Can stevia help treat metabolic syndrome?

(Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News) Increasingly popular as a calorie-free sweetener, steviol, as well as other extracts of the Stevia rebaudiana (SR) plant have pharmacological and therapeutic activity, including effects that make them natural alternatives for treating obesity, hypertension, and elevated levels of blood sugar and lipids, all disorders associated with metabolic syndrome.
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news