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Is Allulose Keto-Friendly?

The keto diet is gaining popularity and along with that keto-friendly snacks and foods. It helps in maintaining ketosis, a process that makes the body burn fat primarily for fuel than carbs.

Many manufacturers add allulose as a sugar substitute to make items keto-friendly.

What is Allulose?

Allulose is a type of sweetener that resembles fructose, a sugar that naturally occurs in fruits (1). It is also referred to as rare sugar as it is present in just a few fruits such as jackfruits, figs, and raisins.

The body metabolizes allulose sugar differently. It, instead of being absorbed by and metabolized like other sugars and causing a rise in blood sugar, passes through the body into the urine and feces.

Allulose is also known as low-calorie sugar. (2) It provides 0.4 calories per gram that are lower than 4 calories per gram in sugar. (3)

Allulose is known with other names including psicose, d-psicose, d-allulose, or pseudo-fructose.

Is Allulose Keto-Friendly?

Is Allulose Keto-Friendly?

Allulose passes through the body unmetabolized and therefore does not affect the blood sugar and insulin levels.

It is known to moderately improve blood sugar levels and regulate insulin with or without diabetes (4)

Allulose is actually suitable for the keto diet and for those trying to lose weight or manage diabetes. It is preferred by manufacturers to make keto-friendly products such as protein bars, frozen dairy, desserts, and syrups.

When using allulose for a recipe add 30 percent more allulose than sugar asked for in a recipe. This means 1 teaspoon of sugar should be replaced by 1 1/3 grams of allulose.

Allulose is 5-7 times more expensive than sugar, which is why manufacturers combine it with other keto-friendly sugar sources such as stevia or monk fruit as well as artificial sweeteners such as sucralose and aspartame.

Monk fruit and stevia are much sweeter than sugar and if added along less allulose is required to achieve the desired sweetness. (5)

Allulose benefits those with type 2 diabetes and obesity. Research shows that it may help control glucose levels and improve insulin resistance. (4)

Consuming allulose in high doses helps in reducing body fat, body fat percentage, and body mass index. (5) It is also known to affect blood cholesterol positively.

Side Effects of Allulose

Allulose is considered safe by the Food and Drug Administration as an additive to be used in foods. (1)

In human studies, up to 10 grams of allulose has been used without tying any side effects to it. (6, 7)

However, one study associated intake of allulose with diarrhea, bloating, nausea, headache, vomiting, and stomach ache (8)

Allulose vs. Other Sweeteners

Allulose is found naturally in other foods. There are other sugar substitutes that include stevia, aspartame, saccharin, sucralose, and neotame.

Except for stevia and allulose, the above substitutes are not natural.

Aspartame and neotame are made by combining two amino acids. Sucralose is obtained from sucrose also known as table sugar.

All the above sweeteners have been approved by the FDA as safe to be used by humans. These are added by the manufacturers in beverages and dietary products to bring down their calorie count.

Artificial sweeteners can help control hunger and appetite and promote weight loss and manage diabetes. They have been deemed safe by many international regulatory bodies if consumed in usual amounts. (9)

Can Allulose Be Consumed In Paleo Diet?

The paleo diet consists of vegetables, fruits, nuts, roots, meat, and organ meat. It excludes highly processed foods.

Allulose can be included in the diet by those following the paleo diet but only if they consume natural and unprocessed food.

Sugar is a contributing factor to obesity. Bringing down sugar consumption or substituting sugar with low-calorie options can help prevent obesity.

Allulose is much lower in calories when compared to sugar. People following the keto diet can use allulose to replace sugar, but keep a check on the amount as it can lead to gastrointestinal discomforts.

Also Read:

Team PainAssist
Team PainAssist
Written, Edited or Reviewed By: Team PainAssist, Pain Assist Inc. This article does not provide medical advice. See disclaimer
Last Modified On:November 15, 2021

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