1016/j.dsx.2024.103092

Link outs

Free resources

Medical:

https://medlineplus.gov/a1c.html

Subscription / membership required

Full Text Sources:

MeSH Terms: Humans, Blood Glucose, Glycated Hemoglobin, Prognosis, Stevia, Sweetening Agents