Is Allulose the New GLP-1 Alternative to Weight Loss Drugs? | Ep 281
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Discover how a natural sugar called allulose is getting attention for potentially offering similar metabolic benefits as modern weight loss drugs by stimulating GLP-1.
Learn the science behind how this unique compound affects blood sugar, appetite, and fat loss through natural pathways.
Main Takeaways:
Allulose stimulates GLP-1 more modestly than medications, working with natural body rhythms
Research shows up to 50% reduction in post-meal blood sugar spikes
Practical dosing starts at 5-10g per serving, best taken with meals
May help with transitioning off GLP-1 medications while maintaining results
Shows promise for preserving muscle glycogen during training
Timestamps:
4:00 - What is allulose and how it differs from regular sugar
5:17 - Key research findings and real-world uses
8:24 - Practical dosing guidelines and timing considerations
10:05 - Benefits and potential side effects
Is Allulose a Natural Alternative to GLP-1 Weight Loss Drugs?
GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Mounjaro have dominated the weight loss conversation, but what if a naturally occurring sugar could offer similar metabolic benefits? Enter allulose, a rare sugar gaining traction for its potential effects on blood sugar control, appetite regulation, and fat metabolism—all without the side effects or cost of pharmaceutical interventions.
This isn’t just another sugar substitute. Allulose has been shown to stimulate GLP-1, the same hormone targeted by modern weight loss drugs, while behaving more like fiber than sugar in the body. But is it really a viable tool for fat loss and metabolic health? Let's break down the science, practical applications, and how lifters and dieters alike might benefit from this unique compound.
What Is Allulose and How Does It Work?
Allulose is classified as a rare sugar because it naturally occurs in small amounts in foods like figs, raisins, and maple syrup. Structurally, it resembles fructose, but it’s metabolized differently:
90% is excreted in urine, meaning it provides almost no usable energy.
It doesn’t spike blood sugar or insulin levels, unlike traditional sugars.
It triggers metabolic pathways, including GLP-1, that regulate blood sugar and appetite.
The most compelling aspect of allulose is its ability to stimulate GLP-1, a hormone that slows gastric emptying, reduces hunger, and improves insulin sensitivity. While allulose doesn’t act as powerfully as GLP-1 drugs, its effects align with how the body naturally regulates energy balance, making it an interesting potential tool for those managing blood sugar or working on fat loss.
What Does the Science Say?
Research on allulose is still emerging, but here’s what we know so far:
1. Allulose Can Reduce Blood Sugar Spikes
A 2018 Nature Communications study found that when participants consumed allulose with a meal, their post-meal blood sugar was up to 50% lower. Unlike artificial sweeteners, which often just replace sugar, allulose actively improves carbohydrate metabolism, making it potentially useful for those with insulin resistance or prediabetes.
2. Appetite and Fat Loss Benefits
Animal studies have shown that allulose supplementation:
Reduces appetite by increasing GLP-1 secretion
Enhances insulin sensitivity
Improves fat oxidation, leading to lower fat accumulation
While human data is limited, some physicians, like Dr. Charles Cavo, have reported using allulose to help patients transition off GLP-1 medications without experiencing rebound weight gain.
3. Potential Benefits for Lifters and Athletes
For those who train, allulose might offer glycogen-sparing effects, helping preserve energy stores during workouts. While this research is early-stage, it raises interesting possibilities for endurance athletes and those in cutting phases.
How to Use Allulose for Fat Loss and Metabolic Health
1. Start with the Right Dose
Most studies suggest 5-10 grams per serving, increasing up to 15-20 grams if well tolerated. Unlike artificial sweeteners, allulose doesn’t cause blood sugar spikes, but consuming too much at once may cause digestive discomfort (similar to sugar alcohols).
2. Use It Strategically with Meals
Since allulose improves carbohydrate metabolism, the best time to use it is with meals containing carbs. For those managing blood sugar, this could be a simple way to blunt post-meal glucose spikes without eliminating carbs altogether.
3. Incorporate It into Cooking and Baking
Unlike many sugar substitutes that taste artificial or don’t behave like sugar in recipes, allulose caramelizes, browns, and blends seamlessly into foods. You’ll already find it in products like Quest bars, Magic Spoon cereal, and various protein snacks.
Should You Add Allulose to Your Diet?
