Does sweet stevia tea affect baby rats?
Early consumption of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni on rat females: actions on their fertility, progeny and behavior.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Rats that drank stevia water before and during pregnancy had fewer babies, mostly girls, took longer to give birth, and their babies were heavier at birth. The mom rats also acted differently—less interested in male rats, less nervous, and more cautious.
Surprising Findings
Stevia reduced anxiety-like behavior in rats — a counterintuitive result since many assume artificial sweeteners cause stress or mood disruption.
Most people think non-caloric sweeteners trigger anxiety or cravings — but here, rats were calmer in open spaces, even if they became more cautious.
Practical Takeaways
Pregnant women or those planning pregnancy may consider limiting daily stevia intake until more human data is available.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Rats that drank stevia water before and during pregnancy had fewer babies, mostly girls, took longer to give birth, and their babies were heavier at birth. The mom rats also acted differently—less interested in male rats, less nervous, and more cautious.
Surprising Findings
Stevia reduced anxiety-like behavior in rats — a counterintuitive result since many assume artificial sweeteners cause stress or mood disruption.
Most people think non-caloric sweeteners trigger anxiety or cravings — but here, rats were calmer in open spaces, even if they became more cautious.
Practical Takeaways
Pregnant women or those planning pregnancy may consider limiting daily stevia intake until more human data is available.
Publication
Journal
The Journal of nutrition
Year
2025
Authors
M. Kruse, Héctor Coirini, Mariana Rey
Related Content
Claims (6)
Stevia consumption at dietary-relevant doses significantly reduces fertility rates in mammalian models by disrupting hormonal regulation of reproductive function.
When female rats drank stevia water from a young age, they had trouble getting pregnant, had fewer babies, and had more girl babies than boy babies.
The longer the rats drank stevia before getting pregnant, the longer their pregnancies lasted, they had fewer babies, but the babies they did have were heavier at birth.
Rats that drank stevia didn’t prefer male rats as much, seemed less nervous in new places, but were more cautious and took longer to explore.
Even though the stevia-drinking rats ate and drank the same amount as others, they weighed less during mid-pregnancy.