Stevia Suppresses Swelling

BANGKOK, Thailand--Stevioside, a non-caloric sweetener isolated from Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni, may suppress harmful inflammation, according to a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (54, 3:785-9, 2006).

Researchers from Mahidol University used lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to induce inflammation in a human acute monocytic leukemia cell line (THP-1 cells) and treated the cells with stevioside. At 1 mM, stevioside significantly inhibited LPS-induced release of the inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor alpha and interleukin 1-beta without exerting any direct toxic effects. The researchers concluded the data suggest stevioside attenuates synthesis of inflammatory mediators in LPS-stimulated THP-1 cells.