A Preliminary Study for Evaluating the Dose-Dependent Effect of d-Allulose for Fat Mass Reduction in Adult Humans: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial

• Published in: Nutrients 2018-01, Vol.10 (2), p.160
• Main Authors: Han, Youngji, Kwon, Eun-Young, Yu, Mi Kyeong, Lee, Seon Jeong, Kim, Hye-Jin, Kim, Seong-Bo, Kim, Yang Hee, Choi, Myung-Sook
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abdominal Fat - diagnostic imaging; Abdominal Fat - drug effects; Abdominal Fat - physiopathology; Adiposity - drug effects; Adult; adults; Animal models; Anti-Obesity Agents - administration & dosage; Anti-Obesity Agents - adverse effects; Biomarkers - blood; Blood Glucose - metabolism; blood lipids; Body composition; Body fat; Body mass; Body Mass Index; Body size; Body weight; Computed tomography; dose response; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Double-Blind Method; Double-blind studies; dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry; energy; Energy consumption; Female; Fructose - administration & dosage; Fructose - adverse effects; Humans; inflammation; Inflammation Mediators - blood; lipid composition; Lipids - blood; Liver; Male; Markers; Metabolism; nutrient intake; Nutrients; Obesity; Obesity - blood; Obesity - diagnosis; Obesity - drug therapy; Obesity - physiopathology; overweight; placebos; Preliminary Data; psicose; Randomization; randomized clinical trials; renal function; Republic of Korea; Rodents; subcutaneous fat; Subcutaneous Fat - diagnostic imaging; Subcutaneous Fat - drug effects; Subcutaneous Fat - physiopathology; Sucralose; Sweetening Agents - administration & dosage; Sweetening Agents - adverse effects; Time Factors; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Treatment Outcome; Weight Loss - drug effects; Young Adult
• ISSN: 2072-6643; 2072-6643
• DOI: 10.3390/nu10020160

d-allulose is a rare sugar with zero energy that can be consumed by obese/overweight individuals. Many studies have suggested that zero-calorie d-allulose has beneficial effects on obesity-related metabolism in mouse models, but only a few studies have been performed on human subjects. Therefore, we performed a preliminary study with 121 Korean subjects (aged 20-40 years, body mass index ≥ 23 kg/m²). A randomized controlled trial involving placebo control (sucralose, 0.012 g × 2 times/day), low d-allulose (d-allulose, 4 g × 2 times/day), and high d-allulose (d-allulose, 7 g × 2 times/day) groups was designed. Parameters for body composition, nutrient intake, computed tomography (CT) scan, and plasma lipid profiles were assessed. Body fat percentage and body fat mass were significantly decreased following d-allulose supplementation. The high d-allulose group revealed a significant decrease in not only body mass index (BMI), but also total abdominal and subcutaneous fat areas measured by CT scans compared to the placebo group. There were no significant differences in nutrient intake, plasma lipid profiles, markers of liver and kidney function, and major inflammation markers among groups. These results provide useful information on the dose-dependent effect of d-allulose for overweight/obese adult humans. Based on these results, the efficacy of d-allulose for body fat reduction needs to be validated using dual energy X-ray absorption.