Does stevia have side effects?

Food safety organizations and panels worldwide, including the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), have thoroughly reviewed and scientifically demonstrated the safety of stevia leaf extract and have established that there are no known side effects from using stevia leaf extract in foods or beverages. In addition, the International Stevia Council has noted stevia leaf extract that met the high purity criteria established by JECFA had no effect on either blood pressure or blood glucose response, indicating that stevia leaf extract is safe for use by people with diabetes. To date, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stated it has no questions regarding the conclusion of expert panels that high purity stevia leaf extract is Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) for use as a general purpose sweetener.

Read more from the International Stevia Council here.

Read more from the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food additives (JECFA) here.

Read more from the European Food Safety Authority here.

Read more from the US FDA GRAS inventory here.