Steviol glycosides boost insulin release and taste via TRPM5
What it found
In mice and lab tests, steviol glycosides made pancreatic cells release more insulin when glucose was present and made sweet, bitter and umami tastes stronger.
The effects depended on a channel called TRPM5.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Insulin release from islets
In pancreatic islets from normal mice, stevioside and steviol increased insulin release when glucose was present. This did not happen in islets from mice lacking TRPM5.
Taste perception in mice
Steviol made mice prefer sweet and umami tastes more and avoid bitter tastes more. These effects were absent in mice without TRPM5.
Blood sugar in diabetic mice
Mice on a high-fat diet that drank stevioside water for 20 weeks had lower blood sugar after a glucose challenge than mice on the same diet without stevioside. This protective effect was not seen in mice lacking TRPM5.
Insulin sensitivity
Stevioside did not change insulin sensitivity in mice on a high-fat diet, as measured by a clamp test.
Weight and food intake
Mice given stevioside gained the same amount of weight and ate the same number of calories as mice not given it.
TRPM5 mechanism
In lab tests on cells, stevioside, rebaudioside A and steviol increased the activity of the TRPM5 channel. The steviol core was enough for this effect.
What the authors conclude
“Our data show that stevioside has potent therapeutic effects for the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes in mice, and we show that the molecular mechanism of these effects is the potentiation of TRPM5 activity in β-cells.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that steviol glycosides enhance pancreatic beta-cell function and taste sensation by potentiating TRPM5 channel activity.
- They state that stevioside might be a cost-effective compound for the global battle against diabetes.
- They propose that TRPM5-potentiating drugs are a bona fide target for the development of antidiabetic drugs.
How it was done
The authors wanted to understand how steviol glycosides, natural sweeteners from the stevia plant, affect the body. Previous studies hinted they might lower blood sugar in diabetic animals, but the mechanism was unknown.
They studied cells in the lab, pancreatic islets from mice, and live mice. They gave mice stevioside in drinking water for up to 20 weeks and measured insulin, blood sugar, and taste preferences.
What it can’t tell you
- These are animal and lab studies. They can't show what happens in people.
- The study did not test whether stevioside prevents diabetes in humans.
- The long-term effects of stevioside in people are not known from this work.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by Wellcome Trust; Medical Research Council (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no competing financial interests.
- Authors work at
- Laboratory of Ion Channel Research, Belgium; Churchill Hospital, UK; Université catholique de Louvain, Belgium
The paper
- Title
- Steviol glycosides enhance pancreatic beta-cell function and taste sensation by potentiation of TRPM5 channel activity
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Philippaert K, Pironet A, Mesuere M, et al (2017). Steviol glycosides enhance pancreatic beta-cell function and taste sensation by potentiation of TRPM5 channel activity. Nature communications. doi:10.1038/ncomms14733Free full textPubMed 28361903DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error