Want to hear about allulose, a low-calorie sweetener that helps you lose weight and doesn’t have a cringy aftertaste with every taste like you just licked the back of an ibuprofen pill?
What if I told you that just like the late-night 90’s “Sham-wow” video commercial, this sweetener also had potential health benefits?
Let’s discuss the potential benefits of the hottest noncaloric sweetener on the market and some considerations you should also be aware of.
Let Me Introduce You To Allulose
What is allulose, you ask? It’s fructose’s (aka table sugar’s) sexy younger cousin. Allulose is chemically a monosaccharide naturally derived from fructose and found in certain foods like raisins, figs, and kiwis. This sweetener was discovered by scientists in 1940 but has recently grown in popularity. It resembles sugar in taste and texture. It cooks and bakes similarly to table sugar (unlike most sweeteners currently on the market).
Rest easy: the FDA generally recognizes Allulose as safe (GRAS), meaning it’s considered safe if used within the intended use. Other substances under the GRAS listing include salt, sugar, and stevia.
Counting Calories?
Allulose has a few benefits over regular table sugar from a weight loss perspective. Here’s the skinny:
- The body absorbs and metabolizes allulose differently, resulting in minimal caloric contribution. Approximately 70% of allulose is absorbed in the bloodstream within one hour but then excreted intact in your urine within 24 hours. The remaining 30% is transported to the large intestine, then excreted within 48 hours.
- Allulose contains only 0.4 calories per gram, making it 10% (or 1/10th) of the calories in table sugar. This is a huge benefit when looking to shed unwanted pounds. Many factors can contribute to overall weight gain, but overconsuming calories is hands down the most critical factor. Swapping out table sugar for allulose substantially decreases overall calorie count without the bitter aftertaste found in most artificial sweeteners like saccharin (Sweet-n-low) and stevia (Truvia) currently on the market.
Health Benefits
With diabetes, the pancreas goes on permanent vacation. Rude right? But this disease runs rampant among people I love. I was more interested in how allulose is rumored to affect health issues, whereas other sweeteners do not.
Minimal Impact on Blood Sugar:
Based on current scientific research, allulose appears to have potential health benefits compared to other sweeteners primarily because it does not significantly raise blood sugar levels and has minimal impact on insulin response. This makes it a potentially good option for people with diabetes while still tasting similar to sugar.
Eight studies found that allulose reduced post-meal blood sugar levels in healthy people compared to control groups.
A study done on 24 type 2 diabetics who eat 8.5 grams of allulose per day for 2 days found that post-meal blood sugar was significantly lower after diabetic meals than when eating just a typical diabetic diet.
Cutting Out Added Sugar:
Cutting back on your added sugar intake and using safe, low-calorie sweeteners may reduce your risk of heart disease and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Replacing sugar with allulose may improve other aspects of health. High intakes of added sugar, including table sugar, corn syrup, and other added sweeteners, are linked to a variety of health issues, from liver disease to cavities.
Potential Anti-Obesity Effects:
Research studies also suggest that allulose may have anti-obesity effects. In a Korean study of 121 Korean adults who consumed beverages containing between 8-14 grams of allulose per day for 12 weeks, and when compared to the placebo group who consumed sucralose beverages. Compared to a placebo group, this study group experienced significant reductions in body fat mass in both abdominal and subcutaneous fat areas.
Studies also suggest that allulose protects pancreatic cells that secret insulin by reducing the body’s need for this hormone, putting less stress on the pancreas.
No Effect On Tooth Decay:
Since allulose is not metabolized by bacteria in the mouth, it does not contribute to tooth decay. Because allulose is not metabolized, provides minimal calories, and does not impact dental health.
Safety And Considerations:
Although considered safe by the FDA, meaning it hasn’t been linked to any adverse health risks, high doses of allulose can lead to side effects like nausea and diarrhea. Yikes!
So, of course, I experimented on myself (Insert weird maniacal evil mastermind laugh here). I found that at higher doses, it did make my stools much softer. Still, I didn’t experience any gastric distress. Depending on how tolerant your GI tract is, I would assume there would be a wide range of reactions. You’ve been fairly warned.
Researchers suggest a maximum daily intake of 0.9kg of body weight to minimize gastric distress. For example, a 150 lb person would need to keep the dose under 61 grams daily (equal to about 14 teaspoons of allulose.)
Conclusion
Step aside, sugar substitutes—allulose is here to steal the spotlight. It’s swanky and surprisingly versatile, offering a tasty, calorie-conscious replacement for traditional sugar. Perfect for those aiming to trim down without cutting taste, allulose could be the sweet sidekick your diet’s been dreaming of!
Want help reaching your goals without living off rice cakes and depression? Sign up for our online coaching.
