I'm on a diet, but sometimes I crave something sweet. Even honey added to Greek yogurt feels burdensome, so I use a substitute sweetener. It's allulose. In fact, when you search for "how to enjoy Greek yogurt deliciously" on YouTube, many recipes include Greek yogurt with allulose and fruit pieces. It looks similar to the familiar oligosaccharide syrup, but it's unfamiliar—are there any side effects?

 

Allulose is a rare natural sugar found in raisins, wheat, and other foods. Its sweetness is about 70% that of sugar, and over 98% of the consumed amount is not absorbed by the body and is excreted. If honey has approximately 3 kcal per gram, allulose has about 0.3 kcal per gram. Allulose is frequently used in low-sugar beverages and foods. It is also sold in syrup form. Among commercially available drinks, it is included in Lotte Chilsung Beverage's 'Chilsung Cider Zero' and 'Milkis Zero.'

Allulose has been shown in research to help with dieting by suppressing blood sugar spikes and lipid absorption when used as a sweetener. However, there is still a possibility of experiencing side effects depending on the individual. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns that excessive consumption of allulose may cause stomach discomfort. There are also domestic experimental results regarding side effects of allulose. When participants in the experiment gradually increased the amount of allulose they consumed to observe for side effects, some participants experienced adverse reactions starting from when they began taking 0.5g/kg (0.5 grams of allulose per kilogram of body weight). The main symptoms included diarrhea, abdominal bloating, abdominal pain, and stomach gurgling.

 

There is also a fundamental issue that if you keep using allolose whenever you crave sweetness, you will never escape from sugar addiction.

Even if the sweetening components are not absorbed into the body, the brain areas related to taste are activated once the tongue perceives sweetness. The reward system that feels pleasure and leads to addiction begins to operate. The more artificial sweeteners are consumed, the more this system becomes reinforced. Eventually, sweetness alone may no longer satisfy, leading to increased consumption of sweet foods. Since sweetness is perceived more intensely when combined with saltiness, sodium intake may also increase.

 

It is advisable to consume as little sweetness as possible in anything. If you really want to eat allulose, it is best to limit your intake to within 0.4 grams per kilogram of body weight per day. This is the maximum dosage at which no side effects were observed in the previously mentioned domestic research team's experiment.

 

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Alrolos also turned out to be much sweeter than I expected.

It seems like I only need to put in just a tiny bit.

 

Greek yogurt with just fruit topping

It's okay to eat.