This may be off topic, but ...

I'm curious about the "sweet" aspect of this process.

It reminds me of a potentially (?) similar situation -- the chemistry of electrolyte replacement mixes.

The cure for electrolyte depletion, associated with dehydration, is simply "a handful of sugar and a pinch of salt" in clean water. Research found that the intestinal wall would not let salts through unless some sugars were present.

So, is this product simply a reverse of that process?