Home Ingredients Vitosa® (Next Generation Stevia — BGG)
Metabolic Health

Vitosa® (Next Generation Stevia — BGG)

Stevia rebaudiana
Evidence Level
Limited
1 Clinical Trial
5 Documented Benefits
2/5 Evidence Score

Vitosa is BGG's branded stevia sweetener, made from the leaves of Stevia rebaudiana. No published human study has tested Vitosa itself. Every study cited on this page used generic stevia extract or purified steviol glycosides. Those studies show that stevia sweeteners do not raise blood sugar the way table sugar does, which is why stevia is used in place of sugar in foods and drinks. Claims that Vitosa tastes better or is purer than other stevia come from the manufacturer and have not been independently tested.

Studied Dose No published trial has tested Vitosa at any dose. Everyday sweetener use is a few milligrams to tens of milligrams of steviol glycosides per serving. Be aware that the blood pressure study cited here used a very different, drug-style dose: 500 mg of purified stevioside three times a day (1,500 mg daily) for two years.
Active Compound Steviol glycosides (stevioside, rebaudioside A and others)

Benefits

Natural Sugar Substitute

Steviol glycosides are intensely sweet but supply no calories, so they can be used in place of sugar. This is a property of stevia sweeteners in general and has not been tested for Vitosa specifically. Swapping sugar for stevia lowers the sugar in a food; it is not itself a treatment for diabetes or for excess weight.

Supported by Trial 1

No Glycemic Impact

In human crossover trials, stevia preloads did not raise blood sugar or insulin after a meal the way sugar did (PMID 20303371, PMID 31842388), and a systematic review and network meta-analysis of non-nutritively sweetened drinks found the same (PMID 36839408). This means stevia does not add to blood sugar when it replaces sugar. It does not mean stevia lowers blood sugar. FDA treats purified steviol glycosides as generally recognized as safe (GRAS).

Supported by Trial 1

Taste (Manufacturer Claim, Not a Health Benefit)

The manufacturer says Vitosa is refined to reduce the bitter, licorice-like aftertaste that some people notice with stevia. No published taste comparison of Vitosa against other stevia products was found, and taste is not a health benefit.

Supported by Trial 1

Heat-Stable for Cooking and Beverages

Steviol glycosides hold their sweetness when heated, so they can be used in baking and in processed drinks. This is a handling property of the ingredient for manufacturers, not a health effect for you.

Supported by Trial 1

Comes From a Plant Rather Than a Lab

Steviol glycosides are extracted from the stevia leaf rather than made synthetically like sucralose, aspartame or saccharin. Coming from a plant does not by itself make a sweetener healthier. The one cited study that compared them head to head (PMID 20303371) looked only at blood sugar, insulin and fullness after a single meal, and stevia and aspartame behaved similarly.

Supported by Trial 1

Mechanism of action

1

Steviol Glycoside Sweetness

Stevia leaves contain steviol glycosides — naturally intensely sweet, roughly 200 to 400 times sweeter than table sugar. The body does not use them for energy, so they add no calories.

2

Bitter Receptor Considerations

Some steviol glycosides activate bitter taste receptors on the tongue, which is where stevia's aftertaste comes from. BGG says its purification lowers the bitter-tasting compounds in Vitosa. That is a manufacturer claim; no published measurement or comparison was found.

3

No Insulin Response

In the cited human trials, stevia preloads did not raise insulin after a meal the way sugar did (PMID 20303371). 'Appropriate for diabetic dietary management' overstates this: replacing sugar with stevia is a dietary swap, not a treatment for diabetes, and people with diabetes should follow their own clinician's advice.

Clinical trials

1
Generic Stevia and Blood Sugar: a summary of separate studies, not a Vitosa trial
PubMed

This entry summarises several separate studies of generic stevia extract and purified steviol glycosides. None of them tested Vitosa. The study linked below is a randomised controlled trial of stevia in people already diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (PMID 32257884).

Healthy adults in the short single-meal crossover trials (PMID 20303371, PMID 31842388); people already diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in PMID 32257884; 174 Chinese adults with mild essential hypertension in PMID 14693305.

In healthy adults, stevia did not raise blood sugar or insulin after a meal the way sugar did. In the two-year trial in people with mild high blood pressure, 500 mg of purified stevioside three times daily (1,500 mg a day) lowered average systolic pressure from about 150 to about 140 mmHg and diastolic from about 95 to about 89 mmHg compared with placebo. That was a drug-style dose given to diagnosed patients over two years, and it is not a reason to expect any blood pressure change from sweetening a drink.

Side effects and drug interactions

Common Potential side effects

Well tolerated in the studies cited here, including two years of daily use in the hypertension trial.
Mild GI distress at very high doses (rare).
Some people notice a bitter or licorice-like aftertaste. The manufacturer says Vitosa reduces this; that has not been independently tested.
Allergic reactions to Asteraceae rare.
FDA GRAS for steviol glycosides.

Important Drug interactions

Blood pressure medicines: a two-year trial using 1,500 mg a day of purified stevioside in people with mild hypertension found lower blood pressure, so an additive effect is theoretically possible at that kind of dose. Ordinary sweetener amounts are far smaller.
Diabetes medicines: one randomised trial in people with type 2 diabetes reported lower fasting blood glucose with stevia (PMID 32257884). If you take glucose-lowering medication, mention stevia use to your clinician.
Lithium: a theoretical interaction only. No study cited on this page looked at stevia together with lithium, or at stevia's effect on kidney function.
Pregnancy: purified steviol glycosides are permitted as a food additive, but none of the studies cited here included pregnant women. Ask your clinician.
Breastfeeding: no study cited here included breastfeeding women. Ask your clinician.
Children: steviol glycosides are permitted in foods, but none of the studies cited here were done in children.

