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Stevia –a natural sugar substitute‐ attenuates endothelial dysfunction induced by hypercholesterolemia
Author(s) -
Yilmaz Cigdem Erkuran,
Latorre Johan,
Yilmaz Gokhan
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.27.1_supplement.lb36
Subject(s) - stevia rebaudiana , stevia , vasodilation , cholesterol , endothelium , medicine , lipid profile , sugar , endothelial dysfunction , food science , chemistry , endocrinology , alternative medicine , pathology
Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) is a widely used plant‐based natural sweetener with no caloric value. Although there are reports suggesting that Stevia might cause vascular relaxation, the effects of dietary Stevia intake on vascular responses in hypercholesterolemia have not been addressed in the current literature. Our objective was to test whether Stevia leaf extract would attenuate endothelium damage associated with hypercholesterolemic diet.. C57BL/6 male mice were fed with high cholesterol diet either with or without dietary Stevia for 2 weeks. Stevia leaf extract was dissolved in drinking water (1.675g per L) and administered with drinking water ad libitum. The endothelium‐dependent vasodilation was tested using ex vivo wire myography. Endothelium‐dependent vasodilation was assessed as % relaxation to 10–6 acetylcholine at aortas precontracted with 10–6 phenylephrine. Dietary Stevia intake improved the impaired endothelial vasodilation induced by high cholesterol diet (high cholesterol diet % 38±9vasodilation vs high cholesterol + Stevia %59±7 vasodilatation: P< 0.05, t‐test with Welch's correction). Since Stevia is widely used as a food additive and dietary supplement our findings indicate an alternative vascular benefit of Stevia other than reducing the caloric intake as a substitute for table sugar.