Stevia And Belly Fat: How This Sweetener May Help with Fat Loss and Benefit Your Health

After several decades of health experts warning about the negative effects of added sugar on health and well-being (1, 2), the world has finally decided to listen and many people are turning their back on added sugar. 

However, going sugar-free isn’t something that comes easily to everyone. Even as we say no to added sugar, some still crave the sweetness of sugar and this is where sugar substitutes come in.

Stevia is one such substitute that gained popularity with the clean eating-no sugar crowd. But is stevia all it’s cracked up to be? Are the reported benefits of sugar substitutes on belly fat true or have they been exaggerated? Read on to learn more about this sweetener, how it measures up against other alternatives, and if it can help with weight and belly fat loss.

What Is Stevia?

Britannica describes stevia as a non-nutritive sweetener that is used as a replacement for table sugar. This sweetener comes from the sweet-tasting leaves of the Stevia rebaudiana plant that’s native to Paraguay in South America (3, 4).

Some fun facts about stevia:

• Before the world became aware of this sugar alternative, the Guaraní people had been using it and have a long history with it – more than 1,500 years. They’re said to have used it in their teas and traditional medicines.
• Stevia is currently enjoying its second wave of popularity. The first wave was in the 1970s when the Japanese people imported and enjoyed the product. Japan remains a huge market for this product.
• This sweetener is also largely consumed in other East Asian countries and in India.
• Despite being more than 300 times more sweet than table sugar, stevia is non-glycemic, which means it doesn’t raise your blood sugar levels. Check out our article on stevia and intermittent fasting to learn how to use this sweetener during fasting.

What Are the Benefits of Eating Stevia?

Let’s take a quick look at how the consumption of this natural sweetening agent could be beneficial to your overall health.

It Has Little to No Calories

This is perhaps the main benefit that everyone associates with this sweetener. We all know that excess calorie intake is one of the biggest causes of weight gain and belly fat – that’s why when losing weight, people are usually advised to start by reducing their food intake in order to create a calorie deficit.

If you want to reduce your calorie intake, replacing sugar with stevia may be a good place to start. According to the USDA, 100 g of stevia powder has zero calories (5). This is a huge difference from table sugar where just 1 teaspoon (4.2g) has 16.8 calories (6).

This makes this natural sweetener a healthy alternative to sugar in coffee and tea.

Please note: 

• While stevia powder doesn’t have any calories (5), liquid stevia has some. The latter contains about 51 cals per 100g, which translates to 0.051 calories per drop – a negligible amount (7)
• Powdered stevia may not have calories, but it does have carbohydrates. However, they are also negligible as a serving (0.1 g) of stevia only has 0.1 g of carbs (5)

May Help with Blood Sugar Control

If you suffer from an illness that affects your blood sugar, you may find that your doctor recommends you this sweetener as a replacement for table sugar. 

This is because this sweetening agent contains zero calories and has no impact on your blood sugar. 

In addition, studies have shown that its consumption doesn’t affect insulin or blood glucose response and may even help lower high blood sugar levels when it replaces sugar in the diet (8, 9, 10).

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May Improve Cardiovascular Health

If you’ve had issues with your blood pressure, specifically if it’s higher than it should be, then consuming stevia can be one of the things you can do to try and manage or treat this. 

Several studies have found that patients have experienced slightly lower blood pressure after adding this sweetener to their diets (11, 12, 13). Remember that stevia alone won’t treat or fully prevent this issue – it’s just a potential supplementary measure.

Better for Your Dental Health

The World Health Organisation describes dental issues as “a major public health problem globally and the most widespread noncommunicable disease” and sugar is a main contributing factor to this problem (14). 

Thankfully, switching from table sugar to stevia could put you and your loved ones at a lower risk of this. Studies have shown that this alternative doesn’t have the fermentable carbohydrates that encourage bacteria growth in the mouth and it may also have antiplaque and antigingivitis properties (15, 16).

Check out our article on coconut sugar vs stevia to learn which is better for your health.

May Help with Weight Loss and Management

Does stevia cause weight loss? No, but it can be a contributing factor that can lead to weight loss.

Additional sugar intake is a key contributing factor to weight gain and obesity (17), so it stands to reason that reducing sugar intake or switching to a no-calorie alternative may help prevent or reverse this issue.

Stevia has virtually no calories, so by substituting table sugar for it, you automatically create a small deficit in your diet.

Studies have also suggested that this sweetening agent can help with weight loss and management.

In a study published in Nutrients in 2020 researchers found that the addition of stevia to the diet among healthy individuals resulted in reduced energy intake over 12 weeks and helped them maintain their weight (18).

In 2023, another study also published in Nutrients found that after 90 days of consuming stevia rather than added sugars, along with a physical activity regimen, overweight subjects saw significant positive changes in their weight and waist circumference (19).

Read more: 7 Benefits of Quitting Caffeine, and What To Drink Instead

What Are Some Stevia Side Effects?

