Trying Out Allulose

(Maha) #1

I just discovered allulose and have been trying it out this weekend. Here is an article about it and its benefits.

Has anyone else given allulose a try and how was it? Here is my experience after two tries:

  1. Yesterday I had made almond scones and blueberry jam, both using allulose as the sweetener. After a 25+ hour fast, I ate two scones with the jam, plus an egg bite and coffee with HWC. After I ate, I experienced no digestion issues, which is great because I had that problem with other sweeteners. But, I noticed after an hour or so, a brain fog/headache without the pain, followed later by lethargy and tiredness that was typical of eating a carby meal of old. I thought that maybe this symptom was due to having fasted and then not eaten enough protein.

  2. So I tried again this morning for breakfast. I had the exact same meal, but only one scone instead of 2. I’m noticing the same brain fog/headachy feeling without pain, but so far, no tiredness.

Allulose is not supposed to spike insulin, but I’m wondering if what I’m experiencing is just that, a spike in insulin. The article says that allulose lowers blood glucose by “Increasing [insulin] https://www.selfhacked.com/blog/insulin-101/) release in response to after-meal glucose spike”. Could this be the reason I’m getting this brain fog/headachy feeling? And if allulose is glycemic index of zero, why would insulin increase?

Also, despite allulose tasting very much like sugar, and it is not supposed to have an aftertaste, I do in fact get a slight bitter aftertaste that lingers.

I’m curious if anyone else has had a similar experience?

Xylitol, Allulose, and insulin
(Anne Brodie) #2

I have been trying allulose over this weekend. I have eaten cookies from a company called KNOW Foods and used a granulated version to sweeten some cream cheese. I have a couple of Quest Hero bars (the “Hero” ones are the ones that contain allulose) but have not tried yet. I enjoyed these items and did not notice after taste nor did I notice stomach upset. However, I have had high ketones the entire time I’ve been on keto (since January) and the past two days they went to almost nothing. I realize some say ketones don’t matter as long as one is fat adapted and others say they go down after being in ketosis for a while because more of the ketones are being used. I have been very strict on carbs, under 20 but usually closer to 10 a day and have had strong color on the urine strips all along. I am going to get my ketone/glucose meter back from a friend and do some testing on this but for now I am not going to ingest allulose for a few days. And I want to add that I eat other bars with whey and such and they do not lower ketones. Would be very interested to hear more from others.

(carl) #3

I, too, have noticed that both glucose and ketones go down after eating allulose

(Heather Meyer) #4

Ive been dabbling in Allulose and using it for making candy and brownies… Ive noticed a couple things…

  1. It has a slight cooling effect in high concentration and yes a little bitter in high concentration.

  2. No headaches but i do feel sleepy afterward

  3. If i comsume a high amount of allulose in one serving of a food in a high dose, i get bloating and if i eat allulose based stuff with my tea in the AM…it moves right through me.

(Kay) #5

Hi guys i just joined after reading this thread.

So I tried allulose and i have a ketone meter.

I use allulose once in a while.

FDA says for someone at 60kg, that it is safe to have up to 24g at once, 54g a day.
More could cause the side effects you all mentioned, except feeling tired.

Until last night, i had no negative side effects.

I now realize why i (last time i used it) had 2 morning in a rows with no dawn phenomenon (morning high blood sugar).

It lowers my blood sugar! No spike, just lowers it right away. And im also not hungry at all today.

But I had diarrhea last night and this morning, and a tiny mini headache. I drank some water when i woke up during the night, like i do sometimes trying to help lower that high morning bg.

My ketone levels have been very low the passed few days for whatever reason. Im thinking that my blood sugar has to stay low for longer for me to het in ketosis. Im strict keto (carbs from veggies only) so it shouldn’t take this long. First time on keto worked quick but not now. Anyways the only times my blood sugar is beautiful i notice is when i use allulose.

So, my bg was a normal beauty, my ketone urine test strips say im just under moderate, and ketone meter shows 0.5 (higher than the passed few days). Its good i think.

But im not convinced yet that allulose (by lowering bg) is doing its thing safely; Im wondering if raising insulin this way is safe and if it means that its interfering with something else or like patching an issue that needs to be addressed differently.

I was thinking maybe i should have a tiny bit of allulose before bed. But Im also wondering if the reason why i have hard time keeping my bg normal now when not using allulose, would be an after effect of using allulose.

It used to be that on keto, when fasting or after low carb meals my bg would go back down to normal like it should. I been back at keto a month ago now snd never had difficulties getting in ketosis like this.

To be continued lol.

(Bunny) #6

Allulose is very similar to resistant starch, how interesting?

What is also interesting is how glucagon-like-
peptide-1 (secreted by the lower intestines) is the opposite of IGF-1(released from the liver not the pancreas) which is used if not enough carbohydrates are eaten rather than insulin being engaged or not enough carbohydrates/sugar to initiate an insulin response…hmmmm?

Data:

[1] “…Allulose acts mainly through the release of GLP-1 (Glucagon-Like Peptide-1). GLP-1 is produced by the large bowel. This hormone circulates in the blood and binds to receptors in the brain, pancreas, gut, and kidneys [10, 11]. …” …More

[2] “…Resistant starch (RS) is a dietary fermentable fiber that has previously been reported to increase plasma total GLP-1 and total PYY in animals. These increases have been confirmed in all animal models tested in our laboratory, including mice and rats of both sexes at different ages (23, 45). …” …More

[3] “…Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and peptide YY (PYY) are anti-diabetes/obesity hormones secreted from the gut after meal ingestion. We have shown that dietary-resistant starch (RS) increased GLP-1 and PYY secretion, but the mechanism remains unknown. …” …More

[4] Understanding IGF-1 (Insulin-Like Growth Factor) in Simple Terms

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #7

No non-sugar sweetener permitted to be sold in the United States is going to raise your blood sugar. The reason is that the Food and Drug Administration requires experimental data showing that fact before it will approve the sweetener for sale. The idea is that this requirement will make such sweeteners safe for diabetics to use. Unfortunately, the FDA has no similar requirement where an effect on insulin is concerned. The result is that these sweeteners’ effect on insulin is unknown, since manufacturers refuse to pay for tests that are not required for the approval process. Historically, Type II diabetes has always been viewed as a problem of excessive glucose, whereas we know now that Type II diabetes is a problem of excessive insulin. The FDA has not caught up with that fact.

The fact that your serum glucose is dropping after you eat a particular sweetener, instead of doing what your serum glucose normally does, is a sign that said sweetener is causing a spike in your insulin level. This is not generally a good thing, whether you are trying to lower your insulin in order to lose weight, or whether you are trying to lower your insulin in order to restore your metabolic health.

(Bob M) #8

I find too much allulose and I don’t get along. Small amounts, however, are OK. I use allulose in mustards, for instance. Or anytime I think I might need the browning aspect. Otherwise, I use something else or bight the bullet and use real sugar.