Stevia is well known as a zero-calorie sugar substitute. But now, scientists have found that it might do more than just sweeten your food.
A team from Hiroshima University has discovered that stevia leaf extract, when fermented with a special kind of bacteria found on banana leaves, can kill pancreatic cancer cells while leaving healthy cells unharmed.
The study was published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.
Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest types of cancer. It grows fast, is hard to treat, and doesn’t respond well to surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy. The survival rate after five years is less than 10%. Because of this, researchers are looking for new and better ways to treat it, especially using natural substances from plants.
Previous studies had already shown that stevia leaf extract might help fight cancer, but scientists didn’t know exactly which part of the plant was responsible. In this new study, the team used a process called fermentation, where bacteria are used to change the extract’s chemical structure. This process created new compounds that were stronger against cancer.
The researchers used a type of bacteria called Lactobacillus plantarum SN13T, which they had found on plants. They fermented the stevia leaf extract using this bacteria and then tested the fermented and non-fermented versions on two types of cells in a lab: pancreatic cancer cells (called PANC-1) and healthy kidney cells (called HEK-293).
The results were promising. The fermented stevia extract—called FSLE—killed many pancreatic cancer cells, much more than the non-fermented extract. Even when used in high amounts, it caused very little damage to the healthy cells.
They also found out why this happened. A chemical called chlorogenic acid in the original stevia extract was changed during fermentation into a new compound called chlorogenic acid methyl ester (CAME).
This new compound was better at killing the cancer cells. The bacteria used in the fermentation process helped create this compound by using their enzymes.
The study showed that CAME was more toxic to the cancer cells and caused them to die more easily. This means that fermenting plant-based substances like stevia can improve their ability to fight cancer.
The researchers now plan to test this fermented extract in mice. They hope to learn how well it works in a living body and figure out the best amount to use.
This research is important because it shows how fermentation and probiotics—friendly bacteria—can turn plant extracts into powerful tools to fight cancer. It also opens the door to using more natural and safe methods to treat serious diseases like pancreatic cancer.
If you care about cancer, please read studies that low-carb diet could increase overall cancer risk, and new way to increase the longevity of cancer survivors.
For more health information, please see recent studies about how to fight cancer with these anti-cancer superfoods, and results showing daily vitamin D3 supplementation may reduce cancer death risk.
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