Rebaudioside A (rebiana also known as reb-A) is the sweetener derived from the stevia plant and is considered generally recognized as safe for use as a general purpose sweetener.
The safety of Rebaudioside A (and to a lesser extent, stevioside) for human consumption has been tested through peer reviewed research including metabolic and pharmacokinetic studies, general and multi-generational safety studies (including carcinogenicity studies, intake studies, and randomized, placebo-controlled human clinical trials). Studies with type 1 and 2 diabetics, as well as those with hypertension, have all shown no adverse effects with Reb A doses of approximately 4 to 15 mg/kg body weight per day. However, some consumer groups are calling for additional carcinogenicity and toxicology studies in a wider range of animal models other than rats and mice due to the possibility for potential DNA alterations and the metabolic and pharmokinetic differences between humans and rodents. In June 2008, the World Health Organization's Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives, a global panel of food ingredient safety experts, completed a multi-year review of the available scientific data on high purity stevia compounds and concluded that they are safe for use as general purpose sweeteners. The Committee set a safe daily intake of 0-4 milligrams per kilogram of body weight as steviol glycosides. BOTTOM LINE: Studies have demonstrated safety, and FDA concurs.
Studies clearly support the safety of stevia sweeteners. Further, clinical studies show that steviol glycosides, meeting purity criteria established by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), have no effect on either blood pressure or blood glucose response, indicating stevia sweeteners are safe for use by individuals with diabetes.
The safety of stevia sweeteners for human consumption has been established through rigorous peer‐reviewed research, including metabolic and pharmacokinetic studies, general and multigenerational safety studies including carcinogenicity studies, intake studies and human studies Stevia sweeteners are approved for use in many countries including Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China, Russia, Australia, Mexico, Argentina, New Zealand, Colombia, Peru, Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil and Malaysia.
The long awaited "green packet", or sweetener made from Stevia, finally arrived on U.S. grocery store shelves in 2009. December 2008, the FDA gave a GRAS approval for rebiana, a plant extract of stevia, to be used as a food additive. Several experts agree that the safety of stevia as a sweetener has been well-established over time.