lo han fruit (food supplement)

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Luo Han Guo (Siraitia grosvenori or Momordica grosvenori) is a venerable Chinese fruit making a big splash on these Western shores. A cousin of the cucumber, it’s a member of the greater gourd family.
The dried fruits are part of the daily life in the provinces where it is grown. They are stored and used for drinks, teas, soups, candies, cakes, and crackers that are consumed all year long.

Yet its curative history is not what first brought it to the attention of food manufacturers in this country. Locked in the fruit extract are substances called mongrosides, which, as it happens, are about 300 times sweeter than sucrose. They contribute hardly any calories and have potentially healthful side effects to boot.
Mongrosides belong to a group of compounds called triterpene glycosides. Though glycosides tickle our sweet taste buds, the body handles them differently from carbohydrates: Insulin levels do not rise in response to their consumption; they aren’t broken apart to produce energy and thus can’t pack on the pounds.
Unlike artificial sweeteners that are engineered to perform one purpose, stimulate taste buds, glycosides are presently under investigation as potential tumor inhibitors, help manage diabetes and defend against heart disease.

Studies demonstrated that mongrosides not only fail to raise blood sugar levels but may actually slow the entrance of sugar into the blood by inhibiting the enzyme maltase in the small intestines. Maltase splits maltose into its constituent glucose units. Mongrosides may even help to protect against heart disease by preventing the oxidation of LDL cholesterol, a known risk factor, especially for persons at risk for heart disease or with diabetes.

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