What is Luo Han Fructose Sweetener?
Luo Han Guo Sugar is extracted from Luo Han Guo. Luo Han Guo is also called monk fruit or "Buddha fruit". It is a small round fruit that grows in Southeast Asia. This fruit has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries, and it has been used as a cold and digestive aid in Oriental medicine. It is now also used to increase the sweetness of food and beverages, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) did not approve its use as a sweetener until 2010. The sweetener is made by removing the seeds and peel of the fruit and crushing it to collect the juice, and then drying it into a concentrated powder. Luo Han Guo contains natural sugars, mainly fructose and glucose.
However, unlike most fruits, the natural sugar in Luo Han Guo has nothing to do with its sweetness. Instead, it gets its strong sweetness from a unique antioxidant called mogroside.
The compound that imparts the sweet taste to mature Luo Han Guo is called mogroside, which is composed of a skeleton structure called Luo Han Guo and is attached with glucose units or glycosides. Most of the knowledge about the metabolism of mogroside comes from studies on animals, which is believed to be the same or similar to the metabolism of mogroside in humans. Mogroside will not be absorbed by the upper digestive tract, nor will it generate any calories in our diet. When they reach the colon, gut microbes break down glucose molecules and use them as an energy source. Luo Han Guo and some of its metabolites are mainly excreted from the gastrointestinal tract, and a small amount is absorbed into the blood and excreted in the urine .
During the processing, mogroside is separated from the freshly squeezed juice. Therefore, Luo Han Guo sweetener does not contain fructose or glucose.
Since this extract may be 100-250 times sweeter than sugar, many manufacturers mix Luo Han Guo sweetener with other natural products (such as inulin or erythritol) to reduce the sweetness.
Luo Han Guo extract is now used as an independent sweetener, an ingredient in foods and beverages, a flavor enhancer, and an ingredient in a mixture of sweeteners .
Impact on weight management
Since it contains zero calories, many people suggest that it can reduce your total calorie intake. However, it is relatively new to the market, and no studies have evaluated its impact on body weight.
However, research on other low-calorie sweeteners suggests that it may cause moderate weight loss .
According to research reports, replacing normal-calorie sweeteners with low-calorie sweeteners can reduce weight moderately by 2 pounds (0.9 kg) or less .
One review found that people who consume low-calorie sweeteners and beverages also tend to consume less fat, sugar, alcohol, and other sources of empty calories.
In another study, people who used stevia or aspartame instead of sucrose consumed fewer calories without reporting any difference in hunger levels.
Other potential health benefits
Anti-oxidize effect
Luo Han Guo extracts have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties because they can inhibit certain harmful molecules and help prevent damage to your DNA . In other words, no human studies have confirmed these benefits .
Anti-cancer properties
Animal and test tube studies have shown that monk fruit extract can inhibit the growth of cancer cells. Nevertheless, the mechanism is unclear .
A study found that mogroside inhibits the growth of leukemia cells. The other noted its strong inhibitory effect on mouse skin tumors .
Anti-diabetic properties
Since Luo Han Guo sweetener has zero calories or carbohydrates, it does not increase blood sugar levels. Therefore, for diabetic patients, this may be a good choice.
Studies on diabetic mice have shown that Luo Han Guo extract can even lower blood sugar levels. The mice given the extract experienced lower oxidative stress and blood sugar levels, as well as increased HDL (good) cholesterol .
Some of these benefits may be explained by the ability of mogroside to stimulate insulin cells to secrete insulin. However, since this extract is often mixed with other sweeteners, you should check the product label carefully before buying.
To date, studies have used high doses of Luo Han Guo extract, with a much higher concentration than the sweeteners you might encounter. It is not clear how many doses you need to experience any of these health benefits.
Is Luo Han Fructose safe to eat?
