University News
Could a common sweetener that's already in the kitchen cupboards in many American homes — stevia — prove to be an effective treatment for a disease as debilitating and persistent as Lyme disease?
July 07, 2017
It's too early to say that for sure, but research by Eva Sapi, a University of New Haven professor of cellular and molecular biology, and the students in her Lyme Disease Research Group .
In a paper published in the , Sapi and her students found that the most antibiotic resistant form of Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that causes Lyme disease — called biofilm — actually increased in mass with individual antibiotics.
But liquid, whole-leaf stevia extract — not the powdered varieties that people most commonly use — reduced the biofilm mass by about 40 percent, they found.
WFSB 3 CT News
"Is it the one?" Sapi asked. "I don't know." But in confirmation test after confirmation test, "that is the one that jumped out."
got underway just a few months ago, and researchers there are using stevia along with antibiotics to try and treat Lyme disease, while others are taking the extract themselves.
I've got emails from people saying they're getting better, but again, we need to have double-blind clinical trials before we say ‘yes'. Everybody is holding their breath to see if it helps, and let's hope for it. That would be wonderful.
– Professor Eva Sapi, Ph.D.
The Â鶹´«Ã½ Blog
Industry sponsors called HackNewHaven a resounding success as students from universities across Connecticut and Massachusetts collaborated, developed tech products, and presented their innovations as part of the student-run hackathon.
The Â鶹´«Ã½ Blog
A research collaboration between graduate students and Dr. Pavani Rangachari has resulted in a groundbreaking two-part study on how hospitals address social determinants of health (SDOH).
The Â鶹´«Ã½ Blog
Beatrice Glaviano ’26 shares her Spring Break journey of hiking Great Falls—and why unplugging is essential for college life.