Table 2.
In vivo studies presenting the effects of stevia and steviol glycosides on bacterial growth.
| Reference | Type of Study | Model/Samples | Intervention | Control | Beneficial or No Effect on Bacterial Populations Growth | Adverse Effects on Bacterial Populations Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Becker et al. 2020 | Preclinical RCT | Mice (feces) |
HFS + stevia | Saccharin | Increased Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio |
|
| Li et al. 2014 | Preclinical RCT | Mice (feces Enterococci Enterobacteria Lactobacilli) |
Low dose REB-A (0.5 mg/mL) High dose REB-A (5.0 mg/mL) |
None | Increased Lactobacilli (high dose only) No effect Enterococci Enterobacteria |
|
| Nettleton et al. 2019 | Preclinical RCT | Rats (feces Bifidobacteriaceae Enterobacteriaceae) |
REB-A and REB-A + prebiotic |
Water | Increased A. muciniphila (in both groups), Bacteroides goldsteinii (REB-A group) B. thetaiotaomicron (REB-A group) (correlated with intestinal angiogenesis) Reduced Clostridiales family XIII (in both groups), Lactobacillus intestinalis (REB-A group) |
Reduced Ruminococcaceae UCG 005 (in both groups), Bifidobacteriaceae (REB-A group) |
| Nettleton et al. 2020 | Preclinical | Obese rats during pregnancy and lactation and their offspring (feces) |
HFS + REB-A | Lean rats during pregnancy and lactation and their offspring: control diet |
Obese rats and offspring Reduced Bifidobacterium |
Obese rats Increased C. leptum Obese rats and offspring Increased Porphyromonadaceae (metabolic syndrome development) Sporobacter (type-2 diabetes development) Enterobacteriaceae (proinflammatory) |
| Wang et al. 2022 | Preclinical RCT |
Obese rats during pregnancy and lactation and their offspring (Distal jejunum, ileum tissue, cecal digesta) |
HFS + stevia | Rats during pregnancy and lactation: HFS + water Offspring: control diet |
Increased 14_Bacteroidaceae unclassified Reduced A. muciniphila Limosilactobacillus reuteri |
|
| de la Garza et al. 2022 | Preclinical RCT |
Rats during pregnancy and lactation and their male offspring (feces) |
In prenatal period: cafeteria diet. In gestation and lactation: Stevia + control diet Offspring: control diet |
Control diet | Maternal and male offspring group Reduced Bacteroidetes, Cyanobacteria Increased Firmicutes Elusimicrobia (correlated with decreased blood glucose levels) |
Maternal and male offspring group Increased Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio, Bacteroidales Clostridiales (contribute to cognitive dysfunction) |
| Mahalak et al. 2020 | Preclinical | Monkey (Cebus apella) (feces) |
Steviol glycosides + erythritol |
- | No effect in the microbial community |
|
| Yu et al. 2020 | Preclinical RCT |
Pregnant sows (feces) |
Corn–soybean-meal diets + stevia residue 20%, 30%, 40% |
Control diet | Increased Lachnospiraceae_XPB1014, Christensenellaceae_R-7_ Ruminococcaceae_UCG-005 Reduced Treponema_2 |
REB-A: Rebaudioside A; E. coli: Escherichia coli; LB: Lysogeny broth; MRS broth: de Man, Rogosa and Sharpe broth; HFS: high fat/high sucrose diet; E. faecalis: Enterococcus faecalis; S. aureus: Staphylococcus aureus; P. aeruginosa: Pseudomonas aeruginosa; B. thetaiotaomicron: Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron; L. rhamnosus: Lactobacillus rhamnosus; B. bifidum: Bifidobacterium bifidum; C. leptum: Clostridium leptum; A. muciniphila: Akkermansia muciniphila; S. typhimurium: Salmonella typhimurium.