Allulose isn’t a magic bullet, but it’s a compelling tool for fat loss, blood sugar control, and metabolic health. Unlike GLP-1 drugs, it works within the body’s natural hormonal pathways, making it a low-risk, accessible option for those looking to optimize their diet.
That said, it’s not necessary for results. If you’re already eating balanced meals with protein and fiber, lifting weights, and managing calories effectively, you don’t need allulose to lose fat. But if you want to experiment with a metabolically friendly sweetener that does more than just replace sugar, it’s worth trying.
Final Thoughts
Allulose is more than just another sugar alternative—it’s a functional ingredient that may improve metabolic flexibility, appetite control, and carbohydrate processing. Whether you’re looking to transition off GLP-1 medications, optimize fat loss, or simply find a better way to satisfy your sweet tooth, allulose offers an intriguing evidence-based approach.
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Transcript
Philip Pape: 0:01
You've probably heard about the GLP-1 medications, like Ozempic, transforming the weight loss industry, but what if I told you there is a natural sugar that stimulates the same pathway, a sugar that can help control blood sugar, reduce appetite and might enhance fat loss? Today we're uncovering the science behind allulose, a rare sugar that's getting attention for potentially offering some of the metabolic benefits of the modern weight loss drugs without the side effects or the cost. You'll discover how this molecule works, what the research shows about its effects on GLP-1 and metabolism, and whether it could be a useful tool in your fat loss toolbox. Welcome to Wits and Weights, the show that helps you build a strong, healthy physique using evidence, engineering and efficiency. I'm your host, philip Pape, and today we're going to look at allulose. It is a unique sweetener that is generating some news, some buzz, for potentially offering some similar metabolic benefits as modern weight loss medications, but through natural pathways. And the timing couldn't be more relevant, because the GLP-1 drugs like Ozembic and Monjaro have exploded on the scene. They're being talked about all the time, as am I, and they're changing how we think about weight management, fat loss, lifestyle combined with these drugs, understanding alternatives, and it's really cool to have something that might work through similar pathways. That's more of a natural approach, not as a replacement for medication. Again, that is outside my scope. You work with your medical professional. If you have a prescribed need for med, so be it. We're not going to talk about that today, but what makes this topic fascinating is how a natural sugar might actually help control blood sugar and appetite rather than spike it, although, again, we're not going to fear monger over spikes in blood sugar. It's totally natural when you eat any form of carbohydrates that have glucose. It's more of using this for specific mechanisms that are similar to the GLP-1 agonist, and the science behind this shows some insights into our metabolism that go beyond just finding another sugar substitute. So I definitely want you to stick around to hear the more in-depth findings when we get into them.
Philip Pape: 2:21
I want to give a special shout out to Michael Kay, one of our longtime listeners. He's a fellow coach. He and I talk all the time over uh, over DMS, and he brought this research to my attention, so I definitely want to give you a shout out, michael. Uh, you have definitely a commitment to evidence-based nutrition. I know you are always reviewing the studies. You have Google alerts and stuff set up and you shared this with me, so now I can share it with the audience and help make this show what it is, but also help people learn and apply this to their lives.
Philip Pape: 2:50
All right, before we get into the science of allulose, I have a quick favor to ask If you've been enjoying these evidence-based deep dives, these Monday deep dives into nutrition, physique optimization, all of it. Take a moment and submit a question so that I can answer it and turn it into a podcast episode. I'm going to give you a specific reply anyway, a personal reply, and then I very likely will turn it into an episode and give you a shout out. Go to witsandweightscom slash question or click the link in the show notes witsandweightscom slash question. And that will continue to shape the topics that we cover and ensure we cover what matters to you most.
Philip Pape: 3:28
Now let's build our mental muscle by getting into today's topic. Let's start by understanding exactly what allulose is, and I'll never forget when I first learned about this compound, because I saw it as an ingredient on, I think, some sort of Quest bar. I'll say a sweeter version of the Quest bar. Oh man, what was it called? You guys probably even know what it is. I should have looked that up. And you know I was skeptical because I didn't know what it was, and we've all heard claims about miracle sweeteners and all these brand new artificial sweeteners.
