NutriDex

The Supplement Research Compendium
🍬

Allulose

D-psicose · rare sugar

A rare sugar that tastes like sucrose but is nearly calorie-free and barely metabolized

Moderate evidence 🍬Sweeteners & Additives

✚ Updated · How we grade evidence

Evidence tier
Moderate
Research weight
Citations
10 verified / 10
Classification
Sweeteners & Additives
❝
What the evidence says. Several controlled trials; effects real but modest or context-dependent.

What is Allulose?

Allulose (D-psicose · rare sugar) is a sweetener or food additive used for near-zero caloric impact (~0.4 kcal/g) with ~70% the sweetness of sucrose. NutriDex grades the human evidence as Moderate. Allulose (D-allulose, formerly D-psicose) is a low-calorie "rare sugar" — a monosaccharide epimer of fructose found naturally in trace amounts in figs, raisins and wheat — with roughly 70% the sweetness of table sugar but only about 0.4 kcal/g, because it is absorbed yet largely excreted unchanged in urine rather than metabolized. It is GRAS in the United States (the FDA excludes it from "total" and "added sugars" on labels) and approved in Japan, South Korea and several other markets, but it is NOT authorized in the EU, where EFSA concluded in 2025 that safety could not be established due to gaps in chronic toxicity and carcinogenicity data. Human evidence is reassuring on metabolic safety at typical doses and consistently shows it blunts post-meal glucose; the main documented downside is dose-dependent gastrointestinal upset, and long-term toxicology data remain incomplete.

Purported Benefits

✓Near-zero caloric impact (~0.4 kcal/g) with ~70% the sweetness of sucrose
✓No meaningful glycemic or insulin impact — not metabolized for energy, so it does not raise blood sugar
✓Attenuates postprandial glucose/insulin when co-ingested with carbohydrate (e.g. ~24% lower glucose iAUC and ~33% lower insulin iAUC when added to sucrose)
✓Provides bulk, browning/Maillard color, and a sugar-like mouthfeel that high-intensity sweeteners cannot — useful in baking, frozen desserts and beverages
✓Does not promote tooth decay (non-cariogenic)
✓May support modest fat-mass reduction in preliminary trials, possibly via GLP-1 release

Dosing & Compounds

Typical Dose
United States: GRAS (multiple FDA GRAS notices, e.g. GRN 647, 693, 828, 1029); FDA guidance excludes allulose from "Total Sugars" and "Added Sugars" and assigns a caloric factor of 0.4 kcal/g. No formal numeric ADI has been set. Tolerance studies suggest a maximum single dose of ~0.4 g/kg body weight (~28 g for a 70 kg adult) and a maximum daily intake of ~0.9 g/kg before significant GI symptoms. EU/EFSA: NOT authorized — EFSA's 2025 novel-food opinion concluded safety could not be established (no JECFA ADI established).
Active Compounds
No E-number (not authorized as a food additive/novel food in the EU)Common brand/retail names: Allulose, RareSugar, Dolcia Prima (Tate & Lyle), Astraea AlluloseFound in: keto/low-sugar baked goods, syrups, ice cream, chocolate, protein bars, beverages, and tabletop blends (often combined with monk fruit or stevia)Naturally present in tiny amounts in figs, raisins, jackfruit, wheat and maple syrup; commercially made by enzymatic conversion of fructose/corn

Safety & Cautions

The principal documented harm is dose-dependent gastrointestinal intolerance — bloating, abdominal distension, flatulence and osmotic diarrhea — with severe diarrhea appearing around a single dose of ~0.5 g/kg body weight and severe symptoms (nausea, abdominal pain, headache, anorexia) at chronic intakes near 1.0 g/kg/day; children appear more sensitive. At realistic culinary doses metabolic safety is reassuring and human trials consistently show neutral-to-favorable effects on glucose. The key unresolved issue is regulatory rather than a positive harm signal: EFSA (2025) declined authorization because long-term toxicology — a combined chronic toxicity/carcinogenicity study and adequate human long-term data — is lacking, so high habitual intake over years is not yet characterized. There is no credible evidence of carcinogenicity, genotoxicity or cardiovascular harm to date. People with IBS or sensitive digestion, and anyone consuming large amounts, are most likely to experience GI effects and should limit intake. Educational only — always check with your doctor or pharmacist before combining Allulose with any medicine.

