What if we told you there’s a sugar alternative out there that tastes about as good as the real thing with 10 percent of the calories and may also stimulate the natural production of the GLP-1 hormone?
Sounds too good to be true, right? Maybe not. Allulose is the sweetener in the spotlight lately, for all these benefits and possibly more. But with the recent research about the health risks associated with other sugar substitutes, you may be wondering: Could allulose really be any different — or does it just seem like a sweet deal?
We took a deep dive into the research, exploring why some longevity influencers are so excited about this low calorie sweetener and what you should know before trying it for yourself.
What is allulose?
Allulose is a type of natural sugar that can be found in figs, raisins, and maple syrup. It can also be made as a sweetener, and it's become popular lately because, unlike other popular sugar substitutes like stevia or erythritol, it doesn’t have that icky chemical aftertaste. Users say it tastes a lot like good, old fashioned sugar, but it’s about 70 percent as sweet and contains about 10 percent of the calories.
Granulated allulose also feels like sugar, so it’s become a popular replacement for baking. But it’s pricy — about five to seven times more expensive per ounce than other sweeteners.
Does allulose raise blood sugar?
Like other low-calorie alternatives, allulose is metabolized differently than normal sugar, “because we don’t have the enzymes needed to break the molecule down,” says Rosemary Trout, associate clinical professor of culinary arts and food science at Drexel University. It’s absorbed in the small intestine and quickly excreted, so it doesn’t spike your blood sugar, making it an attractive alternative for people with diabetes.
But there’s some emerging evidence that allulose may actually help lower glucose levels, too. A 2023 paper found that people who added a small amount of allulose to their meals saw a reduction of between 10 to 15 percent in how much their glucose rose after eating. However, this was a small study, and more research is necessary to determine exactly how allulose impacts blood sugar.
Allulose, GLP-1, and fat loss
One study that’s received a lot of attention in health and longevity circles compared the metabolic effects of allulose with stevia. The researchers found that mice with type 2 diabetes who consumed allulose over 12 weeks gained less weight, ate less, and had elevated levels of GLP-1, a hormone that slows digestion and reduces appetite.
“Allulose stands out because it tastes like sugar, but metabolically behaves very differently,” says one of the paper’s authors, Benjamin Bikman, Ph.D., a metabolic health researcher and professor at Brigham Young University.
New research is also looking at whether allulose could contribute to fat loss. A 2018 study examined allulose’s effect on 121 overweight adults. They found that those who ate allulose over several weeks lowered their weight, levels of fat, and their belly fat — despite eating the same amount of calories as a control group given Splenda. It’s not clear what’s behind this potential metabolic benefit, but researchers suspect the sweetener could be acting on certain liver enzymes, which create fat.
Allulose side effects
This promising sweetener does come with some downsides, too. Like other sugar substitutes, some people may experience issues like gas, and it may have a “laxative effect,” Dr. Trout says.
Allulose also hasn’t been approved as a food additive in the E.U., U.K., and Canada because it’s considered “novel,” and their regulatory agencies are still assessing its safety. However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration classifies the sweetener as “generally recognized as safe."
“Overall, the evidence supports allulose as well tolerated and metabolically safe in typical dietary use,” Dr. Bikman tells us, adding that he’s “enthusiastically supportive” of using the sweetener as a substitute for conventional sugar to support metabolic health.
Dr. Trout also believes allulose can be particularly beneficial for people like her who have diabetes. But she doesn't recommend using it as a "one for one sugar replacement" and suggests consuming it in small amounts.
"Allulose can deliver sweetness without driving the same insulin and glucose burden that typical sugars do — and it may offer additional physiology through GLP-1," Dr. Bikman says. "But I always add a caveat: No ingredient replaces fundamentals — diet quality, adequate protein, strength training, sleep, and overall energy balance still matter. Allulose is best viewed as a lever that can make those fundamentals easier to execute."
