Monk Fruit: Healthy Sweetener or Metabolic Time Bomb?

[@faychen4059]

I'm from the specific region in China that grows it. I grew up with monk fruit tea. But we don't usually use the meat of the fruit. It's too sweet and flem inducing. So street vendors will use it to produce a lot of tea with little fruit. The traditional tea only uses the shells.

[@samzee7747]

Thanks for that info.

[@esotericone9101]

Flem inducing......I wonder about inflammation.

[@1000wastedwords]

This is helpful, thank you!

[@Shroomade]

Can you use it for baking?

[@ahsannazir4251]

Thats so amazing!!

[@roymeryman8098]

Have type2 diabetes for about 20 yrs. Using Lakanto monk fruit sweetener for about 4 yrs. No problems, in fact, a Godsend which allows me some enjoyment in life as pertains to diet. After 14 yrs on Metformin, I have been able to drop it and reversed the diabetes to an A1c of about 5.6. But the monk fruit sweetener allows me sweetener with cream in my coffee and I do love my coffee. Mostly no carbs except in vegetables.

[@rosemariewilding4472]

The biggest flaw in that study is the participants had rice for their meal which will push up blood sugar regardless of whether they had real sugar or not. If they really did want to get a valid result comparing both of them with a very low carbohydrate meal or a zero carb meal.

[@Quiche543]

Exactly...a good study would test various meals...high protein vs high carb etc

[@user-bv7mk8id5t]

Erythritol gave me terrible terrible bloating! I didn’t realize it until a little later, but it was def that! I think it’s hard to find pure monk fruit, it’s usually mixed with Erythritol. So far the Lakanto one doesn’t do that to me that I noticed, if I take in small amounts. But why do I even bother. I do think erythritol is bad for some people’s gut. Plus a lot of people think they are getting only monk fruit when in fact they are getting mostly erythritol, but that’s the fault of the company. I tried to find pure monk fruit because I was curious, but I had no luck. But I’ve had Monk fruit extract and it does taste like stevia to me, yuk. Lately I just use a little maple syrup.

[@jefflittle8913]

The impact of Erythritol probably depends on your gut flora because humans can't digest it. Humans process 6 carbon sugars, but do not process 5 carbon sugars as well, hence the well-known effects of Xylitol. Erythritol is a 4 carbon sugar, which is even more alien to our sugar processing pathways so the hope is to get the taste and then have it pass through the system inert. If you really want to go hard-core in avoiding artificial sweeteners and using healthy sugary ones another option is Date sugar or molasses. Look for the Greger videos on that. I think that monk sweetener is not available alone because it is very concentrated. The best way to try it is probably in products like the ones sold by Organifi, but these are a bit expensive. I agree with you on the tastes of stevia, but I am not bothered by monk fruit taste, at least not in the products I have tried.

[@patriciazemola6964]

Get pure monk fruit It’s great. No aftertaste

[@mjs28s]

Isn't the real solution to just to not worry about added real sugar or not if the vast majority of your calories come from whole plant foods? I don't drink soda, eat sugared cereals, etc. so I don't even think twice about having something sweet as it happens maybe a few times per month. I wish the sugar studies would do what most other studies also need to do - test some of their ideas on vegans that eat majority of calories or all their calories from whole plant foods and then see how sugar now and then impacts them or artificial sweeteners or natural sweeteners or with the dreaded sodium as well. But even with as bad as how many Adventists in Loma Linda eat, which pulls down the longevity numbers that the truly health whole food vegetarians and vegans eat, they are still the among the longest lived groups on the planet.

[@emsamansky]

We are a low sugar family and while I generally use whole dates to sweeten, once in a while (cupcakes for kids’ birthdays, the occasional cookie that works better with something granulated), I use the Lakanto. The powdered is great in vegan “Nutella.” I tried pure monk fruit powder but yuck. The Center for Science in the Public Interest seems OK with it so like everything else that isn’t whole food, I just don’t use a whole lot of it. No noticeable effects on kids’ behavior, unlike sugar.

[@sean640]

I also really like lakanto's organic variant when I do need a sweetener thanks for sharing!!

[@MictheVegan]

Very interesting that pure monk fruit extract tastes bad. Maybe that's why they always cut it with something else. It received the lowest taste rating in the trial.

[@samzee7747]

@@MictheVegan yes! Interesting.

[@Ne0_Vect0r]

@@MictheVegan I actually like the taste of pure monk fruit, especially matches with cinnamon..

[@grace_hayin]

If you are Chinese you may probably have tasted monk fruit tea since it’s considered a natural medicine in China. It’s sweet but personally I don’t like the strong taste of it and I drink it merely for the health benefits more than enjoy it as a sweet drink 😅

[@jwmcneelyIII]

I think monkfruit is delicious. I was glad you took this up and that you expressed some reasonable skepticism about the studies that Dr. Greger found. Of course I love Dr. Greger, but a bit of healthy skepticism is always in order. Always love your videos.

