ABOUT STEVIA

Stevia is an herb in the sunflower family, native to subtropical and tropical South America and Central America. For centuries, the Guarani Native Americans of Paraguay and Brazil used stevia as a sweetener in native foods and medicinal teas. The extract from the stevia leaf has no calories, no effect on blood sugar levels, and is hundreds of times sweeter than sugar.

Some stevia extracts may have a bitter after taste at high concentrations. Zevia® Natural Diet Soda is formulated with erythritol, a natural sugar alcohol which counteracts this effect. Zevia LLC has a patent pending on its unique and delicious flavor formula.

The World Health Organization Found Stevia is Safe

In 2006 and 2008 the World Health Organization evaluated numerous stevia studies and concluded that stevia is safe. Among other things, the World Health Organization presented evidence of beneficial effects on hypertension and diabetes. <Click Here for the WHO Research>

Stevia Has Other Health Benefits

Research published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry concludes that stevia could also be a rich source of antioxidants and may protect against DNA damage and cancer. <click here for an abstract of the research.>

Stevia also has shown promise in medical research on high blood pressure <Research Link #1> , inflamation <Research Link #2> , insulin efficiency <Research Link #3> , cellular immuntiy and nutrition <Research Link #4> , and healthy cell growth <Research Link #5>.

Purdue University's Dental Science Research Group concluded after two studies that stevia "significantly" inhibits the development of plaque and may help to prevent cavities.

Stevia as a Dietary Supplement

Because stevia has no effect on blood sugar levels, it is attractive as a natural sweetener to people who must control their intake of certain carbohydrates. But, in 1991, responding to an anonymous complaint, the United States Food and Drug Administration labeled stevia as an "unsafe food additive" and restricted its import. Many believe the complaint came from Monsanto, owner of Nutrasweet® artificial sweetener. Stevia was later approved for use as a dietary supplement but not as a food additive. >Learn More. That meant we could offer ZEVIA, but we could not call it a "soda". From January, 2007 until February, 2009, ZEVIA was labeled as a "carbonated stevia supplement", consistent with the FDA requirements.

Stevia as a Food Additive

However, in December, 2008, the FDA advised it had no questions that stevia with 95% or 97% rebaudioside A (or "Reb-A") is safe, and a product containing it may therefore be labeled as a food product. Since the beginning, the stevia in Zevia® has contained a lot of Reb-A, but it also had other stevia glycosides - the sweet parts of the stevia leaf. In February, 2009, we produced and sold our first can of Zevia® with 97% Reb-A stevia. Zevia® is now labeled as a soda, and no longer as a dietary supplement.