Agave nectar and diabetes

Sorry it took me so long to get back to you; but, between my job and getting my husband's carashed computer up and running again, I have been very short on time. I have researched stevia in great detail in the past and while it is "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS) I think you should be aware that it does have TWO side effects which make regular usage inappropriate for some people. (Occasional usage of small amounts does not seem to result in these side effects; but, daily usage does.) 1) It affects the way that the liver metabolizes carbohydrates. This very fact is why it is so good for diabetics. BUT, this same effect makes it inappropriate for pregnant women and children. The result for them is that they do not get enough calories and nutrition from carbohydrates to promote proper growth of either the child or the fetus. 2) It also decreases fertility in both males and females. No research has been completed yet to prove whether this is reversable or not. So, IF you are planning on having children, regular usage of stevia in NOT a good idea. There are a lot of myths and misconceptions about why the FDA has not approved stevia (several other countries have NOT approved it either); but, the fact is that these two side effects make unlimited use of stevia in our food and beverage unsafe for a percentage of our population (every child and anyone who has any plans of reproducing).

estaeheli - with stevia it is not a matter of using too much at a time; it is a matter of the frequency of use. A single drink once each day sweetened with stevia is enough to bring about the side effects in just 2 - 3 weeks. Using more stevia at a time just makes the side effects more severe. Before we "discovered" stevia - it was being used in South American jungles to treat diabetes by the tribal healers. Even they refused to treat children and pregnant women with stevia because they knew it was "not good for them". They had not connected the infertility issue to stevia - they just though the "gods were not blessing the person's family with more children".

As with anything, it has to do with how much you are eating. If you make a pig out of yourself on any one food, it can be detrimental. We should be learning to eat a balanced diet, with sweets being a small part.

You're welcome. So many people only look at the short term effects of foods , beverages, supplements, and medications; that are noticeable immediately. But, there are a lot of short term effects that we cannot see going on in our bodies all the time - increases in blood pressure, cholesterol, etc. We only find out about them when the cumulative effect becomes noticeable; or, we get the results of our blood tests back. By that time, it is almost impossible to trace the problem back to it's source and a lot of the time, we just "chalk it up" to age or normal progression of a disease (like diabetes). Of course, manufacturers and sellers are NOT going to tell you about these problems or you wouldn't buy their products and they wouldn't make any money. So, when I do find out about something like this, I do try to spread the word.

I have sarcoidosis and celiac disease as well, and yes, I was chalking them up to them diabetes, I was so tired of all the years of people blaming my poor diabetes care, when there were other issues at hand that no one knew of, I was a GREAT diabetic, so it didnt make sense as to why I couldnt get great results from all of my cautiousness.

Actually, you are only partially right. There are MANY things that cause insulin resistance. The more of those things you have in your life and diet the worse the problem will become. Eliminating any one or two of those things will help; eliminating even more will help even more. Agave nectar (raw organic or not) is VERY high in fructose - fructose cannot be absorbed directly from the digestive tract into the blood stream so it does not cause a spike in blood sugar and it is low glycemic. However, for fructose to be used by the body it HAS to be processed by the liver. EXCESS fructose (above and beyond a few grams) IS turned into triglycerides/fatty acids and DOES contribute to insulin resistance. Agave nectar is safe if the person only uses small amounts and is NOT getting fructose from other sources. But, if you have a person who is already insulin resistant encouraging them to use ANY additional source of fructose is just going to add to their problems. You can agree or disagree all you want - BUT, it is a FACT that the sugars in agave nectar are between 90% - 95% fructose AND it is a FACT that excess fructose (more than would be consumed in 2 - 3 pieces of fruit) is excess to a healthy liver's processing ability and is detrimental to anyone who is a diabetic. I do not know WHO told you that insulin gets "stuck in fat cells"; but, if you paid money for that information, I would ask for my money back. A lot of different things are stored in fat cells (excess hormones, etc); but, insulin is not one of them.