[@laurieparis2203]

Have you tried mesquite powder? It's sweet, with a smoky favor, just a trace of molasses. It comes from mesquite beans, turns out the mesquite tree is a true legume! It's got fiber, iron, potassium, calcium and comes in at 15 calories for half a tablespoon. I use it to make hot chocolate, along with soymilk, cocoa powder, vanilla and water. For just a touch of sweetness in my tea I use a half teaspoon of glycine. Which is an essential part of collagen production. Thx for the video! 🌸

[@jefflittle8913]

Glycine is also an essential part of glutathione production. It has actually been shown to increase lifespan in lab rats.

[@laurieparis2203]

@@jefflittle8913 hi Jeff. Some people also use it for sleep. Doesn't seem to have that effect on me, though. Since it's an ánimo acid, I only use a small scoop once or twice a day in my tea, which also contains a hefty portion of soymilk. It gives just the right amount of sweetness with no weird flavors.

[@Allayabelle]

Have you noted a coconut flavor in your mesquite powder. It's very subtle and maybe there is just a sweet toasty-ness that reads coconut. Or my brain is broken haha

[@laurieparis2203]

@@Allayabelle Girl, yes! Not in your mind! Definite coconut notes. 😊 We're really lucky nowadays, so much open access to a variety of different products, with a host of health benefits and flavor profiles. Love to experiment!🌱

[@Allayabelle]

@@laurieparis2203 We are!

[@carmieintegrativenutrition9591]

I think that it's important to know what exactly they had for lunch was it a carb loaded meal or a low-carb meal because that is what spikes or doesn't Spike! Having a high carb meal everybody's going to spike there's no question.

[@deniemarie5010]

Hi Mic. I switched from Stevia ( I realized I was allergic to it) to liquid monk fruit. I use llinea brand. The only ingredient is monk fruit extract. So far, I have no issues, and I really enjoy the taste. It definitely has a more natural sweet taste than stevia. Thanks for the video. If you learn more about monk fruit, let us know. I did not realize it's a product of China.

[@smiller2114]

Don't forget that it's also developed by an American company, proctor and gamble (with your life).

[@deniemarie5010]

@S Miller After I quit Stevia, I dropped all sweeteners. Then, I stumbled on the monk. I'm thinking I need to go back to no sweeteners again. I don't like gambling.

[@11235Aodh]

In one of Mic's previous video's he talks about the different kinds of sugar. Date sugar (which are just ground up dates) seem to be the most healthy because it still also contains the fiber from the dates. Maybe this is an idea? It's pretty expensive though.

[@papparocket]

@@11235Aodh And date sugar, being just dried powdered dates, doesn't work at all in anything like coffee or tea since the tiny little date bits don't dissolve and instead just rehydrate and settle to the bottom. For sweetening coffee I will use homemade date syrup. I make it by putting about 2 cups of pitted medjool dates and about 4 cups of water in a pot with a tight lid and bringing it to just the start of boilin. The I reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and let simmer for an hour or more. An alternate is to use a crockpot on medium for 3-4 hours. Unlike some recipe I see on line, I put everything into a high speed blender (I have a Vitamix) and blend until it is very smooth. You can use it as-is at this point to keep everything from the dates (especially their fiber) or you can strain the blended dates through a cheesecloth or nutmilk bag. This remove nearly all of the solids (especially the fiber). If you strain it and it is still too thin, heat it back up until it has just started to think about boiling and then reduce the heat to a simmer/very slow boil and let simmer uncovered until it is the desired syrup consistency. If you cook it down after straining, make sure to stir it really frequently to make sure that it doesn't burn.

[@11235Aodh]

@@papparocket Thanks! I will try this.

[@koloblicin]

one thing to note here is, as a typ 1 diabetic i must know right, a bloodsugar spike of 45mg/dl is for a healthy human a spike from 80mg/dl to 125mg/dl. that does not damage your body at all. that is well inside the range our body can handle, hell its made to metabolize carbs or in its purest form glucose.

[@barbettecaravaggio7675]

Dates all the way as a sweetener... you can make your own date paste/sugar in a blender with dates and water... much more effective and affordable than buying some monk fruit prepackaged sweetener :)

[@trafnar]

Sounds like a good idea, but the dates have calories unlike monk fruit right?

[@trafnar]

@@NuhUh78789 yeah I don't understand in what way its more effective

[@justthinking526]

I guess a ripe piece of fruit is still the way to go. Simple works well for me.

[@mariaangelova8275]

I'm right there with you there!!

[@ingfig1]

.. fructose (fruit sugar) is the most dangerous sugar - worse than cane or beet sugar..

[@thesteve9825]

​@@ingfig1table sugar is also 50 percent fructose

[@AmericanRoads]

Besides blood sugar, they should also have measured the insulin levels. It is possible that, the lower post-lunch blood sugar spike in the group that consumed sucrose was because there were already higher level of insulin in their blood.

[@JulieOParkCity]

I stay away from these unusual sweeteners they freak me out. I noticed I get undesirable GI side effects from Sorbitol. It’s tricky since a lot of vitamin companies use Sorbitol. Luckily I found a company that doesn’t use it in their B12 and another that doesn’t in their vitamin D3.

[@Magnulus76]

Sorbitol is one sugar alcohol that's usually poorly tolerated. Erithrytol or xylitol are better.

