The most common causes of morbidity and mortality are
cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), which are typically associated with stress, insufficient exercise, poor diet, and
overweight. CVDs can be prevented by modifying certain risk factors, such as
cholesterol and
blood sugar levels and
body weight. Natural
sugars from fruits and honey have long been part of the human diet. However, although
sucrose was the main
sweetener during the 20th century, it is gradually being replaced by
artificial sweeteners. These are many times sweeter than natural
sugar and as they often have no calories, they may be used for weight control. Some papers indicate that natural
sweeteners such as stevia (obtained from Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni) may be safer alternatives for prophylaxis of CVDs. Therefore, this mini-review provides an overview of existing knowledge about the effects of stevia and its secondary metabolites on cardiovascular risk factors, particularly its
antihyperlipidemic properties; however, only a few studies have evaluated the effects of stevia in humans, and they tend to be of low quality. For example, only one experiment has confirmed that stevia extract has
antihyperlipidemic action in women with
hypercholesterolemia, and another indicates that
stevioside can manage blood pressure in patients with mild
hypertension. Additionally, the concentrations of the bioactive components of stevia leaves have no clear correlation with their
biological properties, especially in human models. Therefore, future research should be focused on in vivo studies evaluating the effects of regular consumption of stevia products on the cardiovascular system and CVD risk factors, both in healthy individuals and those with diabetes. Further studies are needed to clarify the mechanism of action behind the functional effects of stevia preparations, including those of two major secondary metabolites:
stevioside and
rebaudioside A.