Over the years, stevia has faced multiple reports regarding dangerous side effects, but they were just part of the stevia myth and most of them have already been debunked. Stevia is safe to consume in the recommended amount. The main issues you should pay attention to are effects to your gastrointestinal health and hormone production.

• Gastrointestinal Health

Some products that contain stevia may also contain other sweeteners that are called sugar alcohols or polyols. According to a systematic review published in Advances in Nutrition, sugar alcohols can trigger hypersensitivity in some individuals. This hypersensitivity comes with symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, indigestion, cramping, and bloating (20). Some people also find that stevia causes indigestion and other gastrointestinal side effects.

• Low blood pressure

As mentioned above, one effect of stevia may be lower blood pressure. This could result in hypotension in people who already have low blood pressure or who are taking medication to lower their blood pressure. 

• Medication interaction

It’s also possible that stevia could interact with certain medications, such as lithium, so you should talk to your doctor if you’re taking any medication to find out about any potential interactions. 

• Hormone Production

One study published in 2016 found that a certain metabolite of stevia may have the potential to act as an endocrine disruptor – a chemical that can interfere with the body’s hormones. However, this was a test tube study that used incredibly high concentrations and more research is needed before any conclusions can be drawn (21).

Is Stevia Good for Losing Belly Fat?

Yes, it can be. As mentioned above, studies have suggested that the addition of this substitute to the diet in place of added sugar can reduce calorie intake, which can help with overall weight loss and reduced waist circumference (19). 

However, stevia isn’t a miracle worker. In order to see the best belly fat loss results, you must remember to eat at a calorie deficit, consume a healthy balanced diet, and increase your daily physical activity levels by exercising for at least 30 minutes a day.

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Does Stevia Cause Weight Gain?

No, it doesn’t. While many sources claim that it may cause belly fat, none of them list credible scientific studies as the backing to their claims. What we can say for sure is that multiple studies have suggested that this sucrose alternative works well as a strategy for overweight and obesity prevention, weight management and control of blood sugar (18, 19, 22).

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Can Stevia Cause Bloating And Weight Gain?

As mentioned above, this sweetener may be included in products that also contain sugar alcohols, which can cause bloating in some people. Stevia itself may also cause digestive side effects in some people, although this is probably less common. There is no evidence of it causing weight gain – weight gain and weight loss are influenced by overall diet, along with many other factors.

Read more: Keto and Sugar: Can You Have Them Both?

Can You Add Stevia to Ginger Tea and Still Burn Belly Fat?

Yes, you can. As we’ve already mentioned, stevia is a great tool that can help with weight loss – and with weight loss comes belly fat loss. At least one meta-analysis has found that ginger supplementation helped to significantly reduce body weight, hip ratio, and waist-to-hip ratio (23). While it’s probably not a magic weight loss potion, ginger tea with stevia can be incorporated into a healthy balanced diet and lifestyle plan for weight loss. At the very least, it’s a calorie-free alternative to sugary beverages.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Does stevia cause water retention?

No, it doesn’t. Research in rats suggests that stevia causes diuresis, i.e. the increased or excessive production of urine (24). Urination is one of the main ways to get rid of water retention/water weight in the body.

• Does stevia cause cancer?

No, it doesn’t. Not only is this sweetening agent not listed as a carcinogen, but one study published in Molecules concluded that stevia can be an integral part of a plant-based diet that is used for cancer prevention or therapy in combination with conventional treatments (25).

• Does stevia bloat your stomach?

It might. While it’s uncommon, people who are sensitive can experience bloating or indigestion if they consume a stevia product. Stevia is also sometimes included in products with sugar alcohols, which are commonly associated with gastrointestinal side effects.

• Does stevia affect the body like sugar?

No, it doesn’t. It may taste like sugar, but it doesn’t have any calories and doesn’t affect blood sugar or elicit an insulin response the way sugar would. 

• Does stevia affect hormones?

There is some preliminary evidence that a particular metabolite of stevia may have the potential to act as an endocrine disruptor. However, this is based on test tube studies that used very high concentrations. More research is needed to draw any meaningful conclusions.

• Why are people avoiding stevia?

The avoidance of this sweetener could be due to the following:

1. Misinformation that makes them believe that stevia is harmful.
2. Potential side effects such as bloating, nausea, or indigestion after consuming it. They may also avoid it for certain health reasons or because of a medication interaction.
3. Some people simply don’t like the taste of non-sugar sweeteners.

The Bottom Line

When it comes to stevia and belly fat, this healthy sucrose alternative can be a tool for helping get rid of excess abdominal fat as well as overall weight loss. However, stevia alone isn’t the answer. You must also ensure you improve your eating and exercising habits. Be more physically active, eat healthy calorie deficit meals, sleep for at least 7 hours a night, and remain well hydrated – this combination is what will give you the best results.