[@milycome]

Sorbitol is sometimes added to B-12 supplements because it is believed to increase absorbtion of oral B12. Sorbitol also can have a lacitive effect. I try my best to avoid Sorbitol because of its possible (??) contributing to Cataract formation. Good to try and avoid Sorbitol. I am a Vegan, so I could definitely use a B-12 supplement. Problem, B-12 typically poorly absorbed by mouth. Solution - there are now 3 oral forms of B-12 that Are well absorbed by mouth. The 3 well absorbed oral B12 are the co-enzymed forms : Methyl cobalamin, dibencozide, or hydrooxycobalim. I take any of the 3 above mentioned forms. However, be prepared to pay more (more expensive) for the more absorbed co-enzymed forms. The most widely available B-12 is the one to avoid (cyanocobalamin) because it's so poorly absorbed, even though it's the cheapest unfortunately. The one I usually use is Methyl cobalamin because it's slightly easier to find than the other two. Need to shop around. If necessary, go to a good health food store. Good luck.

[@jefflittle8913]

@@milycome A very good way to increase B12 absorption is to simply spread it out over time. Mix about half a gallon of unsweet tea, some jamaica, and some fruit juice (concord grape is a good sweetener with polyphenols) and then put two or three dropperfuls of your favorite high dose B12 in and you have a drink that will give you your B12 slowly over time so it can be absorbed.

[@moniryousefian8782]

Could you please share which brand/company doesn't use sorbitol or unusual sweeteners in their products or vitamins?! Appreciate your help 🙏😊

[@milycome]

@@moniryousefian8782 Sorbitol is occasionally added not only to supplements but also to a variety of food products. However, I believe if added to any product it would show up as the list of ingredients. On supplements or drugs it could be listed as "active ingredients" or separately as "other ingredients." It occasionally also shows up in food products like syrups or cereals. You simply have to get into the habit of reading labels. There is no substitute for reading labels. The B-12 I use is from a Canadian Company Natural Factors but sold also at some health food stores in the United States. It does Not have sorbitol listed as an ingredient. Many other brands of B-12 also do Not use sorbitol, but some do use it. There's no substitute for simply reading labels. Good luck shopping!

[@Sup_ERS_Tar]

I don't care for any of the sweeteners; they're not good enough to be so expensive, but the acid content is intriguing.

[@user-no2mz9hl4f]

Do you not like sweet foods in general, or do you just opt for whole fruit and/or less expensive sweeteners?

[@willisthewise]

Pure monk fruit extract is what you need. Not the erythritol diluted sugar packets which might have been used in some of the studies? Pure stevia and monk fruit extract seem to give me the best anecdotes 😝

[@MictheVegan]

The studies tend to use Mogroside V itself :)

[@udden82]

@@MictheVegan yacon might be a topic for a good science Video

[@Magnulus76]

Great science journalism, Mic. I've consumed non-nutritive sweeteners for years in preference to sugar and I've not had any ill health effects from them. They are also much better for your oral health, particularly xylitol (though it's not safe at all for dogs, it's good for people). I use Italian licorice extract in my oatmeal regularly.

[@mandograssable]

I have used stevia since 1988 but recently switched to pure monk fruit liquid extract. I like the taste of it better in my oatmeal. I use a little over 40 drops in my oatmeal but it is a huge bowl with pecans, an apple, and wild blueberries. I also use another 30 drops per day in my teas. I get my blood sugar checked every 3 to 4 months and have no issues so far. I am up for a test in March and I will see if there are any changes after being on the monk fruit for a little over 4 months.

[@cbreezy]

Was there any change? Is there any change now? Have you switched?

[@darlenedevegan8370]

Absolutely delicious! Tastes so much better than sugar in my opinion. Supposed to be safe for diabetics because it doesn't raise your blood sugar.

[@DavyOneness]

Funny how youtube puts an egg commercial right before your video, really YT, you should know better than to waste your advertisers dollars on us :/

[@v-sig2389]

I see that as a big win

[@DavyOneness]

@@v-sig2389 next the antivegan cult is going to be like "yOuTuBE IsN't vEGan! CAuse vEganS ArE proFitiNg froM anImaLS suFferinG!"

[@v-sig2389]

@@DavyOneness sadly, this kind of reaction is possible 😂

[@TDMIdaho]

I wear a CGM. I don’t have any noticeable difference from monk fruit. I don’t eat more, I don’t have higher blood sugar later.

[@MichelleReacts94]

I have found the Lakanto monk fruit brand to be the best while other brands of monk fruit to not be the same. For micro biome Greg doucette has a video on his gut health and he consumes a lot of artificial and natural sweeteners and has excellent gut health but he also eats a lot of plants and yogurt which does have live cultures so good bacteria so that probably also helps.

[@ErnieMayberry]

Mic, just want to say how balanced and thorough your reviews are. You provide a lot more confidence that you have looked at it from all sides and don't allow any personal bias to creep in. It is unfortunate that I cannot say the same thing about Dr. Greger. He always seems to be grinding his axe from one side and always takes studies at face value if they make the point he wants them to make. Confirmation bias?

