As it is known, due to the inability to secrete sufficient amounts of insulin from the pancreas or the secreted insulin being ineffective for various reasons, glucose cannot be used for energy and diabetes mellitus, which we colloquially call diabetes, occurs. Diabetes can be briefly defined as glucose not being able to enter the cells and remaining high in the blood. When glucose cannot enter the cells, on the one hand, our cells remain "starved", on the other hand, unusable glucose accumulates in the blood and blood sugar rises. As a result of all this, the use of simple sugar for diabetic patients has become an important topic of discussion, and today, substances called sweeteners have been produced that can be used instead of sugar. Sweeteners are a food additive that replaces sugar, has a sugar-like sweet taste but contains significantly less food energy. Sweeteners can be classified as sugar alcohols (polyols), artificial sweeteners and natural sweeteners.
Although low-calorie products have been produced in the past years, especially for people with some other diseases such as diabetes and obesity, negative effects such as lack of product variety and selling at high prices have been experienced. In addition, the fact that the taste and aroma of the products were not good enough was seen as another negative, but today these products can be purchased at a reasonable price and their taste and aroma are more advanced compared to the previous products. Acesulfame-K, aspartame, neotame, saccharin and sucralose are artificial sweeteners that the FDA accepts as safe. However, many artificial sweeteners are known to leave a bitter and metallic taste in the mouth. Many artificial sweeteners are found in existing foods, and toxicological studies have not yet been fully conducted. On the other hand, many sweet and low-calorie compounds exist in nature. Thaumatin, glycyrhizin, xylitol, phyllodulcin, mogroside and stevioside are some of these natural products.
The most important of the natural alternative sweeteners is stevia, which has attracted particular attention recently. Stevia is traditionally used in different parts of the world. It has been used as a medicinal plant for hundreds of years. Stevia leaves contain 300 times more energy than sucrose. r sweet is a rich source of the natural sweetener "stevioside". While stevia products are known to be used as artificial low-calorie sweeteners, their other important properties are antimicrobial, antibacterial, antiviral and antiyeast activity. This review article will discuss the general properties of stevia, a natural sweetener, and its effects on the human body.
Keywords: stevia, steviol, diabetes mellitus, sweetener
ABSTRACT
As it is known that pancreas can not secrete enough insulin or secreted insulin is ineffective for a variety of reasons, glucose can not be used for energy and diabetes mellitus, which we call diabetes mellitus occurs. Diabetes mellitus can be defined as the high chance that glucose can not enter into the cell, but remains high. When glucose is not able to enter the cell, one side of the cell is "starved" while the other side is unusable and the blood sugar accumulates and the blood sugar increases. As a result, the use of simple sugars for diabetic patients has become an important topic of debate and nowadays substances called sweeteners, which can be used instead of sugar, have been produced. The sweeteners are a food additive which contains significantly less food energy, having a sugar-like sweet taste, substituted for sugar. Sweeteners can be classified as sugar alcohols (polyols), artificial sweeteners and natural sweeteners.
In recent years, it has been observed that low calorie products have been produced especially for people with diabetes and obesity, as well as the lack of product variety and high price, as well as the lack of good taste and aroma of products. , Today these products can be bought reasonably and the taste and flavor are improved compared to the previous products. Acesulfame-K, aspartame, neatame, saccharin and sucralose are artificial sweeteners that the FDA regards as safe. But it is known that a lot of artificial sweeteners leave a pungent and metallic taste in the mouth. Many artificial sweeteners are available in existing foodstuffs and toxicological studies are not yet complete. On the other hand, many sweet and low calorific compounds are found in nature. Thaumatin, glycyrrhizin, xylitol, phyllo-dulcin, mogroside and stevioside are some of these natural products.
&nbs p; The most important of natural alternative sweeteners is stevia, which has recently attracted particular attention. Stevia has traditionally been used as a medicinal herb for hundreds of years in various parts of the world. Stevia leaves are a rich source of "stevioside", a natural sweetener that is 300 times as sweet as sucrose. While it is known that Stevia products are artificially used as low calorie sweeteners, other important features are antimicrobial, antibacterial, antiviral and antihypertic activity. This review article will discuss the general properties of Stevian, a natural sweetener, and its effects on the human body.
Key words: stevia, steviol, diabetes mellitus, sweetener
1. INTRODUCTION
Stevia rebaudiana is a perennial plant that is a member of the Asteracea family. Its homeland is South America, especially Paraguay, and it is grown in Mexico, Japan, China, South Korea, Spain, America and England. This plant, popularly known as stevia or honey leaf, has been used as a natural sweetener by the natives of Brazil and Paraguay for centuries. S. rebaudiana has a complex structure containing at least eight different sugar glycosides known as steviol glycosides. Its main components are stevioside and rebaudioside A (1). In addition, although it contains carbohydrates, fiber, protein and many trace elements, it has no caloric value (2).