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Frequently asked questions about Vitosa® (Next Generation Stevia — BGG)

What is Vitosa?

Vitosa is BGG's branded stevia sweetener, made from the leaves of Stevia rebaudiana. No published human study has tested Vitosa itself. Every study cited on this page used generic stevia extract or purified steviol glycosides.

What is Vitosa used for?

Vitosa is researched primarily for Metabolic Health. Steviol glycosides are intensely sweet but supply no calories, so they can be used in place of sugar. This is a property of stevia sweeteners in general and has not been tested for Vitosa specifically.

What is the recommended dosage of Vitosa?

The clinically studied dose is No published trial has tested Vitosa at any dose. Everyday sweetener use is a few milligrams to tens of milligrams of steviol glycosides per serving. Always follow the product label and check with a healthcare provider for personal advice.

Is Vitosa safe, and does it have side effects?

For most healthy adults, Vitosa is well tolerated at studied doses. Reported effects can include: Well tolerated in the studies cited here, including two years of daily use in the hypertension trial. Mild GI distress at very high doses (rare). It may also interact with some medications. Vitosa is not right for everyone, so check with a healthcare provider first if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a medical condition, or take prescription medication.

Does Vitosa interact with any medications?

Possible interactions include: Blood pressure medicines: a two-year trial using 1,500 mg a day of purified stevioside in people with mild hypertension found lower blood pressure, so an additive effect is theoretically possible at that kind of dose. Ordinary sweetener amounts are far smaller. If you take prescription medication, check with a pharmacist or doctor before using it.

How strong is the scientific evidence for Vitosa?

NutraSmarts rates the evidence for Vitosa as Limited (2 out of 5). It is backed by 1 clinical trial and 5 cited references summarized on this page. A higher rating reflects more, larger, and better-designed human studies.

References(5 citations)

Evidence ratings on NutraSmarts are based on the totality of human clinical research, with emphasis on randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses, and systematic reviews. The references below directly support claims made throughout this page.

  1. Anton SD, Martin CK, Han H, Coulon S, Cefalu WT, Geiselman P, Williamson DA Effects of stevia, aspartame, and sucrose on food intake, satiety, and postprandial glucose and insulin levels Appetite. 2010;55(1):37-43. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2010.03.009.PubMedUsed to support: Human crossover trial comparing stevia, aspartame and sucrose preloads. Stevia did not raise blood glucose or insulin after the meal the way sucrose did, and participants reported similar fullness. This is generic stevia, not Vitosa, and it supports the substitution claim only.
  2. Ajami M, Seyfi M, Hosseini FA, Naseri P, Velayati A, Mahmoudnia F, Zahedirad M, Hajifaraji M Effects of stevia on glycemic and lipid profile of type 2 diabetic patients: A randomized controlled trial Avicenna J Phytomed. 2020;10(2):118-127.PubMedUsed to support: Randomised controlled trial in people already diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, reporting improved fasting blood glucose and lipids versus placebo. Because it was done in patients, it cannot describe what stevia does for a healthy person, and a fall in fasting glucose is a different finding from 'no glycemic impact'. Generic stevia, not Vitosa.
  3. Hsieh MH, Chan P, Sue YM, Liu JC, Liang TH, Huang TY, Tomlinson B, Chow MS, Kao PF, Chen YJ Efficacy and tolerability of oral stevioside in patients with mild essential hypertension: a two-year, randomized, placebo-controlled study Clin Ther. 2003;25(11):2797-808. doi: 10.1016/s0149-2918(03)80334-x.PubMedUsed to support: Two-year randomised placebo-controlled trial in 174 Chinese adults with mild essential hypertension taking 500 mg of purified stevioside three times a day (1,500 mg daily). Systolic pressure fell from about 150 to about 140 mmHg and diastolic from about 95 to about 89 mmHg versus placebo, and the compound was well tolerated over two years. This is a drug-style regimen in diagnosed patients, not sweetener use, and Vitosa was not the product tested.
  4. Farhat G, Berset V, Moore L Effects of Stevia Extract on Postprandial Glucose Response, Satiety and Energy Intake: A Three-Arm Crossover Trial Nutrients. 2019;11(12):3036. doi: 10.3390/nu11123036.PubMedUsed to support: Three-arm crossover trial in which stevia extract did not raise blood glucose after the meal and was linked with lower total energy intake compared with sucrose. Generic stevia extract, not Vitosa.
  5. Zhang R, Noronha JC, Khan TA, McGlynn N, Back S, Grant SM, Kendall CW, Sievenpiper JL The Effect of Non-Nutritive Sweetened Beverages on Postprandial Glycemic and Endocrine Responses: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis Nutrients. 2023;15(4):1050. doi: 10.3390/nu15041050.PubMedUsed to support: Systematic review and network meta-analysis of non-nutritively sweetened drinks, including stevia, finding no rise in blood glucose after the drink compared with water. This is evidence about sweeteners as a class, not about Vitosa, and it shows an absence of effect rather than a benefit.