The sweet taste of monk fruit comes from the compounds called mogrosides. Mogrosides are metabolized differently by the body than natural sugars. It is not absorbed in the upper gastrointestinal tract. This is why is has zero calories. When it reaches the colon, gut microbes cleave off the glucose molecules and use them as an energy source. The extract appears to help lower both blood sugar and blood lipids in experimental models of animal diabetes. Some research has shown its potential to limit oxidative damage caused by high levels of blood glucose.