Stevioside is a sugar component in the form of stevioside or stevia extract and is commercially available. It is described as a sweetener. It is used in many foods and various products such as fruit juice, dried seafood, soy sauce, candy, chewing gum, yoghurt, ice cream, and toothpaste. Stevia extract and stevioside are approved for use as food additives and allowed as dietary supplements in Brazil, Korea, Japan and the United States. It has been declared by the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) of FAO/DSO that stevioside can be consumed up to 5.0 mg/kg, which is the acceptable daily intake (3).
In addition to its sweetening feature, stevia extract and stevioside can be consumed as ingredients. It has beneficial effects on human health such as antihyperglycemic, antihypertensive, antioxidant, and anti-human rotavirus activity (4).
Due to aging, change in dietary habits and decrease in physical activity, type 2 diabetes mellitus and obesity have increased in recent years. There is a serious increase in its incidence. These metabolic syndromes are becoming major public health problems in developing and developing countries. For this reason, it is preferred to use sugar-free (containing sweeteners) and reduced-calorie foods and beverages as food items.
Recently, the use of alternative medicine and herbs in the treatment of diabetes has been increasing. It is known that S. rebaudiana has been used in the treatment of diabetes for a long time in South America. Stevioside, the main component in the extract of this plant, is calorie-free and has a very high sweetening feature, and it is sufficient to use small amounts for sweetening purposes (5)
Stevia, which is thought to be a good alternative to sugar, especially in obese people and diabetic patients, is commercially available as a sweetener. Its consumption is increasing day by day with the introduction of its preparations into the market and its use as a sweetener in foodstuffs. In addition to its many defined beneficial effects, the existence of unproven possible toxic and carcinogenic effects is controversial (6).
2. Stevia rebaudiana (Bertoni)
Due to the increase in the incidence of obesity and diabetes, sweeteners are preferred instead of glucose or sucrose used in the diet. In recent years, studies have focused on stevioside, a sweet glycoside obtained from Stevia rebaudiana (Bertoni) extract, which is widely used in South America. Stevia sweetener; In addition to its properties such as being 250-300 times sweeter than sucrose, having high heat and pH stability, baking and oven stability, being soluble in alcohol, and not having a metallic taste in the mouth, its most important feature is that it is obtained naturally (7). Steviol glycosides are a group of intensely sweet compounds obtained and purified from S. rebaudiana, and stevioside and rebaudioside A are the main steviol glycosides (8).
2.1. Source
P. rebaudiana (Bertoni), homeland It is a small woody plant of the Asteraceae (Compositae) family from South America, and is called honey leaf, sweet leaf, stevia due to its sweetness. Stevia extract has been used as a sweetener and traditional medicine by South American Indians for centuries. With its discovery by Antonio Bertoni, a botanist, in 1887, stevia began to become known outside South America. It attracts the attention of the economic and scientific world due to the sweetening and possible therapeutic properties of the leaves. Japan was the first Asian country to market stevioside in the food and pharmaceutical industry. Later, this plant began to be cultivated in many Asian countries such as China, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand. It is also grown in the United States, Canada and Europe (9).
2.1.1. Pharmacokinetics of stevioside
The pharmacokinetics of stevioside and its metabolic products include the absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of these molecules.
2.2.1.1. Absorption
Stevioside is a hydrophilic diterpenoid glycoside with a high molecular weight (804.9 g/mol) and is unlikely to be absorbed in the intestine. In addition, gastric juice and digestive enzymes in animals and humans cannot degrade stevioside. In addition, the bacterial intestinal flora of pigs, rats and humans can convert stevioside into its aglycan form, steviolet (10). The Bacteroides group are the bacteria responsible for this change in the lower gastrointestinal tract (11). Steviol is the end product of stevia and its components in the intestinal microflora and cannot be further metabolized (12). Steviol absorption occurs by passive diffusion and monocarboxylic carrier-mediated transport. The component that passes into the blood from the intestines when stevioside is taken orally is steviol.
2.2.1.2.Distribution and metabolism
Revealing the distribution of steviol in organs is an insight to understand its systemic and toxic effects. provides. In a study examining the pharmacokinetics of stevioside, significant amounts of radioactivity were detected in the liver, intestine and kidneys after a single dose of oral intake of radiolabeled stevioside (13). According to HPLC results performed on bile, main m
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