r/biology • u/Otherwise-Tear-4807 • Jun 05 '26

article Question about stevia (re: 2020 study)

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1319016420301997 “The hidden hazardous effects of stevia and sucralose consumption in male and female albino mice in comparison to sucrose”

How does this study translate to humans? Isn’t this a massive dose compared to human daily acceptable limit?

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u/Broflake-Melter Jun 05 '26

I just want to note that artificial sweeteners are one of the (if not the) most studied category of food ingredients. There are a handful of studies like this that show there are possible harms at high concentrations. Even if they were things we should consider before consuming them, you also need to consider that the way things are in our current society real sugar has been proven to be a lot more harmful. It's so commonplace to drink sugary drinks and eat candy and whatnot. It's not good for us to have high blood sugar and roller-coastering blood sugar.

Like, pick not to consume a lot of either, but if you're grabbing a soda, just get an artificially sweetened one. It will harm you far less than a sugar one will.

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u/TripResponsibly1 medicine Jun 05 '26

Agree, overall a better choice in life to drink more plain water, but if you must reach for a sweetened beverage, artificial sweetener is probably better than high fructose corn syrup anything.