What is monk fruit sugar sweetener?
Monk 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 in Eastern medicine as a cold and digestive aid. It is now also used to sweeten foods and beverages, and it was only in 2010 that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved its use as a sweetener. The sweetener is made by removing the seeds and peel of the fruit and crushing it to collect the juice, which is then dried into a concentrated powder. Monk fruit contains natural sugars, mainly fructose and glucose.
However, unlike most fruits, the natural sugars in monk fruit have nothing to do with its sweetness. Instead, it gets its intense sweet flavor from a unique antioxidant called mogroside.
The compound that gives ripe monk fruit its sweet taste is called mogroside, which consists of a backbone structure called monk fruit with glucose units, or glycosides, attached to it. Most knowledge about mogroside metabolism comes from studies in animals, which are thought to be the same as or similar to mogroside metabolism in humans. Mogroside is not absorbed by the upper gastrointestinal tract and does not contribute any calories to our diet. When they reach the colon, gut microbes break down the 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 with urine.
During processing, mogroside is separated from freshly squeezed juice. Therefore, monk fruit sweetener does not contain fructose or glucose.
Because this extract can be 100-250 times sweeter than table sugar, many manufacturers blend monk fruit sweetener with other natural products, such as inulin or erythritol, to reduce the sweetness.
Monk fruit extract is now used as a stand-alone sweetener, an ingredient in foods and beverages, a flavor enhancer and an ingredient in sweetener blends.
Impact on weight management
Since it contains zero calories, many suggest it can reduce your overall calorie intake. However, it is relatively new to the market and no studies have evaluated its effects on body weight.
However, research on other low-calorie sweeteners suggests it may cause modest weight loss.
Research reports that substituting low-calorie sweeteners for regular-calorie sweeteners can result in modest weight loss of less than 2 pounds (0.9 kilograms).
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 differences in hunger levels.
Other potential health benefits
Antioxidant effect
Monk fruit extract has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties because they inhibit certain harmful molecules and help prevent damage to your DNA. That said, there are no human studies confirming these benefits.
Anti-cancer properties
Animal and test-tube studies show that monk fruit extract inhibits cancer cell growth. Nonetheless, the mechanism is unclear.
One study found that mogroside inhibits the growth of leukemia cells. Another noted powerful inhibitory effects on skin tumors in mice.
Anti-diabetic properties
Because monk fruit sweetener has zero calories or carbohydrates, it does not raise blood sugar levels. Therefore, this may be a good choice for diabetics.
Studies on diabetic mice show that monk fruit extract can even lower blood sugar levels. 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 mogroside's ability 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 purchasing.
To date, studies have used high doses of monk fruit extract, in much higher concentrations than you are likely to encounter with sweeteners. It's unclear what dose you need to experience any of these health benefits.
Is monk fruit sugar safe to eat?
Yes. Since 2010, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has allowed the use of monk fruit sweeteners as generally recognized as safe (GRAS), a category that requires expert consensus that a food ingredient is safe for its intended use. Governments in Australia and New Zealand, China, Japan and Canada (tabletop packaging only; not approved for use in food and beverages) also concluded that monk fruit sweetener is safe for the general population, including children, people with diabetes, and pregnant or breastfeeding women period women. The acceptable daily intake (ADI) for monk fruit sweetener has not been established because adverse effects have not been demonstrated, even after high amounts of monk fruit sweetener were given in animal studies. ADI typically represents an amount 100 times less than the amount of a substance found to be safe in studies.
Is Monk Fruit Sweetener safe for children?
Yes. Foods containing monk fruit sweetener can add sweetness to children's diets without increasing calorie intake, sugar intake, or risk of tooth decay. While there are no published studies on monk fruit sweetener intake in children, no negative health effects have been demonstrated in animal models or in adults. As with adults, children's current intake of low-calorie sweeteners is considered to be within acceptable limits. However, the American Academy of Pediatrics has no official recommendations regarding low-calorie sweetener intake due to limited research in children.
Can pregnant and lactating women consume Luo Han Guo sweetener?
Yes. While no published studies have examined the possible effects of monk fruit sweeteners on pregnant and lactating women, several animal studies have shown that even when animals are exposed to very high levels of mogroside for extended periods of time every day, there are no adverse effects on the mother or offspring. Produces adverse reproductive or developmental effects over a period of time. All women should try to get the nutrients and calories their baby needs during pregnancy and breastfeeding, while being 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 diabetics consume monk fruit sweetener?
Yes. Products containing monk fruit sweetener have a sweet taste and are often low or low in carbohydrates, which is important for people who must monitor their carbohydrate intake. Monk fruit sweetener does not raise blood sugar levels. The 2018 American Diabetes Association Medical Diabetes Standards statement says, “If a nonnutritive sweetener is used to replace a caloric (sugar) sweetener and is not compensated for by additional caloric intake from other food sources, then the use of nonnutritive sweeteners is Sweeteners may reduce overall calorie and carbohydrate intake. Non-nutritive sweeteners are generally safe to use within established acceptable daily intake limits." Nonetheless, people with diabetes should consult the Registry Consult a nutritionist, health care professional, or certified diabetes educator for advice on eating healthily to improve blood sugar control.
Will monk fruit sweetener make me hungrier?
Highly palatable foods activate reward and pleasure areas of the brain. This positive association has been hypothesized to increase appetite and, if unchecked, the resulting increased food intake may lead to overweight and obesity. Replacing full-calorie and sugary foods with foods made with low-calorie sweeteners showed similar effects on reward pathways, but without the extra calories. No studies have been published on the specific effects of monk fruit sweetener on appetite and satiety, although one small study showed no difference in total daily energy intake between people who consumed monk fruit sweetener and those who consumed sugar.
Some people worry that activating reward pathways without delivering sugar to the body may have unintended consequences, and the effects of low-calorie sweeteners on appetite and food cravings is a developing area of research. As noted in a recent review, some animal model studies have shown changes in food intake and appetite-related hormones following consumption of low-calorie sweeteners. However, similar effects have not been observed in humans. To date, there is no strong evidence that low-calorie sweeteners increase appetite or cravings in humans, and some randomized trials have demonstrated the opposite effect—including reduced hunger and reduced cravings for desserts compared with those who drank water. intake. There are no studies on monk fruit's relationship to appetite or cravings.
These differences emphasize that animals and humans are essentially different fields as subjects of study. In humans, the connections between physiology, psychology, personal experience, and food are undoubtedly complex, and translation of animal studies into this area of research should be viewed with caution.
How is Luo Han Guo extract made?
Wash, crush and soak whole fresh fruit slowly in hot water. The sweet juice is filtered to remove fructose, sucrose and flavor-altering proteins, leaving varying concentrations of mogrosides. The solution is concentrated and dehydrated, leaving a highly pure monk fruit extract.
