Synsepalum dulcificum natural sweetener is also known as miracle fruit
Synsepalum dulcificum is a fruit native to West Africa and has been known to Westerners since the 18th century.
Sour is sweet
Synsepalum dulcificum contains a protein called
miraculin, which binds
with the taste buds and acts as a sweetness inducer when it comes in contact
with acids.
During the 1970s, the Food and Drug Administration allowed an extract of miraculin to be
marketed as a sugar substitute. Another popular sugar substitute is stevia which
is available as a sweetener supplement. See
Stevia for more information.
Synsepalum dulcificum side effects
No side effects have yet been reported in the medical literature.
Improvement of insulin resistance by miracle fruit (
Synsepalum dulcificum ) in fructose-rich chow-fed rats.
Phytother Res. 2006 Nov. Department of Emergency Medicine, Mackay Memorial
Hospital and College of Oral Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei City,
Taiwan 10401, ROC.
In an attempt to probe a new target to improve insulin resistance, miracle fruit
( Synsepalum dulcificum ) was employed to investigate the effect on insulin
resistance induced by fructose-rich chow in rats. Single oral administration of
the powder of Synsepalum dulcificum fruit decreased the plasma glucose in a
dose-dependent manner for 150 min in rats fed fructose-rich chow for 4 weeks.
Oral administration of Synsepalum dulcificum fruit (0.2 mg/kg) to fructose-rich
chow fed rats, three times daily for 3 days, reversed the raised value of the
glucose-insulin index, indicating that miracle fruit has the ability to improve
insulin sensitivity. In conclusion, the results suggest that Synsepalum
dulcificum fruit may be used as an adjuvant for treating diabetic patients with
insulin resistance because this fruit has the ability to improve insulin
sensitivity.
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