Effect of Consuming Products Containing Rare Sugars Alongside Sucrose on Glycaemic Response in Healthy Adults

Food manufacturers are being tasked to reduce the added sugar content of products. Rare, but natural sugars, may serve as useful sweeteners as they are low-calorie, safe, sweet and have a mild taste. Previous studies have shown that consuming rare sugars alongside other carbohydrates leads to a lower spike in blood glucose after eating. This means that products containing rare sugars may provide health benefits. However, most studies use rare sugars in a glucose drink, so the effect of consuming rare sugars in foods is not known. The aim of this study is to find out whether consuming sweet crème products containing rare sugars reduces the blood glucose response compared to sucrose-only products. The effect of the rare sugar products on hunger and appetite will also be assessed. Participants will attend the Clinical Research Facility on 6 occasions, after fasting for 10 hours. At each visit, they will consume a different sample of sweet crème. They will be asked to give blood samples before eating the sample, and at regular intervals for 2 hours afterwards. They will also complete questionnaires to assess their appetite using linear scales. Blood samples will be analysed in the laboratory to measure the level of glucose and insulin at each time point. The changes in blood glucose and insulin after consuming the different samples will be compared to find out if the samples containing rare sugars reduced the response.