Desserts containing sucralose and dextrin suitable for Type 2 diabetes patients, finds study
Could help people meet dietary guidelines for reducing added sugar
Enjoying desserts as part of a healthy diet can be a challenge for people with diabetes, especially when strawberry shortcake, fruit tarts and chocolate treats are among seasonal favourites.
Recent research has revealed that some desserts made with added fibre and sucralose, the no-calorie ingredient in Splenda sweetener products, instead of added sugar, may help with maintaining blood sugar and insulin levels in people with type 2 diabetes.
The research was published in the Review of Diabetes Research and conducted at the Diabetes Centre of the General Hospital of Nikaea in Athens, Greece.
The researchers proposed that some desserts producing a low sugar response may be appropriate for people with type 2 diabetes and can help them stick to dietary guidelines for reducing added sugar. They compared blood sugar, insulin and c-peptide responses (which gauge how much insulin the body is producing) in people with type 2 diabetes after they had eaten desserts made with sucralose and dextrin (a common soluble fibre), with the same responses in those eating the desserts made with sugar.
The study supports the wide body of research that confirms sucralose does not increase blood sugar or insulin levels
In the study, 70 people with type 2 diabetes were divided into seven groups of ten. On three occasions after an overnight fast, each participant received either a meal (bread and cheese); or a meal and dessert made with sucralose and dextrin; or a meal and dessert made with sugar. Differences in glucose, insulin, and C-peptide were evaluated at five different times after each meal. Among the desserts used in the study were cake, pastry cream, strawberry jelly and chocolate.
Those who ate cake, strawberry jelly or pastry cream made with sucralose and dextrin had lower after-meal glucose and insulin levels than after eating the same desserts made with sugar. Similar effects on glucose, insulin, and C-peptide levels at specific times were reported for the milk dessert and chocolate made with sucralose.
The researchers concluded that the desserts made with sucralose and soluble fibre did not raise after-meal levels of glucose, insulin or C peptide in comparison with meal consumption. In addition, the study largely showed a lower blood glucose and insulin response for meals with desserts made with sucralose and soluble fibre.
'The study supports the wide body of research that confirms sucralose does not increase blood sugar or insulin levels,' said Maureen Conway, Director, Nutritional Affairs, McNeil Nutritionals.
'Splenda No Calorie Sweetener Products can be a great tool in diabetes meal-planning – allowing people with diabetes to enjoy some desserts and still keep their blood sugar levels in check. Desserts vary in their calorie and carbohydrate content, but with careful planning some lower sugar options can be part of a healthy meal plan.'
A separate study from Wu et al, published last year in Diabetes Care, a journal of the American Diabetes Association, showed that consuming sucralose in a drink has the same effect as water on a person's sugar and insulin levels.
