Stevia has become one of the famous alternatives to sugar most especially to people suffering from diabetes. Researchers from the United Kingdom and Belgium have discovered how the famous sugar alternative fights diabetes.
According to Medical News Today, study co-author Koenradd Philippaert and colleagues have found that stevia activates a protein called TRPM5. This protein is known to be associated with taste perception and plays a role in the release of insulin after eating. Insulin is a hormone essential for the metabolism of sugars in the body; low insulin would mean higher blood sugar levels.
The activation of TRPM5 by stevia was discovered through cell cultures. TRPM5 is important for the perception of sweet, bitter, and umami tastes. Moreover, the said proteins also induce the beta cells of the pancreas to release insulin when blood sugar rises.
Specifically, steviol, a component of stevia is the main inducer of TRPM5 which is related to its extremely sweet flavor and bitter aftertaste. In order to confirm the TRPM5 stimulation, the researchers have carried out the experiment in mice.
The mice were subjected to a diet high in fats over a long period of time in order to induce type-2 diabetes. However, when the high-fat diet was enriched with an active component of stevia known as stevioside, the rodents did not develop type-2 diabetes. For mice that lacked TRPM5, the result was different.
The results of the study proved that the mechanism of stevia in controlling abnormally high blood sugar levels is due to the stimulation of TRPM5. The researchers claimed that these finding may lead to new strategies for treating or even prevent type-2 diabetes.
Meanwhile, according to Huffington Post, stevia is an FDA-approved sweetener. It is a sugar substitute extracted from "Stevia rebaudiana" which is naturally grown in Brazil and Paraguay. It is a calorie-free plant extract but can still taste 200 times sweeter similar to the amount of granulated sugar.
However, commercially available stevia is not a hundred-percent natural. Some famous brands contain either one of the following; erythritol (sugar alcohol) or dextrose (starch-derived sugar). The product comes in different forms such as drops or fine powders.
