The FDA has just approved a stevia extract for use in soft drinks. Stevia is a naturally occuring sweetener widely used by health food fans for its good taste and lack of calories.
The bad news is that this extract, rebaudioside A, doesn't seem to lower blood sugar or blood pressure, as does a different stevia extract, stevioside, which has not yet been approved in the U.S.
But this shouldn't be a drawback - no one ingests soft drinks as a means to better health. They simply choose the artifically sweetened variety to avoid the sugar overload found in "regular" soft drinks.
The good news is that this is a natural product and will probably not carry the damaging side effects of the no-calorie sweeteners currently in use. Of course, as with anything new, we should watch to see what happens. We don't know if they've tested this extract along with the other ingredients found in soft drinks. And, as we all know, different combinations bring about different results.
The word is that both Coca-Cola and Pepsi will introduce soft drinks using this sweetener in the near future.
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Hi Debora, and thanks for taking time to comment.
If you come across news that belongs here, please do send it along...
Thanks again,
Marte
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