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Dr Justin Gallant ND
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Sweeteners Like Stevia and Hypoglycemia by Dr. Justin Gallant ND

3/28/2014

17 Comments

 
Picture
Sugar has developed a bad name these days and for good reason. It contributes to inflammation, cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, acne, alzheimer’s… you name it.

Although sugar has such a bad name and commonly has negative effects on our system, we have to keep in mind that our brains, muscles and all cells NEED glucose in order to function. Our brains use ~30% of the glucose we take in. Glucose is our fuel.

Click "Read More" to read on about how sweeteners affect athletes, diabetics and people who use them in meal replacements. 



In the last couple decades companies have capitalized on sweeteners and sugar alternatives. Aspartame, sucralose, stevia, etc… They put them in everything now so we can have our cake and eat it too. There are a couple of major issues with these sweeteners though. Our tongue perceives their sweetness (these products are over 30x sweeter than sugar) and sends a message to our pancreas to secrete insulin to break down glucose. But wait! There is no glucose in our bloodstream, we just fooled it, so that insulin is going to wander around looking for glucose and then contribute to hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and fat production.

For those using stevia-sweetened drinks to replenish yourself after exercise, make sure you read this! After you work out your blood sugar is going to be really low. If you have a drink with stevia, instead of sugar, your body is going to think that you’re giving it glucose and start to feel a bit better. The problem is the glucose we create from stevia is never absorbed into our bloodstream! Our tongues perceive sweetness and secrete insulin regardless of whether we turn stevia into glucose further down our digestive tract. This is bringing you further into hypoglycemia.

I recommend stevia, just like most things, in moderation. If you’re constantly consuming stevia-based drinks you’re going to be playing games with your pancreas and setting yourself up for hypoglycemia among other issues. If you need to replenish your glucose quickly, I suggest actual glucose but hopefully you’ll be consuming complex carbohydrates and protein properly so you don’t get to that point. If you like a product that is based on stevia you could always just have a piece of fruit with it so you are getting some glucose into blood stream for that insulin to bind to.

Hypoglycemia is commonly misdiagnosed and can manifest as several different conditions. Some of these conditions are: anxiety, fatigue, nausea, headaches, seizures, palpitations, etc… for a complete list refer to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypoglycemia. You wouldn’t believe how many people experience hypoglycemia on a daily basis but don’t realize it. I've had several migraine, IBS, chronic fatigue and seizure patients who were actually experiencing hypoglycemia and once they avoided going into a hypoglycemic state their symptoms went away! 

This topic relates to my previous blog, “Why do I wake up at night between 1am and 3am”. That graph I drew is basically the same except the cortisol isn’t going to be secreted at 3am it’s going to be secreted when you get hypoglycemic after a workout and you try to replenish glucose with stevia.  You’re not preventing or treating hypoglycemia, your adrenal glands are secreting cortisol to increase your blood sugar. This will eventually lead to adrenal fatigue. The same goes for people who aren’t necessarily exercising but they are going too long between meals without eating. If you have a stevia-based drink or meal replacement and don’t eat an actual meal for more than 4-5 hours you’ll definitely go into a hypoglycemic state. Diabetics may think these stevia-based products are great for them but the combination of not getting glucose into the bloodstream and them taking insulin is bad news! Their sugar is going to get way too low and they’ll start getting the hypoglycemia effects mentioned in the Wikipedia article mentioned above.  

Thanks for reading! 
If you have any questions or would like to book an appointment with me please contact me via the contact form. 
Sincerely, 
Dr. Justin Gallant ND
17 Comments
Deb Anderson
11/14/2014 04:11:01 am

I'm looking for the scientific data to support the contention that things that taste sweet cause hypoglycemia. So far, I haven't located any. Do you have any suggestions for me?

Reply
Justin Gallant ND link
11/28/2014 04:36:35 am

Hey Deb, what is your email address?