Philip Pape: 4:00
But allulose is fundamentally different. When I started to look into it, it is what we call a rare sugar, because it does exist naturally in foods like figs and maple syrup, but it's in tiny amounts. And while it's structurally almost identical to fructose, which is just regular sugar from fruit, our bodies handle it differently. Our bodies handle it differently. Instead of being converted to energy, like regular sugar, around 90% of allulose gets eliminated in your urine, so you only absorb 10% of it, meaning 10% of the calories, and during its journey through our system it triggers some metabolic effects and this is what I want to cover today that I wasn't aware of.
Philip Pape: 4:41
The most intriguing of those is the ability to stimulate GLP-1, which is the same hormone targeted by the weight loss medications like Gozembek and Manjaro. Now I want to be crystal clear here. I'm not suggesting allulose is equivalent to these medications. The GLP-1 response from allulose is equivalent to these medications. The GLP-1 response from allulose is more modest. It's shorter acting, but that's what makes it interesting. It works within our body's natural systems rather than overriding them, and so, combined with lifestyle which we should always have lifestyle in there it could be a great natural alternative to at least start with, if you are considering those drugs.
Philip Pape: 5:17
And that brings me to what the science actually shows. There is a 2018 study in Nature Communications this is the study that Michael sent me that when subjects consumed allulose with a meal, their post-meal blood sugar rise was reduced by up to 50% Kind of like the effects you would have on having a more balanced meal or having fiber in there. Even more interesting, it wasn't from blocking sugar absorption. The allulose was actively helping the body's process carbohydrates more efficiently. So that's pretty cool. But what about fat loss? Animal studies have shown that adding allulose to a high fat, high-sugar diet significantly reduced weight gain compared to control groups, and the mechanism appears to be three different things going on. Number one is reduced appetite, and that's from the GLP-1 stimulation. The second is improved insulin sensitivity and the third is enhanced fat oxidation. Now, we never want to compare animal studies to humans. We know there's a vast majority of them that do not translate and the human evidence is still emerging but it is promising.
Philip Pape: 6:28
Dr Charles Cavo. He's a physician who specializes in metabolic health, and he's reported success using allulose to help patients transition off GLP-1 medications while maintaining their results, which is really crucial, because the weight regain after stopping these medications is currently a major concern. My caveat here is I've worked with clients to help them come off of these drugs. We never had to use allulose and you can still do it, as long as you are eating nutritious foods, you're lifting weights, you're not cutting calories dramatically, and I'll tell you just as a side tangent one effective way to do this if you are on these drugs right now, like terzapatide or something like that, is when you get to a reasonable level of body mass that you're going for with the drugs. You can titrate down the drugs in conjunction with your medical professional and come out of the calorie deficit.
Philip Pape: 7:19
So it helps, of course, to be tracking, to understand your calories and macros, to be eating sufficient protein and fiber and to be lifting weights and being active. Those are the lifestyle changes you have to put in place in parallel. You just have to put those in place so that you're at least going in a reasonable deficit, you don't lose muscle mass, you maintain all of these things and you set yourself up so that it actually is not that big a deal in terms of the food noise and the satiety when you come off the drug. And then, when you do that, don't do it while in a dieting phase, you know, come out of it at maintenance or even into a muscle building phase. That's a whole separate topic. Um, so I just wanted to have that caveat because, yes, I could see that if you lose, use allulose, it's almost like a stepping stone and that is actually pretty cool. I do think that is pretty cool as we start to see allulose in more and more food products, or it's something that you can buy off the shelf and incorporate and, like I said, it's already in like a certain line of the quest protein bars and it's probably in lots of others. At this point, in fact, I think it might be in that magic spoon cereal. Take a look at your ingredient labels, folks, and see where you find it.
Philip Pape: 8:24
Anyway, back to the topic how can we use this information? First and foremost, always, always, always. Dosing matters, the dosage. When we talk about efficacy and we talk about toxicity and you hear about fear mongering about different things, dosing always matters. Dosing in context. Research suggests starting with 5 to 10 grams per serving, working up to 15 to 20 grams if well tolerated and the timing appears optimal, with meals Kind of makes sense. If you're talking about blood sugar and fullness signals and all that, it makes sense that you're doing it with meals, although I could see why people might think doing it between meals could have its own positive effect of potentially reducing your hunger signals, for example.
