Based on all the data we currently have, we believe that stevia is the safest and best tasting, natural, zero calorie sweetener available. Please keep in mind that we only use pesticide-free stevia that is processed with ZERO chemicals.

Also, we only use a standard 100mg of stevia per scoop in all our products, and all the data we’ve seen supports that is an extremely safe, low dose. A lot of the side effects people begin to experience are from consuming over 1g a day (10 servings of our products). Our customers also prefer low carb products, which is why we use a zero calorie option versus honey or another sweetener.

Regarding concerns of stevia being an endocrine disruptor, our founder, Dr. Anthony Gustin, dove deep into that research with Dr. James DiNicolantonio and Courtney Sperlazza (MPH), and here’s what they found:

One lab study found that sperm cells exposed to stevia produced more progesterone, suggesting that stevia may affect the endocrine system.[*] While this is worth paying attention to, we cannot assume the same for the interaction between sperm and stevia in a real-life setting. This was done in vitro, which means in a laboratory (as opposed to in vivo, in a living organism), and sperm are unlikely to experience exposure to that amount of stevia when consumed. A paper from the 1960s said that a native group in Paraguay used stevia as a contraceptive, so a doctor tested this in rats. He found that the rats did not conceive during consumption of the stevia decoction and also for up to 60 days after.[*] The rats were given an extremely high dose, though, which you’re not likely to replicate if you’re using stevia to sweeten your foods and drinks. If you’re trying to conceive, ask your doctor to be sure. As far as stevia’s effect on hormones, research is extremely limited, there aren’t conclusive human studies, and there’s nothing reliable anecdotally that points to stevia causing hormone issues or infertility.

Sources: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0303720716300533 and https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17744732/

All that being said, we do have stevia-free products, such as Unflavored Prime Protein and Unflavored Collagen.

Maria's New Favorite: Equip Foods 100% Grass-Fed Beef Protein Powder