It sounds so promising, right?
Stevia is meant to be an all-natural sugar substitute that doesn’t have the nasty effects that other sugar substitutes have.
But it’s now being called a cure to type 2 diabetes as well.
Stevia is a plant that is grown in China and South America. It has been used for centuries not only as a natural sweetener but also as a natural medicine.
The plant is said to be 200 times sweeter than sugar, which is how it gained popularity as a natural sweetener.
But how did it become a replacement for sugar among the health-minded folks?
Though stevia is 200 times sweeter than sugar, it doesn’t exactly work like sugar. Instead, it activates the TRPM5 protein in cells, which sends a signal to the brain that tells you are tasting something sweet, bitter, salty, or savory. In this case, stevia activates the protein to signal to the brain that you are eating something sweet.
The key to understanding this is here: stevia signals the brain that you are eating something sweet.
This does not mean that you are in fact eating something sweet. It’s a bit of trickery, to be honest.
Pretty cool, huh?
In a similar way, stevia “tricks” the brain into producing more insulin, by way of the TRPM5 protein. Since the brain is anticipating a huge influx of sugar, it signals to the pancreas that more insulin is needed. The beta cells in the pancreas start pumping out insulin to process all the glucose that is anticipated, and then boom, your body is flowing with insulin.
For people with type 2 diabetes, this is great because the disease is characterized by either low insulin levels or low response to insulin.
When you eat stevia, you increase your insulin levels without overloading your blood with sugar. This way, the insulin is free to process the glucose that is already there.
When glucose is properly processed, type 2 diabetes recedes.
Researchers are looking to use this information to design medication to help treat diabetes, but in the meantime, I suggest you swap out sugar for stevia!
By the way, avoid Truvia. This brand of stevia has less than 1% of stevia per serving, so you’d be filling yourself with other chemicals, instead. Search for the pure stuff in a natural food store near you.
[expand title=”References“]
Medical News Today. URL Link. Accessed April 17, 2017.
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