Wondering if stevia can actually help with weight loss, or is it just another overhyped sugar substitute?
Cutting out sugar is one of the hardest parts of weight loss, but what if stevia is the natural, zero-calorie sweetener that could help. Stevia has become very popular as a natural sugar substitute without calories, but does it actually help with weight loss, or does it really cause weight gain?
Stevia can be a game-changer for curbing sugar intake, but some have side effects. Some say that even a natural sweetener like stevia could still cause your blood sugar to spike because it’s so sweet. The last thing you want to do is switch sugar for stevia and still gain weight.
So is stevia good for weight loss or does it make you gain weight? Here we’re diving into the science and personal experiences with stevia and its impact on body weight. Keep going to find out if stevia is the sweet solution to elevate your weight loss goals.
Why Stevia Is Good for You
Stevia is a natural sugar substitute with zero calories derived from the leaves of the Stevia rebaudiana plant. Stevia is 200-400 times sweeter than sugar depending on the specific type and purity of the extract used. This allows you to have the sweet taste of sugar without the calories and insulin spikes.3
Steviol glycosides are the natural compounds of the stevia plant that give it its super sweet taste. Your body doesn’t metabolize the sweet glycosides and they pass through your body normally. One tip is to just use a stevia extract since it doesn’t contain any additives and is sourced from pure steviol glycosides.
Pure stevia extract doesn’t raise blood sugar levels, so it shouldn’t raise insulin levels. Stevia has actually been shown to significantly reduce blood glucose levels.4 This is why stevia doesn’t break a fast, and you can add some to your morning coffee during an intermittent fasting window.
But many stevia sweeteners contain additives like maltodextrin and dextrose. These carbohydrate fillers will cause your blood sugar and insulin to spike. So it’s very important to check the nutrition facts label to make sure the stevia sweetener you’re using doesn’t contain carbohydrate additives.
Stevia has a very sweet taste, but it also has a slight bitterness and licorice aftertaste that certain people taste more than others. So food companies use these additives to mask the bitter aftertaste. Stevia is also very potent, so you only need a little of it. Still they add these additives as bulking agents to make it easier for consumers to use.
Stevia is a much healthier natural sweetener than artificial sweeteners like sucralose and aspartame. Artificial sweeteners are made with chemicals and can cause headaches, migraines, mood changes like irritability and depression, digestive issues, and possibly cancer.5,6
Stevia vs Sugar for Weight Loss
Yes, you’ll have an easier time losing weight when you replace sugar with stevia. One study found that those who replaced sugar with stevia for 90 days had significant weight loss and less belly fat without any negative side effects.7
Here are the reasons why stevia is better than sugar for weight loss…
Zero Calories
Stevia is a 100% calorie-free sweetener. Calories play a major role in weight management, making it nearly impossible to lose weight if you’re consuming too many calories. Those who swapped sugar for stevia consumed 90 fewer calories daily.8
Stable Blood Sugar Levels
The reason to use stevia over sugar is it doesn’t contain any calories and shouldn’t spike your blood sugar.9 Sugar causes weight gain since it contains excess empty calories, spikes blood sugar and insulin, and makes you crave more sugar and carbs.
Stevia doesn’t spike your blood sugar or shouldn’t cause an insulin response like sugar. So you won’t get the spikes and crashes of your blood sugar levels that can come with consuming sugar. This helps prevent blood sugar dips that cause hunger and cravings, causing you to overeat on calories.
Reduced Cravings
The more stable your blood sugar is, the less likely you’ll trigger cravings for sugars and high glycemic carbohydrates. Since stevia doesn’t spike your blood sugar or insulin, then you’ll have less sugar crashes that would cause hunger and overeating.
Stevia can help reduce appetite and increase the feelings of being full (satiety).10 This makes it a lot easier to lower your food intake and prevent weight gain.
Stronger Metabolism
Stevia can positively impact insulin sensitivity, helping to strengthen metabolism. Studies have found that stevia improves lipid profiles, including those of metabolic syndrome, diabetes, prediabetes, and other obesity-related issues.11
The better your insulin sensitivity, the easier it is for your cells to respond to insulin. This prevents your body from storing fat since insulin is a fat-storing hormone. Your metabolism will have an easier time accessing stored body fat for energy, increasing weight loss.
How to Use Stevia to Lose Weight
If weight loss is your goal, then the key is to get rid of your sugar consumption and sometimes use natural sugar substitute like stevia. Ideally, you’ll follow a low-sugar and low-carb diet to make it easier for your body to burn fat by improving metabolic flexibility.
Once you remove the sugars, you can use stevia to satisfy your sweet tooth. You’ll have less overall energy intake for the day without feeling hungrier or less satisfied, which makes it easier to lose weight and belly fat.
You shouldn’t “make up” the calories you save by switching to stevia from sugar by eating more. Even with fewer calories consumed, you’ll achieve a satiety similar to sugar. This is despite stevia being a zero-calorie sweetener.
This is the opposite of sugar, which causes your taste receptors to become desensitized, leading to overconsumption and weight gain. But this doesn’t happen when sparingly using non-nutritive sweeteners like stevia.
Unlike artificial sweeteners like sucralose and aspartame, Stevia is a much healthier, natural no-calorie sweetener. Since it is one of the healthiest sugar alternatives, you can have stevia every day if you want.
You have to consume stevia in very high amounts for it to be unsafe. The ADI (acceptable daily intake) for stevia is 1.81mg per pound of body weight.
So, if you weigh 150 pounds, you can safely have up to 280mg of steviol per day. This is about equivalent to 9-12 packets of stevia sweetener, which is far above what the average person would even use.