[@manon562]

I've been using monkfruit sweetener in my coffee, for several months now and I quite enjoy it. I have also been wondering if there are any hidden side effects to it. So, I guess I'll still be wondering.

[@carmieintegrativenutrition9591]

Is it truly pure monk fruit or is there other ingredients? Monk fruit by itself is harmless.

[@VerySimplyAxolotl]

I've used monk fruit on and off for years. I'm glad it's going mainstream because it used to be so hard to find and expensive! Now I can get a bag of it for like $4.

[@darlenedevegan8370]

Try Markus Sweet on utube. A healthy life Markus Rothkrans.

[@FurbyParade226]

The smallest bag I found was $12 at Walmart :(

[@highvolckage8306]

Not cheap if it's pure monk fruit

[@JohnSmith-tz4on]

Where/what is $4 please?

[@sr-kt9ml]

You can buy dried monk fruit from Asian grocers. I have made a tea with it and it's very good and surprisingly sweet. I'd imagine you can use a few monk fruits and boil it down into a syrup. That should be healthier than the packets I would imagine

[@laurieparis2203]

Great idea! I suppose you could also put the dried fruit in a high speed blender, make a powder of it and use it that way, too.

[@Iron-Bridge]

That's how I do it. Cheaper too. I'll just crack open one of the fruits and boil in filtered water. That goes into my coffee or tea and everything else. You don't need much pulp to make a single bowl of monk fruit water that's enough to sweeten a few cups of tea.

[@gonnfishy2987]

I am a very fond of using monknfruit sweetener (pure) it is SO sweet compared to everything … o cant use more than half a tsp. It is delightful and has no ill effects

[@frappelover6213]

I love Monk fruit I put it in my frother with my no sugar half and half and it makes the perfect topping for my latte. Gave up sugar and between this, stevia and erythritol my blood sugars have improved and my teeth no longer hurt. If it turns out it’s bad it’s definitely better than what I was eating before.

[@erinmiddleton9522]

I'd be curious to know how monk fruit is used as a sweetener in China?They probably don't hyper-process it like we do here, but surely it has been used there safely, for a very long time. I have been using Lakanto as my only sweetener for probably 7 years, removing regular sugar completely and foods high in carbs too. I have lost 100 lbs. in that time. Removing carbs has eliminated 100% of food cravings. So using monk fruit has not made me want more sugary things. But that I know is due to eating very low carb.

[@globallyplantbased]

It seems like natural low calorie sweeteners are best used in baking and cooking- where they consumed with other nutrients and macros. Perhaps they are metabolically safe in small quantities (like a condiment) or a single packet/teaspoon in a cup of coffee or tea. I've considered using them in tandem with date and fig paste in my black bean brownies and chickpea peanut butter cookies.

[@suicune2001]

I think it's better to eat mostly whole plants. We were never meant to be eating these super sweet science projects. A little bit shouldn't hurt you too much but some people think they can eat as much as they want because it has zero calories without any kind of side effect.

[@spektred]

Save yourselves 20 minutes of your time and skip to 20:06 😂 Just kidding Mic, great research as always.

[@Brickinasock]

Big up, though I watched the rest anyway.

[@jamessullenriot]

Watched half, skipped to the end since I got the gist already. Leaving this comment for the Algorithm to make up for watch time!!

[@Serendipity-gj2me]

Michael Kennedy. Thank you, you saved me a lot of time.

[@emmanuelking9988]

Thank you bro 👍

[@cdorman11]

A minute of information crammed into 20

[@tomtompkins6779]

That study you sighted lumps again monk fruit with other non-sugar sweeteners. One difference is that the mechanism of monk fruit is mogrosides which are antioxidants, are completely different. mechanism. So lumping them in with other non-sugar sweeteners is not a comparison.

[@FlamingoCupcake28]

Now do stevia! I have added monk fruit to my rotation lately, mostly cuz I thought it might be better than stevia, but now I may just use stevia more since I actually prefer it. I know for me that when I use stevia and monk fruit I feel like my blood sugar is more stable and I’m more satiated. That and I don’t feel like I have to rush to immediately brush my teeth after my matcha latte in the mornings -a big plus. Also I don’t crave more things sweetened with these sweeteners throughout the day like I would if I had something like say, maple syrup, which definitely leads to cravings for me. I wonder if the results of the studies would change if participants were given something with calories in it along with the monk fruit. It seems like that would change how your body reacts. A lot of the time we’re consuming it in a baked good , oatmeal, latte or whatever , not just a monk fruit flavored soda.

[@jefflittle8913]

"but now I may just use stevia more since I actually prefer it" Are we part of the same species? This sounds bizarre to me. I guess you do you, boo.

[@stephencarlsbad]

After eating a small amount of stevia, my gums become seriously inflamed, accompanied by severe cavity activity. It seems like an immune related response. Once stevia has been out of my system for a couple of days, my mouth health returns to normal. Very strange, however, I used to eat chronically high amounts of stevia and I believe its switched something genetically and I do not trust fake sugar sweeteners anymore. Sucralose causes me neuropathy in my neck and back the same as aspartame. I avoid those too now.

