"Sickly Sweet" - Non-Nutritive Sweetener (NNS) - Maybe Not SUch A Sweet Deal
Allulose - "All
(the weight) u
Lose 😊"
What is it?
Allulose (a.k.a. D-piscose)
is a promising low calorie sugar substitute that is demonstrating both
antihyperglycemic
(preventing weight gain/obesity) and anti-lipidemic
(preventing
ischaemic
CVD )
effects.
It has 0.4 calories/g (<10%
of the calories of sugar), is ~70% as sweet, can be used
like sugar E.g. in baking and to sweeten beverages, and is reported to
leave no unpleasant after-taste when mixed with other foods. It browns in baking,
melts, caramelizes in candies and syrups, and it disperses well in batter without needing additional water.
Finally it does not recrystalize like erythritol and is less grainy in uncooked
foods, such as whipped cream. Allulose is sold as
crystallized granules and as a syrup.
Allulose is a simple sugar found in nature, but not in
abundance. E.g. it is found in trace amounts in raisins, figs, kiwi,
maple syrup, molasses and wheat.
This monosaccharide has the same chemical formula as fructose.
Production method. Typically, corn is broken
down into starch and fructose. Genetically engineered enzymes convert fructose
to allulose, but these GMO enzymes are removed from the final product, which
would ostensibly make it non-GMO. However, with some companies, this is a
moot point since they are using GMO corn. Feasably in the future, these
companies may choose to use non-GMO corn or some other source such as sugar
cane.
Now typically selling for ~$12 - $18 per pound (Dec 2019).
Certainly not
as cheap as sugar!
Allulose does not raise blood sugar,cause weight gain, or cause dental
caries
Essentially allulose has a net carb count of zero
calories
Although 70-84% of allulose is absorbed from the
intestines, it is eliminated in the urine without being metabolized.
Allulose consumption does not seem to raise blood
sugar or INSULIN. The body absorbs allulose but does not metabolize
it into glucose
Supporting studies
Introduced in 2015, allulose was FDA-approved in April 2019.
At time of
writing, research has been limited but promising - especially regarding weight
loss and blood sugar management.
A 2017 rat study found that rats who drank allulose
syrup for 10 weeks gained less weight, had less body fat, and had lower blood
glucose and INSULIN
levels than rats who were given the same amount of high-fructose corn syrup.
The amount of hepatic glycogen was more than 3 times
higher in the allulose group. Results implied that allulose maintains glucose
tolerance (preventing prediabetes) and INSULIN
sensitivity.
Journal
of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2017
A
small 20 person study found that acute D-psicose administration decreased the
glycemic responses to an oral maltodextrin tolerance test in normal adults.
Consuming allulose lowered subjects' blood sugar and
insulin levels and may be
suitable for diabetics. PubMed
Human trials showed that allulose attenuates
postprandial glucose levels in healthy subjects and in borderline diabetic
subjects .
Science Direct https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19155592
Korean randomized/placebo-controlled preliminary study
with 121 adults found that body fat percentage and body fat mass were
significantly decreased following D-allulose supplementation. "The
high D-allulose group (taking 7g D-allulose twice daily) revealed a significant
decrease in not only body mass index (BMI), but also total abdominal and
subcutaneous fat areas measured by CT scans compared to the placebo group. There
were no significant differences in nutrient intake, plasma lipid profiles,
markers of liver and kidney function, and major inflammation markers among
groups." pdf
Obviously, significantly more human research is needed before we can do a "Eureka sugar
dance".
Side effects
Consumption can result in flatulence, abdominal
discomfort and diarrhea. By causing incomplete absorption of carbs
from the GI tract, these carbs can then be fermented by intestinal flora.
The maximum "non-effect dose" of allulose in causing diarrhea in humans has been
found to be 0.55 g/kg of body weight (~34g for a 130 pound person). This is
higher than that of most sugar alcohols (0.17 - 0.42 g/kg), but is less than that
of erythritol (0.66 - 1.0+ g/kg).
Wikipedia
Other information
The U.S. FDA has ruled that allulose can be excluded
from total and added sugar counts on nutrition labels.
Name
Calories / Gram
Sweetness Index
Glycemic Index
Calories / Spoon-Equiv. sweetness to sugar
Taste
Aftertaste
Allulose
0.4
0.7
0
0.5
Good
No
