A Study on the Safety of Stevioside as a New Sweetening Source

The safety of the sweetening component of stevia was studied by administrating it to the rats. The determined by intraperitoneal injection was 3,400 mg/Kg as the stevia extract containing 50 % stevioside, i.e. of stevioside was more than 1,700 mg/Kg. Oral administration of large quantities of the stevia extract for 56 days resulted in no effect on the growth of rats. The analyses of total blood (RBC, WBC, Hb and Hct), 17 blood serum components including total protein, glucose, cholesterol, GOT, and 11 items of findings on the liver tissues including nuclear deterioration of liver cells, proliferation of Kupffer cells, fibrosis of portal area showed no significant differences between control and treatments except lactate dehydrogenase activity after 56 day-oral administration of the extract. From the results obtained, it was supposed that the stevia extract/stevioside revealed no acute or sub-acute toxic effects on rats.