[@paigeroberts]

I love monk fruit so much! My fav no cal sweetener. Now foods is my fav powder and “sweet monk” has the best liquid. Both do not have a weird aftertaste compared to other brands I’ve tried !

[@skatingsarah1996]

I would love a video on Ray Peat and the whole pro metabolic/anti seed oils thing!

[@tanyasydney2235]

Me too.

[@Paul-yk7ds]

Great nuanced discussion, Mic, I'd love to see more videos on non-nutritive sweeteners and blood glucose.

[@lakessbm]

Wow such a great analysis of that graph! Makes sense when you consider the unshown drop adding to it making it lower

[@adrianaxcx777]

Clicked on this so fast... I love monk fruit so this grabbed my attention with a quickness😅💖

[@Lou.B]

Any chance that in the Gregor study, the no-calorie sweeteners (aspartame/monkfruit) might be acting as a catalyst, tripping a 'super-metabolation' of the carbs in the rice at lunch, and spiking the blood sugar? (8:05)

[@tamcon72]

I've bought this stuff exactly once and it's really expensive, so . . . The "Natural Health Products" world loves to chuck things like this on the good-for-you bandwagon willy nilly, so thanks for posting : )

[@vincentdubrosa87]

Using 1/4 of a dried monk fruit in about a 24 oz of water and simmering it for 30 min makes a nice sweet tea like drink that I was told is good for constipation and as a sleep aid. I keep some at home for occasional use since I was told of this in China in 1996 at a famous CTM hospital in Beijing.

[@peterscott2662]

Study should have also had a control drinking plain water. Edit. I have to stop commenting before I finish the video.

[@tamcon72]

LOL.

[@brianfox771]

Sucralose does NOT equal Splenda! Splenda has Sucralose in it, but it is mostly Dextrose and Maltodextrin which has a much larger glycemic index than Sugar. I'm fairly certain that if there is a blood sugar response from consuming Splenda, it is from the dextrose and maltodextrin it is mostly made of.

[@stephanie2533]

I’ve mainly used pure mogroside v, available on Amazon. I love monk fruit, but switched to yacon syrup after Dr Greger recommended it in moderation. I’d love to to see your comparison between yacon syrup and powder, and monk fruit powder and liquid.

[@lavellnutrition]

Erythritol has a corn base which is a grain. I prefer Xylitol made from birch bark which eliminates the risk of grain derivatives creating an insulin or glucose response since All grain can create an insulin response, All of them.

[@Mr-hn2bp]

Yacon syrup study has a small subject population and very uneven sizes. I don't know what the control syrup is and may be the key to the statistical significance. The syrup contains 40 to 50% of fructooligosaccharrides which are soluble fibres digestible by intestinal Flora. It contains glucose, fructose and sucrose as well, these are not good for diabetics. The laxative effect is certainly reduce stool volume by a few pounds given the BMI of the subjects. The fibres intake 1 hour before each of 3 meals will certainly reduce food and calorie intake. For weight loss just do OMAD and low carb keto diet. This can even reverse diabetes.

[@stephanie2533]

@@Mr-hn2bp 15 years of keto gave me a fatty tumor in my heart, thyroid cancer, and pre-diabetes. If not for going low fat whole food vegan, I’d have been dead years ago, according to my doctors.

[@arlenmargolin4868]

@@stephanie2533 not doubting what you went through but I don't understand how eating healthy keto is responsible for giving you a tumor I really think that another scientist could possibly explain why you had a tumor

[@stephanie2533]

@@arlenmargolin4868 They call it a tumor, but it’s just a massive build up of fat, from eating too much fat on keto. When you eat fat, especially saturated fat, which is present in every type of fat, it builds up in your circulatory system creating blockages. It also blocks your cells from receiving insulin, which leads to diabetes. Dr Michael Greger of NutritionFacts has a whole series of videos and a book explaining why keto is the most harmful diet being promoted. Apart from a spoonful of flaxseeds each day, no one should be deliberately adding fat to their diet. After salt, it’s the most harmful thing you can consume to excess.

[@fenysnake]

I don't like any of the sweeteners, they're not good enough to be as expensive as they are but it's interesting about the acid content. Thank you for the deep dive

[@spektred]

Most cereals contain refined white sugar which aids the bacteria that damages tooth enamel (as he mentioned). So I avoid sugar like the plague, and I've been eating a cereal called Catalina Crunch because it's vegan and it uses monk fruit extract instead of sugar. I haven't had a cavity in years. But I also wonder if there will be any negative consequences of eating monk fruit sweetener since it's a processed food.

[@Duennooo]

Was it pure stevia leaves?

[@happynessadict]

I removed all sugar and sweeteners from my diet Only sweetness coming from fruit now

[@wesleyp3024]

a better explanation is that the sugar its self is priming insulin, insulin is ALREADY in the blood, then you eat lunch and your body is going from low/no insulin in the sugars that didnt cause insulin release to having to release lots of it to process the sugar coming from the meal. monk fruit is very anti inflammatory as well so the people in the monk fruit group are better prepared to handle all the oxidants from the lunch than any other group, but especially the sugar group since they would have been fighting inflammation the entire time.