Yes. Since 2010, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has allowed the use of generally recognized safe (GRAS) Luo Han Guo sweeteners. This category requires experts to reach consensus on the safety of food ingredients for their intended use. The government in Australia and New Zealand, China, Japan and Canada (tabletop packaging only; not approved for food and beverages) also concluded that the sweetener of Momordica grosvenori is safe for the general population, including children, diabetics, and pregnant or breastfeeding Period women. The acceptable daily intake (ADI) for the sweetener of Momordica grosvenori has not been determined because its adverse effects have not been proven, even after large amounts of the sweetener of Momordica grosvenori are given in animal studies. ADI usually represents an amount 100 times less than the amount of safe substances found in research.
Is monk fruit sweetener safe for children?
Yes. Foods containing Luo Han Guo sweetener can add sweetness to a child's diet without increasing calorie intake, sugar intake or the risk of tooth decay. Although no studies have been published on the intake of fruit sweeteners in children and monks, there is no evidence of negative health effects in animal models or adults. As with adults, the current intake of low-calorie sweeteners in children is considered to be within an acceptable range. However, due to limited research on children, the American Academy of Pediatrics has no official recommendations on the intake of low-calorie sweeteners.
Can pregnant and breastfeeding women consume Luo Han Guo sweetener?
Yes. Although no published studies have examined the possible effects of momordica grosvenori sweeteners on pregnant and lactating women, several animal studies have shown that even if animals are exposed to very high levels of mogroside for a long time every day, they will not affect the mother or offspring. Produce adverse reproductive or developmental effects for a period of time. During pregnancy and breastfeeding, all women should try their best to take in the nutrients and calories needed for the growth of their babies, and be careful not to exceed their own needs. This may include paying attention to all sources of sweeteners, whether they come from sugar or low-calorie sweeteners.
Can people with diabetes consume Luo Han Guo sweetener?
Yes. Products containing Luo Han Guo sweetener taste sweet and usually have low or low carbohydrate content, which is important for people who must monitor carbohydrate intake. Luo Han Guo sweetener does not increase blood sugar levels. In the 2018 American Diabetes Association Medical’s Diabetes Standards statement, “If you use non-nutritive sweeteners instead of caloric (sugar) sweeteners and do not compensate by consuming extra calories from other food sources, then use non-nutritive sweeteners. Sweeteners may reduce overall calorie and carbohydrate intake. Non-nutritive sweeteners are generally safe to use within the prescribed acceptable daily intake range.” Nevertheless, people with diabetes should consult and register Nutritionists, healthcare professionals, or certified diabetes educators to get advice on healthy eating to improve blood sugar control.
Will Luo Han Guo sweetener make me hungry?
Highly palatable food activates the reward and pleasure areas of the brain. It has been hypothesized that this positive correlation will increase appetite, and if not controlled, the resulting increase in food intake may lead to overweight and obesity. Substituting foods made with low-calorie sweeteners for full-calorie and sugar-containing foods also showed a similar effect on the reward pathway, but did not produce additional calories. No studies have been published on the specific effects of Luo Han Guo sweetener on appetite and satiety, although a small study showed that there is no difference in total daily energy intake between people who consume Luo Han Guo sweetener and people who consume sugar.
Some people worry that activating the reward pathway without delivering sugar to the body may have unintended consequences, and the effect of low-calorie sweeteners on appetite and food cravings is an area of ongoing research. As pointed out in recent reviews, some animal model studies have shown that after consuming low-calorie sweeteners, food intake and appetite-related hormones have changed. However, similar effects have not been observed in humans. So far, there is no strong evidence that low-calorie sweeteners can increase human appetite or cravings. Some randomized trials have proven the opposite effect-including reducing hunger and reducing desserts compared to people who drink water. intake. There is no research on the relationship between monk fruit and appetite or craving.
These differences emphasize that animals and humans as research subjects are essentially different fields. In humans, the connection between physiology, psychology, personal experience, and food is undoubtedly complex, and the transformation of animal research into this field of research should be viewed with caution.
How is Luo Han Guo Extract made
Wash the whole fresh fruit, crush it, and slowly soak it in hot water. The sweet juice is filtered to remove fructose, sucrose and flavor-changing proteins, leaving behind different concentrations of mogroside. The solution is concentrated and dehydrated, leaving a high-purity monk fruit extract.