Philip Pape: 9:07
And then they said especially carbohydrate-containing meals where you want to minimize blood sugar spikes. I have to go on a little side diatribe here. Blood sugar spikes are not to be feared. I had somebody come to me saying I'd stopped eating potatoes because I wore a glucose monitor and my blood sugar spiked. I said oh, how far we've come in this industry where you think just a blood sugar spike itself is somehow a problem. It is not. It is not unless you already have your pre-diabetic, your diabetic insulin, as a concern For a healthy individual who's active. It's not Now. It could cause fluctuations in your energy levels. It can cause different usage of nutrients where maybe it's suboptimal in certain cases if you're just eating lots of carbs at individual meals, and that is why I definitely recommend balanced meals that always have some protein and fiber, and that usually mitigates the concern. And then walking after meals is the other thing. So again, just my little side diatribes here that I think are important in context of all of this.
Philip Pape: 10:05
So back to allulose. I think the beauty of allulose is it's a pretty versatile sweetener, right? Unlike a lot of alternative sweeteners which can have an aftertaste or bitterness or like doesn't behave the same way when you cook with it. Allulose behaves almost identically to sugar when you cook or when you bake. It even caramelizes. And again, intuitively, that makes sense because it's derived naturally from basically a fruit sugar type situation. So it makes sense that it would act naturally. But you never know, right. So for real world use it's pretty practical. But the caveat always caveats. Some people might experience digestive discomfort if they consume too much too quickly. But that's like anything Same thing with sugar, alcohols. Some people tolerate them just fine. Some people have gas, bloating, lots of things that are not great. So always start slowly, look at the dosage, increase gradually.
Philip Pape: 10:58
If you are an athlete or a lifter which should be most of you listening if you lift weights, you are an athlete. If you listen to this podcast and do it the way we talk about it. You are an athlete, I don't care your age, your gender, your previous lifestyle. So for us, some evidence suggests that allulose might help preserve muscle glycogen and that can potentially benefit performance and recovery. So that piques my interest. Okay, now, I haven't done it myself, using it as a pre-workout, but maybe you're going to see this in more pre-workouts, I don't know. We'll, we'll see how it goes. Um, all of this evidence is preliminary, so it always takes a while, like years, for this stuff, stuff, get it to get in there. Uh, but the mechanism makes sense because of its effect on glucose disposal, that it would help preserve muscle glycogen. Um, so something fascinating that I think is going to tie all this together, because this episode isn't going to be too long.
Philip Pape: 11:47
Allulose isn't just affecting our metabolism through GLP-1. The latest research suggests it might help reprogram how our bodies handle carbohydrates entirely. Okay, so think about that. This is a sugar that teaches your body to process other sugars more efficiently, and kind of working with our metabolism in a way, and who knows what that's gonna result in. I'm always skeptical of these kinds of things because at the end of the day, I think we can overthink it and again having balance, having the right level of macros. Having nutritious foods, having sufficient fiber and protein, are plenty to focus on for most people and will do the job. But if you're looking for little optimalities or ways to sweeten things up that are not sugar or not an artificial sweetener, this could be a really cool little corner case. So just to recap first, allulose is a natural sugar that stimulates GLP-1, similar to, but a lot more modestly than, modern weight loss meds. Second, research shows promising effects on blood sugar control, appetite and, potentially, fat loss. And third, its practical use is important in terms of its ability to use for cooking and baking, but always start gradually and dose up so you can see how you tolerate it. All right, whether you're looking to optimize metabolism, manage blood sugar, support fat loss, iolos is a very interesting tool out there in our nutrition toolbox. It's not a miracle Like none of these things are miracle, or superfoods or anything like that but it seems to be a scientifically supported option that works with our body's natural processes and I wouldn't fear it, just like I wouldn't fear pretty much any food at this point, and we're already seeing it in approved products. So there is that. All right.
Philip Pape: 13:29
If today's episode sparked any questions about this or any other aspects of nutrition and body composition. I do wanna hear from you with our new Ask a Question form. Go to whitsonweightscom slash question or click the link in the show notes Again. Whitsonweightscom slash question Sub question. Or click the link in the show notes Again. Witsandweightscom slash question. Submit a question to me and you will get a personal answer by email and then I will turn it into an episode and feature you on the podcast, if you want. That helps shape the podcast and give you what you want. All right, until next time, keep using your wits lifting those weights and remember sometimes the most powerful solutions are the ones that work with our biology and not against them. This is Philip Pape, and you've been listening to the Wits and Weights podcast. I'll talk to you next time.