Key Studies ★ 10 studies

systematic review / meta-analysis Tani (Tokuda) et al. 2023, PLOS One ✓ Source
Systematic review/meta-analysis of healthy adults: 5 g and 10 g allulose added to a carbohydrate meal significantly lowered postprandial glucose incremental AUC versus control.
meta-analysis Meta-analysis in type 2 diabetes 2024 (Clinical Nutrition ESPEN) ✓ PubMed
Pooled clinical-trial analysis found allulose significantly reduced postprandial glucose AUC in people with type 2 diabetes, with a non-significant reduction in insulin AUC.
regulatory assessment EFSA NDA Panel 2025 ✓ Source
EFSA concluded the safety of D-allulose as a novel food could not be established, citing absence of a combined chronic toxicity/carcinogenicity study and insufficient long-term human data — EU authorization withheld.
regulatory FDA GRAS Notice (GRN 647) / Calorie & Labeling Guidance ✓ Source
FDA accepted D-psicose (D-allulose) as GRAS and issued guidance excluding it from Total/Added Sugars while applying a caloric factor of 0.4 kcal/g.
RCT Smeets 2026 ✓ PubMed
Randomized crossover study of brain and physiological responses to flavored waters sweetened with different sweeteners.
randomized controlled trial RCT: allulose plus sucrose 2023 (Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases) ✓ Full text
In 14 adults with diabetes, adding 15 g allulose to 30 g sucrose lowered glucose iAUC ~24% and insulin iAUC ~33% versus sucrose alone.
randomized controlled trial GI tolerance in children 2024, Food & Function ✓ Source
Acute, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study assessing gastrointestinal tolerance of D-allulose in children, informing pediatric dose limits.
randomized controlled trial Han et al. 2018, Nutrients (fat-mass RCT) ✓ Full text
Double-blind RCT in 121 adults (BMI ≥23): 7 g allulose twice daily for 12 weeks significantly reduced body fat percentage and fat mass versus placebo.
controlled tolerance trial Han et al. 2018, Food & Function (GI tolerance) ✓ Full text
Dose-escalation tolerance study identified a maximum single dose of ~0.4 g/kg and maximum daily intake of ~0.9 g/kg; severe diarrhea occurred at ~0.5 g/kg single dose.
Review Manolis 2026 ✓ PubMed
Sugar and artificial sweeteners and risk of cardiovascular disease
10 sources cited · 10 verified Search all studies on PubMed ↗

Common questions about Allulose

What is Allulose used for?

Allulose is most often taken for Near-zero caloric impact (~0.4 kcal/g) with ~70% the sweetness of sucrose, No meaningful glycemic or insulin impact — not metabolized for energy, so it does not raise blood sugar, Attenuates postprandial glucose/insulin when co-ingested with carbohydrate (e.g. ~24% lower glucose iAUC and ~33% lower insulin iAUC when added to sucrose), Provides bulk, browning/Maillard color, and a sugar-like mouthfeel that high-intensity sweeteners cannot — useful in baking, frozen desserts and beverages. A rare sugar that tastes like sucrose but is nearly calorie-free and barely metabolized

Does Allulose work — what does the evidence say?

Moderate evidence. Several controlled trials; effects real but modest or context-dependent. Allulose (D-allulose, formerly D-psicose) is a low-calorie "rare sugar" — a monosaccharide epimer of fructose found naturally in trace amounts in figs, raisins and wheat — with roughly 70% the sweetness of table sugar but only about 0.4 kcal/g, because it is absorbed yet largely excreted unchanged in urine rather than metabolized. It is GRAS in the United States (the FDA excludes it from "total" and "added sugars" on labels) and approved in Japan, South Korea and several other markets, but it is NOT authorized in the EU, where EFSA concluded in 2025 that safety could not be established due to gaps in chronic toxicity and carcinogenicity data. Human evidence is reassuring on metabolic safety at typical doses and consistently shows it blunts post-meal glucose; the main documented downside is dose-dependent gastrointestinal upset, and long-term toxicology data remain incomplete.

What is the typical dose of Allulose?

United States: GRAS (multiple FDA GRAS notices, e.g. GRN 647, 693, 828, 1029); FDA guidance excludes allulose from "Total Sugars" and "Added Sugars" and assigns a caloric factor of 0.4 kcal/g. No formal numeric ADI has been set. Tolerance studies suggest a maximum single dose of ~0.4 g/kg body weight (~28 g for a 70 kg adult) and a maximum daily intake of ~0.9 g/kg before significant GI symptoms. EU/EFSA: NOT authorized — EFSA's 2025 novel-food opinion concluded safety could not be established (no JECFA ADI established).

Is Allulose safe? Any cautions or side effects?

The principal documented harm is dose-dependent gastrointestinal intolerance — bloating, abdominal distension, flatulence and osmotic diarrhea — with severe diarrhea appearing around a single dose of ~0.5 g/kg body weight and severe symptoms (nausea, abdominal pain, headache, anorexia) at chronic intakes near 1.0 g/kg/day; children appear more sensitive. At realistic culinary doses metabolic safety is reassuring and human trials consistently show neutral-to-favorable effects on glucose. The key unresolved issue is regulatory rather than a positive harm signal: EFSA (2025) declined authorization because long-term toxicology — a combined chronic toxicity/carcinogenicity study and adequate human long-term data — is lacking, so high habitual intake over years is not yet characterized. There is no credible evidence of carcinogenicity, genotoxicity or cardiovascular harm to date. People with IBS or sensitive digestion, and anyone consuming large amounts, are most likely to experience GI effects and should limit intake.

How many studies support Allulose?

NutriDex cites 10 sources for Allulose, graded "Moderate".

Cite this page
APA

Peh, D. (2026). Allulose (D-psicose · rare sugar): Benefits, Dosage, Side Effects & Evidence. NutriDex — The Supplement Research Compendium. Retrieved 16 Sept 2026, from https://nutridex.info/s/allulose

BibTeX
@misc{nutridex_allulose,
  author       = {Peh, Daryl},
  title        = {Allulose (D-psicose · rare sugar): Benefits, Dosage, Side Effects \& Evidence},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {NutriDex --- The Supplement Research Compendium},
  url          = {https://nutridex.info/s/allulose},
  note         = {Reviewed by Dr Daryl Peh, MBBS Singapore, MMed FM. Accessed 2026-09-16}
}

For medical claims, citing the underlying primary studies linked above is preferred. NutriDex is an educational reference, not medical advice.

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