Allulose vs Sucralose

Allulose is a rare sugar found in small quantities in nature and has been gaining popularity as a low calorie, zero glycemic alternative to traditional sweeteners. We fell in love with the ingredient for a variety of reasons:

• All-natural sweetener
• Identical taste to sugar but 70% as sweet
• Not a sugar alcohol and no cooling effect, licorice aftertaste or lingering bitterness.
• Zero net carbs and only 0.4 calories per gram (each 12oz serving of AlluSoda only has 5 calories)
• Zero glycemic and early studies show that allulose can actually help lower blood sugar and increase insulin sensitivity.
• Allulose has prebiotic properties that improve your gut microbiome

There are a couple of negative aspects of allulose. The main issues are that allulose is a relatively rare ingredient and as a result is significantly more expensive than sugar, HFCS or other artificial sweeteners. Secondly, excessive consumption of allulose may cause some people stomach distress. We generally suggest limiting your daily allulose intake to less than 9g/kg of body weight or 0.41g/lb of body weight. So for instance, a 70kg (154lb) person would total 63grams of allulose per day. Each of our 12oz servings of AlluSoda contain 12grams of allulose.

Sucralose, on the other hand, is a no calorie artificial sweetener. The most common brand of sucralose is Splenda and found in those ubiquitous yellow packets. Sucralose is considered a high concentration sweetener and is 600 times as sweet as sugar. Because of this intensity, it is often mixed with maltodextrin and/or dextrose so that the serving size and texture are more comparable to sugar. Maltodextrin by the way has a glycemic index even higher than sugar so this is definitely NOT a safe sugar substitute for diabetics.

The safety of sucralose has been the subject of much debate. While it has been approved for use as a food and beverage sweetener, some studies have shown that it can negatively impact gut health and disrupt the gut microbiome. Additionally, some studies have shown that sucralose can increase the risk of certain health conditions, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. There are enough negative studies that sucralose is also banned by Whole Foods.

Sucralose is processed through a series of chemical reactions that involve adding chlorine atoms to sugar molecules. This processing method has raised concerns about the safety of sucralose for human consumption. One concern is that the addition of chlorine atoms to the sugar molecule can create harmful byproducts, such as dioxins, that have been linked to a range of health problems, including cancer, birth defects, and immune system damage.

Another concern is that consuming artificial sweeteners like sucralose can disrupt the body's natural ability to regulate glucose levels. This can lead to insulin resistance, which is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes. A study published in the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health found that consumption of sucralose led to an increase in insulin resistance and glucose intolerance in rats.

Studies have shown that sucralose can have a negative impact on gut health. A study published in the journal PLOS ONE found that consumption of sucralose led to a reduction in beneficial gut bacteria and an increase in harmful bacteria. The study suggested that this disruption to the gut microbiome could increase the risk of obesity and other health problems.

Other studies have linked artificial sweeteners to an increased risk of heart disease. A study published in the journal Circulation found that consuming artificial sweeteners can increase the risk of heart disease by altering the way the body processes fat and glucose.

Finally, let's talk about the taste. Allulose has a clean, natural taste that is similar to sugar while sucralose has a metallic or artificial aftertaste. Allulose wins the taste test hands down.

When we set out to create a great tasting zero sugar soda, we did indeed explore a variety of sweeteners including artificial sweeteners. We felt that since they were so common, they couldn’t be too bad and certainly better than all the negative issues related to sugar and especially high fructose corn syrup. But the more research we learned and more we studied, the less enamored we became of artificial sweeteners. In fact, understanding the long term health implications of every leading artificial sweetener changed our business outlook to only focus on natural sweeteners that had positive health benefits such as allulose.