Monk Fruit—Siraitia grosvenorii
Monk fruit is from the Luo Han Guo plant. This fruit has gained popularity as a sweetener and has been used in Asian cultures for many years. In this section, we will review the constituents of this sweetener and the scientific studies conducted to evaluate the safety of this agent.
Constituents:
The major constituents of monk fruits include mogrosides and cucurbitane glycosides. The sweetening components of the plant come from the mogrosides. This extract is processed via water extraction, filtration, and concentration methods. As the human body does not recognize mogrosides as carbohydrates, there is no insulin secretion in response to their intake.
Potential effects:
In rat model studies, monk seemed to have anti-inflammatory effects in vivo and in vitro.
Monk fruit in experimental models seemed to help with glucose regulation and glycogen synthesis. Studies show that it inhibits the maltase enzyme in the gut, thereby contributing to glucose regulatory benefits.
In spite of the high sweetness of this fruit, it is non-nutritive.
Monk fruit seemed to also increase GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide) levels, which in turn contribute to fullness, and regulation of glucose and insulin levels.
Mouse studies have shown potential inhibitory effects on skin carcinogenesis. Studies have also shown that mogrosides from monk fruit can down-regulate inflammatory genes.
As discussed above, you can see that this non-calorie sweetener has a lot of health properties. As always, I wish that you keep your health in center focus and live long and strong!
