Allulose is the newest and greatest in sugar substitutes being researched in the science community. Table sugar (sucralose) is the most common sweetener. Simple sugars, called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and allulose. Disaccharides are double bonded sugar molecules including sucrose, lactose, and maltose.
Allulose is a natural sugar that’s low in calories and doesn’t spike insulin levels like table sugar. It’s even being researched to promote fat loss and enhance aerobic exercise. Although there’s still plenty of research to be done on allulose, there’s yet to be any major negative side effects found. Mild side effects include bloating, GI issues, or constipation. The USDA has recognized it as GRAS “generally recognized as safe” which is pretty much the best you can get in a newly still-to-be researched food.
D-allulose is called a “rare sugar” because it exists in small quantities in plants like brown sugar, maple syrup, figs, raisins, and wheat. Allulose has only 0.2 to 0.4 calories per gram. That’s 1/10th the calories of table sugar while being 70% as sweet. Because of its chemical makeup, it doesn’t have an effect on blood glucose or insulin levels making it a powerful sweetener for diabetics and keto diet followers.
Allulose has been researched in mice to lower food intake while increasing energy expenditure, which means you’re eating less and burning more. It’s also been studied to reduce dietary fat absorption in the small intestine in mice. This of course leads to an overall decrease in body weight and fat loss.
In addition to the dietary benefits, allulose has also been studied for its performance benefits in mice. After 10 days, the mice on allulose were running longer, had better recovery speeds, and increased the maximal aerobic speed of the mice.
References
- Liu B et al. D-Allulose Improves Endurance and Recovery from Exhaustion in Male C57BL/6J Mice. Nutrients. 2022 Jan 18;14(3).
- Han Y et al. D-Allulose Supplementation Normalized the Body Weight and Fat-Pad Mass in Diet-Induced Obese Mice Via the Regulation of Lipid Metabolism Under Isocaloric Fed Condition. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2016 Jul;60(7):1695-706.
- Han Y et al. A Preliminary Study for Evaluating the Dose-Dependent Effect of d-Allulose for Fat Mass Reduction in Adult Humans: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial. Nutrients. 2018 Jan 31;10(2):160.
Kelsey Xander
