Friday Favorites: Does the Sweetener Allulose Have Side Effects? Is It a Healthy Sweetener?

How safe are fourth-generation sweeteners, such as the rare sugar allulose? Are they healthy alternatives to traditional sweeteners? New research (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38842092/) indicates that xylitol may be associated with increased cardiovascular risk. Although further studies are needed, for now, I recommend avoiding products containing xylitol. Though the observational data does appear rife (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFOOzHKXCxw) with reverse causation, a study (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-023-02223-9.epdf) published interventional data in mice and in vitro on 2/27/23 that suggests erythritol may indeed be harmful, and so I urge everyone to stop consuming it until we know more. See Update on Erythritol Safety: Are There Side Effects? (https://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-erythritol-sweetener-safety-are-there-side-effects/). I’ve covered a range of other sweeteners before in these videos: • Aspartame and the Brain (https://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-and-the-brain/) • Aspartame-Induced Fibromyalgia (https://nutritionfacts.org/video/aspartame-induced-fibromyalgia/) • Effect of Sucralose (Splenda) on the Microbiome (https://nutritionfacts.org/video/effect-of-sucralose-splenda-on-the-microbiome/) • Does Aspartame Cause Cancer? (https://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-aspartame-cause-cancer/) • Is Monk Fruit Sweetener Safe? (https://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-monk-fruit-sweetener-safe/) The healthiest sweeteners are whole foods—fresh, frozen, or dried fruits like dates. Here is my simple (and delicious) recipe for date syrup (https://nutritionfacts.org/recipe/date-syrup/). For drinks, I also like to use finely powdered dates. They’re almost like confectioners’ sugar and dissolve well. If you can’t find finely powdered dates, make your own by putting regular date powder in a high speed blender and processing until fine and easily dissolvable. New subscribers to our e-newsletter always receive a free gift. Get yours here: https://nutritionfacts.org/subscribe/. Have a question about this video? Leave it in the comment section at http://nutritionfacts.org/video/friday-favorites-does-the-sweetener-allulose-have-side-effects-is-it-a-healthy-sweetener and someone on the NutritionFacts.org team will try to answer it. Want to get a list of links to all the scientific sources used in this video? Click on Sources Cited at https://nutritionfacts.org/video/friday-favorites-does-the-sweetener-allulose-have-side-effects-is-it-a-healthy-sweetener. You’ll also find a transcript and acknowledgements for the video, my blog and speaking tour schedule, and an easy way to search (by translated language even) through our videos spanning more than 2,000 health topics. Thanks for watching. I hope you’ll join in the evidence-based nutrition revolution! -Michael Greger, MD FACLM Captions for this video are available in several languages; you can find yours in the video settings. View important information about our translated resources: https://nutritionfacts.org/translations-info/ https://NutritionFacts.org • Subscribe: https://nutritionfacts.org/subscribe • Donate: https://nutritionfacts.org/donate • Podcast : https://nutritionfacts.org/audio • Books: https://nutritionfacts.org/books • Shop: https://drgreger.org • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NutritionFacts.org • Twitter: https://twitter.com/nutrition_facts • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nutrition_facts_org