[@ashokh6746]

Monkfruit sweetners like Lakanto are 99.75% Erythritol, 7.98g in a 8g serving. Pl check the label. The Erythritol is what gives a sugar-like taste. However, Sugar alcohols like Erythritol are great for toothpaste (empty calories starve and kill plaque / biofilm bacteria, yaay) but bad for the gut if ingested (kill gut digestive bacteria and in turn cause the other problems you mentioned). The purest Monkfruit extract I've tasted is NOW Foods Monkfruit Extract powder with 50% Mogrosides V. But it has a weird hollow bitter sweetness like saccharin that just stays on the tongue. A microscopic few grains might work for just a teeny hint of sweetness in say a porridge where milk and salt slightly mask the tongue's bitter response. But more of it in something like a freshly squeezed lemonade or plain "sugar-water" for testing, I feel the weird taste stands out making it unusable. And for desserts and candy where actual sugar chemistry plays a role, it's absolutely a no-go. So I've found it simpler to just give up on the sweet taste. The palate adapts in a few weeks and so much better for health ! After that, even a hint of sweetness is just too much which makes it even easier to stay off it. There's also Namanna 50% Mogrosides V powder, which I haven't tasted.

[@Jonagirlify]

I get terrible awful stomach pains when i consume even the smallest amount of stevia or monkfruit (and diarrhea). I'll stick with regular ol' date syrup for sweetener, thank you very much.

[@irredeemabledeplorable5227]

anyone who has ever hauled bulk sugar, especially molten sugar, can certainly relate to the "so sweet, it tastes almost rotten" description.....lmao

[@tonyallen4265]

The Splenda brand of Monk Fruit with Erythritol is really good. Taste almost like sugar. Quite amazing.

[@BethGrantDeRoos]

New? It's been around for a good ten years here in California. The one thing about sweeteners and veganism is how so many processed foods, including sweets, are pushed as if being vegan makes them healthy, much less a regular part of ones diet.

[@aztucsonman77]

We have all the sweetness we need in watermelon, apples and blueberries and things like that etc, it's a real shame the foods our bodies are designed for isn't enough for them.

[@injunsun]

@Mic the Vegan @9:43, the chart difference may be due to the sugar group already having insulin going around, supressing thw response to food, while the sugar free group had to get their insulin to jump-start with a meal that included starches. That would mean the sugar group would be getting fewer calories taken into cells from eating starches, which might be why people who eat sugar also tend to eat fatty foods. I think that fits with your observation about the timing with the sugar crash. Disclosure: I'm 53, and was Lacto-Ovo for almost 30 years, Vegan now for over 3. I have lived on diet cola my entire adult life. I've lived with undetectable HIV for over 24 years, the meds for which affect metabolism, and gave me lipodystrophy. That said, my annual physical this past December looks like a man in his 20s, when I was about 25lbs overweight. Now, I'm about 14lbs overweight. Most of my dietary non-sugars are from Splenda, with some Nutrisweet and Acesulphame. Oh, and importantly, I can't taste Stevia, at all. I wish I could, for the chocolate diet soda.

[@daglobe]

great work on evaluating the design of the study!!!

[@marzettik]

This was really cool. My Mom is a diabetic and she’s always going on about sweeteners but I always wondered if a zero calorie thing was good.

[@jasonito23]

I guess I'm going to be pulling out the Gremlins to watch this evening.

[@tosca...]

I don't find there's time in the day to consume a lot of sweet stuff and what there is for an occasional smoothie or dessert of some kind then surely dates or date syrup is more than sufficient? For those who have sweet tea or coffee take your own little container of date syrup or homemade sweeteners from sweet fruits (dates, golden sultanas, dehydrated apples etc). The monk fruit sweeteners I have seen all have erythritol and monk fruit is listed last ie: is the least of the ingredients

[@LadyBovine]

Natural syrups are packed with sugar, although a bit less per mass than table sugar. It's better because it also has vitamins and minerals, but it can strongly raise blood sugar, and stimulate insulin all the same. It might not be a problem for you, or other person X with a healthy metabolism, but it might be a problem for a diabetic or someone who struggles with weight loss for example.

[@carolbenson6524]

I love the monk fruit sugar ...however when I used it instead of regular sugar to bake brownies the brownies came out very hard and dry. Not quite sure why that happened.

[@zukodude487987]

I think people measure sweetness by how little you nees to add unto your food and drinks to notice the same level of sweetness. I mean coke needs multiple spoons full of sugar to be sweet whereas aspartame just needs a tiny pinch to reach the same sweetness level.

[@donwinston]

Just because it is "natural" doesn't mean it is healthier than aspartame or sucralose. "natural" doesn't mean anything.

[@rubensonorio8805]

Congratulations for the video👏we use monk fruit, stevia and a little bit of sucralose and they help a lot in our diet🤪

[@AstraVex]

Ohhh great! Here's another sweetener for ya'll. How does it get here and WHY is it here? What does it want? 🤣😜

[@debmann5168]

As usual, you did a great job providing an in-depth analysis. I agree with you on that study assessment. The findings are not worth thinking too much about. I wish however you had not taste-tested the processed MF with Erythritol. I use an organic 100% MF powder. It is a caramel-colored powder that has a "slight maple" flavor. For health reasons, I stay away from cane sugar as much as possible, and I use MF in my coffee and it's WAY better than stevia.