Key Takeaways:
But it’s best to use any sugar alternative sparingly and not go overboard by having too much. You could start to get used to the overly sweet taste, and despite being a zero-calorie sweetener, it’s possible it’ll cause your brain to crave sweetness. This makes it harder to cut back on sugar and eat healthier.
The Downsides of Stevia (Side Effects?)
Stevia has many health benefits, but there are some downsides and possible side effects you should know about.
Stevia was previously banned in Europe in the 1990s due to safety concerns before much was known about it. There was a lack of research back then and insufficient scientific evidence to prove stevia was safe long-term. However, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) approved stevia in 2011 and declared it safe for human consumption.
There are a lot of stevia myths and misconceptions that are from outdated and misleading information.
Some animal studies from the 1960s found that very high dosages of stevia could reduce fertility in rats.12 However, these dosages were far higher than what humans would normally consume.
Another 1999 study found that stevia extracts could possibly lower testosterone levels in male rats.13 However, this study used small sample sizes and an unrealistic amount of dosing. A 2016 review study found that consuming stevia at normal levels has no significant hormonal effects.14
Can stevia still spike insulin because it’s so sweet?
There is a belief that stevia is so sweet that it could trigger a spike in insulin levels. The cephalic phase insulin response (CPIR) is when your body starts releasing insulin before you even eat sweet foods. This is your body’s way of preparing to handle the incoming sugar by lowering blood sugar levels.
But research has found that the CPIR doesn’t work like this for non-nutritive sweeteners. This insulin response only happens when the body expects nutrients, not just because of the sweetness.
Studies on artificial sweeteners sucralose and aspartame found that they didn’t cause an insulin response despite being way sweeter than stevia.15 Stevia has actually been linked to lower insulin levels after eating a meal by up to 22% compared to aspartame or sucralose.16
Does stevia impact gut bacteria?
Stevia could possibly impact your gut bacteria, but it’s not likely, even though the jury is still out. Despite ongoing research, it’s not totally clear yet.
A solid 12-week study found that normal everyday stevia use didn’t significantly change gut bacteria composition in healthy people.17
There’s also research finding that stevia might actually increase the diversity of your gut bacteria (a good thing) and has shown anti-inflammatory effects in lab and animal studies.18
But even if stevia hasn’t been found to cause any significant gut disruptions, there are a few studies that raise some concerns. Some research suggests that stevia could lead to gut microbial imbalances.19 But stevia’s effects on gut bacteria depend on how much and how often you consume it.
Does stevia cause bloating?
Stevia itself usually doesn’t cause bloating in most people. Your body doesn’t digest stevia like normal food; instead, it passes through your body without fermenting in the gut like sugars do.
But many stevia products usually have fillers like sugar alcohols (erythritol, maltitol, xylitol) and other bulking agents. These added fillers can cause bloating and gas in some sensitive people, especially when they’re consuming a lot.
This is why it’s a good idea to only use pure stevia extract. Without the fillers you’ll be a lot of less likely to get bloating. And you’ll only need a small amount since it’s in its pure form. Always check the ingredient label to make sure there aren’t fillers or additives in the stevia product.
Choosing the Best Stevia for Weight Loss
The best type of stevia:
I prefer to use pure stevia extract or stevia drops. This is because they don’t contain added fillers or bulking agents that could cause an insulin response. You also don’t need much of the pure stevia extract since it’s so sweet.
Be sure to check the label on the stevia product since many food companies add chemicals to mask the bitterness. It’s always best to choose pure stevia extract because some stevia products may contain additives in small amounts (less than 0.5g) that aren’t required to be listed on the label.
Many common stevia products contain added ingredients you should know about:
Stevia in the Raw – contains dextrose
Whole Earth – contains erythritol
Truvia – contains erythritol
Splenda Stevia – contains erythritol
SweetLeaf Sweet Drops
Zevia soda
Zevia soda is a good way to replace sugar or artificial sweeteners like sucralose in diet soda. But it does contain citric and tartaric acids. So, it is an acidic beverage, so you don’t want to drink too many of it all the time. Just once in a while is okay.
Stevia Low-Carb Protein Powder
Most protein powders use sucralose as the sweetener and have additional fillers like maltodextrin. Try to find a protein powder that uses stevia (or monk fruit) as its sweeter instead. Also, make sure it’s low carb protein powder so it won’t have added maltodextrin or dextrose.
This is the low-carb protein powder I use and it’s sweetened with stevia and doesn’t contain added fillers:
Only 4g of net carbs but 24g and 150 calories in each protein shake. Fights hunger, supports lean muscle & toning the body.
- 24g of grass-fed protein from pasture-raised cows
- cold-processed for highest quality undenatured bioactive protein
- gut friendly prebiotics + digestive enzymes for maximum protein absorption and easy digestion
Summary
- Studies show stevia can improve insulin sensitivity, reduce belly fat, and support metabolic health, making it easier for your body to burn stored fat and lose weight.
- Pure stevia extract is recommended over other stevia products that usually contain additives and fillers such as sugar alcohols or maltodextrin. These additives can spike blood sugar and cause bloating.
- Stevia is generally considered safe (within an acceptable daily intake of 1.81mg per pound of body weight), it’s best to use it sparingly to prevent getting an increased preference for sweet tastes.
- I personally use stevia here and there, but not all the time. I usually use monk fruit and allulose most of the time as my sugar substitute of choice. Individual experiences can possibly vary widley, so it’s a good idea to pay attention to how your body responds to stevia and adjust your intake as needed.
Trainer Josh is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) with a Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition with over 20 years of hands-on coaching experience. Since 2005, he’s helped thousands of clients get leaner, stronger, and healthier through customized training and nutrition plans.
