Steviol glycosides and blood sugar in adults
What it found
In adults, steviol glycosides lowered fasting blood sugar slightly compared with control, but made no difference to HbA1c.
The authors rate the overall quality of the evidence as low.
What they found
Studies in people
Fasting blood glucose
Pooled results from twelve randomised trials in adults showed a small drop in fasting blood glucose with steviol glycosides compared with control.
HbA1c
There was no difference in HbA1c between the steviol glycoside and control groups.
Subgroups with benefit
Fasting blood glucose improved more in adults aged 50 or under, those without diabetes or high blood pressure at the start, and those who were overweight or obese.
Other findings
Quality of evidence
The overall quality of the evidence was rated as low.
What the authors conclude
“More evidence is required to further clarify and support the benefit of SGs as a sugar substitute for glucose metabolism.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that steviol glycosides produce a significant improvement in glucose metabolism in adults compared with control.
- They say more evidence is needed to clarify and support the benefit of steviol glycosides as a sugar substitute for glucose metabolism.
How it was done
Randomised trials had given unclear results on how steviol glycosides affect glucose metabolism in adults. The authors wanted to pool those trials to get a clearer answer.
They searched three databases for randomised controlled trials of steviol glycosides in adults. Twelve trials met the criteria, with 871 participants in total, 48% of them female.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- The overall quality of the evidence was rated as low, so the results may change with more research.
- The trials were short and varied, so the long-term effects of steviol glycosides on glucose metabolism are not known.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Jinan University, China; Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, China; Father Sean O'Sullivan Research Centre, Canada
The paper
- Title
- Effect of steviol glycosides as natural sweeteners on glucose metabolism in adult participants
- Type
- Systematic review and meta-analysisThe authors follow a set, published method to find every relevant study, then combine the numbers from them into one result.
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Bai X, Qu H, Zhang J, et al (2024). Effect of steviol glycosides as natural sweeteners on glucose metabolism in adult participants. Food & function. doi:10.1039/d3fo04695hPubMed 38512280DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error