[@DoctoremiHolisticHealth]

Very good analysis of the study Dr. Greger quoted!

[@markwiener1091]

IMO most important as you mentioned is a study with a control called plain water! Otherwise all manner of confusion creeps in same as studies that compare olive oil to lard!

[@mikeskylark1594]

If monks can eat it, we can too. HAHA

[@1notoriousnomad]

Glad I prefer only bitter beverages because it seems safe enough but I am still torn! If someone makes a monk fruit sweetened chocolate cake though I am all in for a slice. ☺️

[@edwworth]

I've been water fasting; the first time for 11 days, no other liquids or products. My fat percentages went from 39.3% to 33.3%, according to my scale.

[@willfullyinformed]

There is a Kombucha soda called "Live", they have a website called livesoda - They sell alternative "soda" Kombuchas where they basically recreate the sodas we all know, like Coke, Dr. Pepper, etc. Well, they used Stevia for their sweetener, it was good, and then they switched to monk fruit. Me and my partner absolutely hated it. We had no idea they changed the sweetener, but the aftertaste was suddenly terrible, so we checked the ingredients. Clearly it didn't do very well afterwards, just within a couple months using Monk Fruit, they were no longer sold in any of the stores locally. Now, if you look at their site, they reverted back to Organic Stevia. Monk fruit is a no-go for us, aftertaste is awful, and Stevia isn't even that great, but Monk fruit wins the doodoo award. Cheers

[@willfullyinformed]

Side note, we personally avoid fake sweeteners, especially poison crap like Aspartame, sucralose etc. We just do our best to drink or eat things with natural, unrefined sugars - using actual fruit as their sweetener, dates, or worst case scenario coconut sugar, etc.

[@pisces1821]

I absolutely love the Live kombucha drinks! To me, they’re the only kombuchas that don’t taste like vinegar…The Root Beer and Doctor are the best! So happy hey went back to Stevia❣️

[@DarthAwar]

Monk fruit has been used as a Sweetener by the Chinese in that region for over a thousand years true they would soak or boil the skin if not the entire fruit too sweeten stuff like tea or dry the skin and powder it for things like moon cakes

[@danteyumyentong]

I'm from Hong Kong drinking it all my life too. No side effects for me and I love it so much that I start googling it.

[@shihtzumom7209]

I had read that erythritol IS found in monk fruit -- I think it is used to process it? And I read that recent studies have shown ERYTHRITOL to increase the risk of BLOOD CLOTS, STROKE, and HEART ATTACK. As a result, I am now not wanting to purchase any more collagen powders that contain monk fruit. Do you know IF it is true that ALL monk fruit containing supplements and foods DO contain erythritol as well, due to the manufacturing process of monk fruit?

[@guapodesperado2822]

Excellent video. I have seen other doctors very poorly review that Singapore study. They don't mention the very poor study design at all. Anytime you see studies designed so poorly, almost as if they are seeking a desired outcome, you clearly have to consider conflicts of interest. The sweetener industry, like most large industries, have armies of lobbyists, marketers, and slimey influence peddlers. Sadly, way too many scientists are way too unethical about how they perform their research and will gladly take a little on the side to....."oops gee I messed up in the study design". Meanwhile their findings and conclusions get used like ammunition by the greedy corporations in their PR qnd marketing campaigns. Thanks for being honest and pointing out that study's huge flaw.

[@lilachlipel4205]

SPLENDA >> ingedients: DEXTROSE + MALOTODEXTRIN (contains regular carbs > Synonymous with sugar), SUCRALOSE.

[@warrenlucier5796]

I'm a T2 diabetic and I control it without drugs (the rabbit hole) and test my before consumption glucose and after, over time glucose to determine the effect. I don't consume much in the way of sweeteners, but I've had no problem with the monk fruit. I think the fried rice (trans fat and starch) was the rise depicted. The sugar gave a high and then you go into a low upon consuming the rice, it wont register in a meaningful way. The insulin I can assure you went way up to handle all that glucose (65 grams) and the graph gave a false depiction.

[@carmenscorner7209]

I was trying monk fruit for a while and make me very sick, severe stomach pain…. That lasted for a while… I feel that affected my gut bacteria. With Stevia I have not problems.

[@Rob-gf3pb]

I’ve been off sugar for over a month The last couple weeks I’ve found keto style sweets that have monk fruit/stevia. They’re addictive and sugar alliance has become harder for me. I’m stopping monkfruit and artificial “zero calorie” foods

[@ashicaalisha791]

they are so addictive im stopping monk fruit also

[@waltersumofan]

Kind of like a plant based burger; if I'm past the need for the taste then I'm not going to miss it or want it back. Sugars are used more often though so it will have to wait for some cooking usage that people want or nutritional advantage. If there are already alternatives that do the job not sure how that's going to compare

[@margaretsmith9637]

Most of it has erythritol, I am not sure I spelt that correctly.

