What is Allulose? And why we chose it.

Glad you asked.

I started making gummy bears in my kitchen many years ago. My ingredient criteria was based on my diet preferences, and supporting my own health goals. As someone with a loose connective disease, I wanted a gummy that was tasty, while giving me a little collagen, but didn’t spike my blood sugar, or increase my inflammation.

Sugar free can be tricky.

Most alternative sweeteners bring something else to the table, either a bitter aftertaste, a strange tail at the end of the flavor note, or that cooling weirdness that most sugar alcohols have. Sugar alcohols were never good for my digestion, so we kept searching.

Which led us to allulose. It’s our favorite natural sweetener for so many reasons.

Allulose. The best sweetener that ticks alllll the boxes.

Firstly, allulose is actually a rare sugar found in trace amounts in raisins, figs, wheat, maple syrup and even sugar cane.

Aside from the clean sweet flavor, and no weird aftertaste, what makes allulose amazing is its impact on the metabolism and blood sugar stability.

10 Reasons Why Allulose Might Be the BEST Sweetener ever.

1. Zero Glycemic Index
   Allulose is ZERO on the glycemic index like stevia, monk fruit and erythritol, meaning they don’t spike blood sugars. Glucose is 100, Sucrose (table sugar) is 65, Honey is 58, and Maple Syrup is 60 for comparisons.
   
2. Low Calorie Sweetener
   Allulose has 90% LESS calories than sugar.
   
   
3. Keto, Diabetic and Sugar Free Safe
   Because of the metabolic effects of allulose, it’s a safe sweetener for a truly ketogenic formulated diet, for diabetics, and for any diet that demands no sugar.
   
   
4. Blood-Sugar Friendly & Increases Insulin Sensitivity
   Allulose doesn’t raise blood sugar or stimulate insulin production according to studies. But, it’s also shown to increase insulin sensitivity.
   
   
5. Lowers Blood Sugar Impact of Other Foods
   Some studies have shown that allulose can even reduce blood sugar response when consumed with higher carb and sugar foods. Yes, you read that right. This is one reason why I like to eat a snack bag of our gummies, or a couple caramels at the end of a meal.
   
   
6. Doesn’t Harm Teeth
   Because allulose is not metabolized in the mouth, it doesn’t promote tooth decay like other sugars.
   
   
7. Stimulates GLP-1 Naturally and Anti-Inflammatory
   In recent research, it’s come to light that allulose seems to stimulate GLP-1 (Glucagon-like peptide-1) naturally in the body. You’ve likely heard about these medications for weight loss? These drugs mimic a natural process that makes you less hungry, balances blood sugars, reduces cravings and inflammation, and helps lose weight. Taking these medications comes with some risk. But allulose has been shown to stimulate the body’s natural GLP-1 for 3-4 hours after consuming it. Just 5-10g are the dosages cited in the studies. For visual understanding, that’s one tsp of our Pancake Syrup, or a snack bag of our gummies, or 2 caramels.
   
   
8. Nerdy Science Alert:
   If you understand the problems with fructose metabolism, you’ll appreciate this. Fructose is not processed like glucose or sucrose. It has to be processed in the liver (which can lead to fatty liver disease) and high uric acid. Because allulose is almost identical to the fructose molecule, there’s studies showing that the body may even prioritize allulose over fructose in various pathways. This is a good thing.
   
   
9. Anti-Obesity Effects
   Allulose may even reduce fat, fatty liver, and even worrisome visceral fat according to studies.
   
   
10. Clean, Sweet Taste
    As a true monosaccharide (sugar), allulose has that sweet flavor without the after-taste or weirdness. Because it’s a rare sugar, it has a similar taste profile and texture to sugar, though 70% as sweet, it actually browns like sugar, and even caramelizes.😍

At the end of the day, and for all these reasons, we chose allulose as our preferred sweetener.

A delicious sweetener that also supports the metabolism is a very good thing.

Sources & References

The Metabolic and Endocrine Effects of a 12-Week Allulose-Rich Diet
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11207032/

Rare Sugar Syrup Containing d-Allulose but Not High-Fructose Corn Syrup Maintains Glucose Tolerance and Insulin Sensitivity
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28209058/

Effects of D-allulose on glucose tolerance and insulin response to a standard oral sucrose load
https://drc.bmj.com/content/9/1/e001939

d-Allulose Enhances Postprandial Fat Oxidation in Healthy Humans
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0899900717301181

Evaluating the Dose-Dependent Effect of d-Allulose for Fat Mass Reduction in Adult Humans
https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/10/2/160

d-Allulose is a substrate of glucose transporter type 5 (GLUT5) in the small intestine
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30502192/

GLP-1 release and vagal afferent activation mediate the beneficial metabolic and chronotherapeutic effects of D-allulose
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5760716/