The Energy Drink Blog

Stevia is making news lately as the two leading soft-drink manufacturers; Coca Cola and Pepsi have plans to introduce this sugar substitute in their drinks. As early as this month Coca Cola, who has more than 28 billion dollars in sales annually, plans on introducing Sprite Green in two unnamed test markets. While this is good news for cola lovers who want to lose weight, it still has not been officially approved by the FDA.

So what is Stevia and how does it differ from other sugar substitutes already on the market? Stevia is derived from a shrub that is native to South America. Stevia has been used for centuries by South Americans to sweeten beverages and is classified by the FDA as being generally accepted as safe for consumption.

Stevia has not yet been approved in the United States, Europe or Canada, but has however been used for over thirty years in the Japanese market as a sugar substitute. While the FDA has not yet given the official green light to Stevia, it has been sold at farmers markets and health food stores in the United States for decades.  There are many energy drinks and diet pills that can be found that contain Stevia in the ingredients. Despite the fact that they have been prohibited from using the official label of sweetener, they have still been used as such for decades.

Further research on the plant will be conducted; however studies that have been conducted so far show that using the stem of the Stevia plant shows no adverse side effects on cardiovascular, reproductive or digestive systems.  Studies have also shown that fluctuations on blood sugar for people with diabetes have been noted. Since Stevia is all natural, it should not have harsh side-effects. This is similar to hoodia gordonii, a native plant to the African Kalahari that is proven to suppress the appetite with no adverse side effects.

When these products hit the market, Truevia and PrueVia are the brand names that Coke and Pepsi products use, respectively, and promise to provide a new generation of products and options to people who want to lose weight but still be able to enjoy a soft drink now and then.