[@gregbannish8423]

I used Lakanto monkfruit sweetener for about 2 years while on keto, before switching to wfpb vegan. It was quite annoying that they said it contained erythritol but didnt say how much. Im assuming is mostly erythritol. Also, my tennis partner who ran a sweetener company said pure monkfruit tastes" like sh$t". Given that a very negative study about erythritol came out this year (2024), im glad to no longer be using it...

[@deepakhiranandani6488]

Maybe it's me, must be: mentally flabby, age, or just distracted but the video did seem to be difficult, or demand close attention. I'm glad for the one line summation at the end, trusting your research and analytical skills and rigour demonstrated so often before. The graphs were not that easy to grasp as those dotted and dashed lines were, well, not perfect: some eye catching coloured spot marker or something would have helped. And it was all so quick. Anyhow, thanks. Maybe since I'm not into sugar or sweeteners myself, don't feel the need for either in my life (am content with fruit for sweetness) I didn't pay close attention. I'm sure the video must have examined the subject well, and it is an important one, I shall watch the video again. Thanks.

[@lukearengo-jones6166]

I like in China and make a tea with this stuff every time I get a sore throat or a cough, it usually does the trick

[@ah-1946]

I’m not diabetic and I don’t drink alcohol and I want to know how much Monk fruit can I use for tea because I use two packages for 16 ounce bottles of water .So I use 8 pkgs for each 16 ozs bottle

[@davidthescottishvegan]

Haven't even heard of Monk fruit until I watched this video. Another fantastic video Mic the Vegan and loved 😍 it.

[@daniellehoffman2743]

Do a video on plant based milk!! Especially soy! I drink that the most regardless of its bad rep. Need to know why there’s such a bad stigma about it

[@BethShearon]

Found a monkfruit and erythritol blend and tried a few times. It's weird and squeaks my teeth 😬. I've been whole plant exclusive no SOS & thought it might make for an easy sweet treat with oatmeal but it tastes better without it. Maybe I'm trying it with the wrong food?

[@laurigolub8467]

Any process is bad, but you get the gourd boil it like tea and try to use the liquid in your baking and beverage sweetening. No I I'm not an expert but we have all been down this road before; anyting processed at all turns out to be unhealthy and sometimes dangerous. I find that the liquid from The Boiled gourd taste a little maplely and even molassaesy and it is not a 1 to 1 ratio but it is good and since it is real i think it a safe sweetener .Oh and I saw the you tube video only and iddiot would eat the gourd raw... by nature it is rotten..it is dried.

[@sfbuck415]

do sweeteners need to be just like sugar? turning natural extracts into powder seems like unnecessary industrial processes. and yet it's more expensive in liquid form.

[@nevermind9548]

I think it's giving my mouth and lips some issues! Its from Volupta (costco)....I will be returning all 5 bags. It left an aftertaste, as well. Too bad! I'll go back to Stevia (recommended by Nora Gedgaudas, Nutritional Therapist...). Thank you for taking the time to taste test!!! You've gained a fan!

[@TheLifescasualty]

It’s great. This video helped me realize I should use 2/3 to half the monk fruit in the recipe. That was my only problem. Soooooo sweet. 😂

[@AnnieT369]

There are 2 types of monk fruit, roasted ones and air dried ones. With the roasted one, break it up and boil it with water. Non roasted one can be brewed like any tea. Good for throat and gut. Called monk fruit after the monks who originally grew them. Nothing to do with random white man.

[@memofromessex]

Could you maybe do a video on the healthiest carbohydrate video like you did with the least healthiest sugar?

[@arth8265]

Splenda is not pure sucralose. It's mixed with maltodextrine (which is type of hydrolized starch aka sugar). Also, it really doesn't matter that much if sweetener has low pH, but if it's fermented by bacteria in mouth. Table sugar has pretty neutral pH around 6-7 and is still bad. So, this logic is flawed.

[@radrook2153]

There is always some kind of detrimental danger involved-right? I just tried it on some unsweetened tea and it had absolutely no effect on the taste. No sweetening effect whatsoever.

[@AnHourOfWolves]

In a randomized controlled trial it would be practically impossible to have a plain water control group, unfortunately. The study design is really just attempting to compare sugar and non nutritive sugar.

[@Cin9999]

That blood sugar thing is GOOD like hue? In healthy people OBVIOUSLY the blood sugar over the day should be equal nomatter what happens. Its not a surprise that the levels averaged out, neither is that sweet flavor releases a little bit of insulin thus making the spike bigger the next time you eat but as long as you stay healthy that doesnt matter. The Carbohydrate-Insulin Hypothesis also has been debunked for years. Its funny because Dr Neal Barnard should cry seeing those videos - because he has literally proven how fat is much closer to the root cause of diabetes than sugar. If you make a diabetic person eat low fat and get really lean they almost all can stop their insulin treatment. In medicine - overanalyzing mechanistic data or single response trials is REALLY bad practice. You can say its „interesting“ but outcome data is where its at. And we have controlled blinded randomized trials feeding healthy people sugar or sweeteners over long periods of time and in the end nothing bad happens. Not even with real sugar as long as its calorie controlled and part of a otherwise healthy diet.