Reply
Linda Preston
1/17/2015 01:47:39 pm

I am currently researching non-nutritive sweeteners with regard to weight gain, including stevia. The subjects are mice and it will be interesting to see if the mice gain the same as they did with aspartame.

Do you have a peer reviewed article you can share with me that goes into the pros and cons of stevia? Actually any articles that are peer reviewed that deal with health aspects (e.g., diabetes).

Thank you in advance!
Linda

Reply
Dr. Justin Gallant ND link
7/15/2015 10:11:34 am

Hey Linda,

I'm sorry I don't have any one hand.
I was just applying my pathophysiology and biochemistry brains.
If you come across anything let me know!

Reply
Emily
7/23/2015 11:59:57 pm

Wow, thank you so much for this information! I was diagnosed with hypoglycemia 3 years ago after using stevia daily for close to a decade. Didn't see the connection till now. Can hypoglycemia be reversed???

Reply
Dr. Justin Gallant ND link
7/24/2015 02:58:43 am

Hey Emily,

Glad to help.
Check out my article about fixing hypoglycemia here: http://www.drjustingallantnd.com/blog/why-do-i-wake-up-between-1am-and-3am
There are some good tips for avoiding hypoglycemia.

Reply
nurul
12/11/2015 02:45:20 am

Thanks. Worth reading.

Reply
Dr Justin Gallant ND link
4/17/2016 07:44:56 pm

Thank you!

Reply
Natalie link
4/17/2016 05:09:24 pm

Thanks for the info have had hypoglycemia for over 11 years now and did not know this explained why I have a lot of the symptoms I have awhile after drinking things with artifical sweetners. Been staying away from them and have eliminated my symptoms

Reply
Dr Justin Gallant ND link
4/17/2016 07:46:02 pm

Great to hear!
Thanks for the feedback!

Reply
Jake Randall
4/26/2016 02:00:19 pm

Stevia does not raise blood sugar levels, just a clarification.

Reply
Dr Justin Gallant ND link
4/26/2016 03:12:42 pm

Thanks Jake,
This whole article is about stevia lowering blood sugar. Is there a section of this article that needs clarification?

Reply
P
5/12/2016 10:49:26 am

Great article! Could you refer me to someone near Visalia, California? Thank you!

Reply
Dr Justin Gallant ND
1/21/2018 08:24:49 pm

Hey P,

Sorry for the delay!
Thank you!
If you haven't found one yet.
This guy is a naturopathic doctor and a chiropractor, with proper training.
Dr. John Reifenberg, ND,DC

Reply
Sheila
1/21/2018 05:44:06 am

thanks so much for this article. i havent found anything else about this on the net and its really helped me out ,. Last night I did cycling work out after eating a lot ( a lot!) of chocolate sweetened with stevia, then started feeling tummy cramp & nausea a couple hours after. Today i woke up with an episode of nausea, and hypersalivation and tummy cramps with the feeling of sickness..it comes in waves... with pressure at the back of my head ...and also heart palpitationsn sweating some mornings... i feel like this may be related to stevia and hypoglycemia , since it has happened a few times this year since eating using some stevia products and i feel healthy otherwise.

Reply
Dr Justin Gallant ND
1/21/2018 08:25:56 pm

Hey Sheila,

Thanks for writing in!
If it persists, make sure you work with a naturopathic doctor or your medical doctor to try to determine what's going on.

Reply
naki adil
8/19/2019 11:16:20 am

I am on a very low carb diet and never experienced hypoglycemia in my whole life. Yesterday I took stevia while I was on OMAD. I took stevia around 6pm. I experienced hypoglycemia at 5 AM. It all vanished when I took table sugar. It took only 2 minutes to disapear. It had the same symptoms of Food poisoning symptoms. Plus sweeting, heart palpitations, dizziness..

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    Dr Justin Gallant ND

    Naturopathic Doctor with a passion for teaching about health. Health detective, health guide, health ambassador and health educator. 
    Hamilton, Ontario

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