Mixed
High-purity steviol glycosides (≥95%) are safe for use as food sweeteners, whereas crude or partially purified stevia leaf extracts are unsafe due to reproductive and renal toxicity.
If you are using stevia as a sweetener, ensure you are using a high-purity steviol glycoside product (typically ≥95% purity). Avoid consuming crude stevia leaf extracts or uncharacterized stevia compounds, as these have been linked to reproductive and kidney issues in animal studies and are not approved for use in conventional foods by the FDA.
FDA does not permit the use of crude whole-leaf extracts of stevia or uncharacterized stevia-derived compounds in conventional foods due to insufficient information to support its safety... Recent studies have been conducted with purified preparations of SGs... demonstrated lack of pharmacological activity and reproductive toxicity... FDA had no questions about these substances are GRAS for use as a sweetener in food. For the reasons described above, S. rebaudiana whole-leaf extracts or partially purified extracts containing low-purity SGs are not considered safe for use as food ingredients
Why this rating
Based on extensive toxicological in vivo studies, pharmacokinetic studies, and clinical studies in humans cited by the FDA.
Source
The Safety and Regulation of Natural Products Used as Foods and Food Ingredients
Ali H. Abdelrahman et al. · Toxicological Sciences · 2011
DOI 10.1093/toxsci/kfr198
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