Over 400 million people worldwide live with diabetes. More than 1.9 billion adults are obese. If we break this down it means that over 650 million of 18 year old adults or older, 41 million children under the age of 5, and over 340 million children and adolescents, between ages 5 and 19 years, are overweight. These staggering figures are likely to continue increasing if people don’t change their lifestyle.
The good news is that there is no reason to be sad if you are diabetic or obese and you cannot resist delicious cakes. Are you dreaming of a life where eating sweets will not affect your body weight? Your dream has come true. Allulose, a very new sweetener, does not affect the levels of blood sugar and is almost zero calorie.
A lower calorie diet should be supported by the consumption of food containing sweeteners instead of sugar. Allulose is estimated to be 70% as sweet as sucrose or sugar. An interesting fact is that gram for gram allulose has around 90% fewer calories than sugar. They do not differ at all in taste, not even in their chemical formulae. Due to the difference in the arrangement of the chemical structure the human body does not process allulose in the same way as sugar. This can be explained by the fact that as 70-84% of the consumed allulose is absorbed into the human blood from the digestive tract, it is removed through urine without first being used as a fuel. Therefore, it does not increase blood sugar or insulin levels and it can be considered nearly calorie-free. Additionally, it has been proven that it is not recognized as a carbohydrate by the body and it resists fermentation by the gut bacteria, significantly decreasing the odds of bloating, gas or other digestive problems unlike the already known and widely used sweeteners, such as aspartame.
What do we know about this new sweetener so far? In the USA, FDA has already approved it. Allulose, known as D-Psicose, is a monosaccharide as it consists of a single sugar molecule. Allulose was first identified in wheat more than 70 years ago. It is categorized as “rare sugar” as it is naturally present in only small amounts in agricultural products, such as in dried fruits, including jackfruit, figs and raisins and that makes its extraction all the more difficult. However, scientists have recently found more effective ways to produce it on a larger scale in order to make it available as a food ingredient and cover the increasing demand.
What are the benefits of allulose in our health? Several studies were conducted over the past years in order to prove why this new sweetener should be included in a scheme of healthy diet. First of all, animal and human studies have been shown that it is particularly beneficial for the type 2 diabetes patients, as it decreases blood sugar levels, increases insulin sensitivity, and contributes to the protection of the insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells. Allulose has been found to be particularly useful for the treatment of obesity. Research in obese rats has shown that this sweetener may raise fat burning, apart from preventing obesity. Other studies in mice and rats have suggested that this new compound may lower the risk of fatty liver disease. Protection from oxidative stress, an increase of the energy expenditure, and a decrease of the inflammation risk represent some other possible health benefits resulting from allulose consumption.
So far we know the origin of allulose, its potential use and health benefits. However, safety is of paramount importance especially for a new compound. Allulose appears to be a safe sweetener and there are no high probabilities of problems in the human body when consumed in excess. People of all ages, from very young to very old, can enjoy this new sweetener in their sweet and tasty food and drinks. Since 2018 more and more major commercial food or beverage industries have started to use allulose as a sweetener. Several studies have been done in order to prove that this compound is safe for use. No significant harmful effects or health-related problems have been observed. Even when it was tested for long-term consumption, 18 months, no adverse effects or dietary toxicity were evident. Although Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) by the FDA, it has not yet been approved for use in the European Union.
Fruit and vegetables, whole grains and nuts should be included in a healthy diet. Regular physical exercise is recommended for preventing obesity. When it comes to restriction on the amount of energy intake from total fats and sugars, allulose is being called the “second generation” sugar alternative as it is aimed to replace the previous sweeteners. So what are you waiting for? The sweet formula for a healthy life and body is just around the corner.
