From:
"ytonytcla"
Date: 2006-11-09 23:54:49 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: Stevia
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
--- In ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com,
"Ulrike" <ferretlove.uk@...> wrote:
>
> I am wondering whether there is any reason not to use
stevia when having
> medication for ferrets compounded? I'm not a huge fan of
artificial
> sweeteners and sugar is not the best option so is stevia
okay for ferrets?=20
>
> Ulrike
>
Not a lot of info about but see following extract and link.
Reproductive problems.
Stevioside "seems to affect the male reproductive organ
system," European scientists concluded last year. When male
rats were fed high doses of stevioside for 22 months, sperm
production was reduced, the weight of seminal vesicles (which
produce seminal fluid) declined, and there was an increase in
cell proliferation in their testicles, which could cause infertility
or other problems.1 And when female hamsters were fed large
amounts of a derivative of stevioside called steviol, they had
fewer and smaller offspring.2 Would small amounts of stevia
also cause reproductive problems? No one knows.
Cancer.
In the laboratory, steviol can be converted into a mutagenic
compound, which may promote cancer by causing mutations in
the cells' genetic material (DNA). "We don't know if the
conversion of stevioside to steviol to a mutagen happens in
humans," says Huxtable. "It's probably a minor issue, but it
clearly needs to be resolved."
Energy metabolism.
Very large amounts of stevioside can interfere with the
absorption of carbohydrates in animals and disrupt the
conversion of food into energy within cells. "This may be of
particular concern for children," says Huxtable.
The bottom line: If you use stevia sparingly (once or twice a
day in a cup of tea, for example), it isn't a great threat to you.
But if stevia were marketed widely and used in diet sodas, it
would be consumed by millions of people. And that might pose
a public health threat.
http://www.cspinet.org/nah/4_00/stevia.html
Tony, Sugar and Suki.
In memory of Sally and Sue