## 5 Conclusions  
Our research was the first to compare the addition of steviol glycosides of Stevia leaves to the hypercholesterol diet-fed rats, and we observed the following results:  
The addition of steviol glycosides to the hypercholesterolemia diet did not result in significant differences between the weight of the kidneys, heart and liver compared to the animals fed the hypercholesterolemia diet.  
In the animals fed the hypercholesterol diet with the addition of steviol glycosides, there were no significant differences in the blood concentration of glucose, serum TCh, Ch-HDL, Ch-LDL + VLDL and TG parameters compared to animals receiving the hypercholesterol diet. Similar results were shown in the case of rats fed with the hypercholesterol diet supplemented with Stevia leaves, with the exception of TCh and Ch-VLDL + LDL, which significantly increased in each case, and Ch-HDL (Brazilian and Paraguay origin) when compared both to the rats fed the hypercholesterol diet and with the diet supplemented with steviol glycosides.  
The activity of ALT in the blood serum of animals had a tendency to decrease after the addition of steviol glycosides and increase after the addition of Stevia leaves (10%PL and 17%BR) in comparison to animals fed the hypercholesterol diet. At the same time, a tendency to decrease the activity of AST was found, both after the addition of steviol glycosides and dried leaves of the tested plant (18%PR).  
In the conducted experiment, a tendency to decreased antioxidant activity (TAS) of the blood serum of the animals fed the hypercholesterol diet, modified with the addition of the tested plant and the addition of steviol glycosides, was most often demonstrated, compared to the animals fed the hypercholesterol diet.  
The addition of steviol glycosides to the diet (but not Stevia leaves) significantly reduced the level of MDA in the liver.  
In animals fed the modified diet, both by the addition of dried leaves of _Stevia rebaudiana_ [PERSON] and steviol glycosides, the pro/antioxidant system remains in balance.  
Considering that the significant changes in the examined parameters were unfavorable, it is not possible to conclude, from this study, that Stevia leaves can be safely used by the consumers.  
The application of different doses of dried leaves corresponding to the same amount of steviol glycosides did not allow us to clearly determine which Stevia had the most beneficial and which the most unfavorable effects.  
In the next studies, the authors compared the effect of the addition of Stevia leaves also of Paraguayan, Brazilian and Polish origin to the diet, but in identical amounts, on the growth and selected biochemical parameters of experimental animals. These studies have not been published yet.  
Conceptualization T.L. and B.P.; methodology, B.P. and A.K.; formal analysis, B.P.; writing--original draft preparation T.L., B.P., E.P. and R.B.-K.; writing--review and editing, E.P. and T.L.; supervision T.L. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.  
**Funding:** The study was financed by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Poland.  
**Institutional Review Board Statement:** The experiments were carried out at the Department of Human Nutrition of the University of Agriculture in Krakow, after obtaining the consent of the 1 st Local Ethical Committee in Krakow (no. 97/VI/2010).  
**Informed Consent Statement:** Not applicable.  
**Data Availability Statement:** Data are contained within the article.  
**Conflicts of Interest:** The authors declare no conflict of interest.