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. 2024 Mar 18;13(6):920.
doi: 10.3390/foods13060920.

Effect of Sugar-Free Jelly on Glycemic Metabolism and Its Potential Health Benefits in Non-Diabetic Adults

Heejin Han  1 , Yuri Kim  1 , Minchul Gim  2 , Hoyeon Shin  2 , Hyunsook Jang  2 , Won Joo Yoon  2 , Gyeong-Hweon Lee  2 , Yoo Kyoung Park  1   3
Affiliations

Effect of Sugar-Free Jelly on Glycemic Metabolism and Its Potential Health Benefits in Non-Diabetic Adults

Heejin Han et al. Foods. .

Abstract

Excessive sugar consumption provides energy but has little nutritional value, contributing to the prevalence of obesity. Hence, "sugar-free" products using artificial or natural sweeteners, including sugar alcohols, have become popular. Accordingly, safety concerns and curiosity have arisen. Therefore, this study used a double-blind, crossover design to compare the effects of commercial sugar-free and sugar jellies (control) on the glycemic response in 16 adults without diabetes. Blood samples were collected to measure blood glucose, insulin, glucagon, ghrelin, C-peptide, glycated hemoglobin, and glycated albumin levels, and an oral glucose tolerance test was performed. Questionnaires on satiety and intestinal health were also administered. Sugar-free jellies resulted in significantly lower glucose and insulin levels and a reduced area under the curve while showing higher glucagon levels than the controls. Moreover, the sugar-free jelly initially resulted in the greater secretion of ghrelin; however, after 2 h, the control jelly resulted in higher ghrelin. No significant differences were observed in gut quotient, C-peptide, glycated hemoglobin, and glycated albumin levels. In conclusion, substituting sugar jelly with sugar-free jelly may induce lower blood glucose and insulin levels and higher glucagon levels, indicating a better ability to control glucose metabolism. Appetite was not stimulated by sugar-free jelly consumption.

Keywords: appetite; glucose metabolism; glycemic control; polyol; sugar alcohols; sugar-free.

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Conflict of interest statement

M.G., H.S., H.J., W.J.Y. and G.H.L. are employed by Lotte R&D Center. M.G., H.S. and H.J. were involved in the product preparation and packaging of both the experimental and control jelly and delivered the products to the testing site. In addition, they were involved in blinding to avoid and prevent conscious or unconscious bias until the end of study. G.H.L. and W.J.Y. recruited the local hospital where the study was performed. They declare no conflicts of interest. The other authors declare no conflicts of interest. The authors declare that this study received funding from LOTTE Well food. However, the funders had no role in defining the study design, in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data, in the writing of this article and in the decision to submit it for publication.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Study design.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Products being used. (A) Sugar-free jellies; (B) control jellies.
Figure 3
Figure 3
(A) Glucose changes and (B) AUC 120 min after consuming the jellies. ○: sugar-free jelly; ●: control jelly. Significant differences at p < 0.05 compared using the independent t-test. * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001. Abbreviations: AUC: area under the curve.
Figure 4
Figure 4
(A) Insulin changes and (B) AUC 120 min after consuming the jellies. ○: sugar-free jelly; ●: control jelly. Significant differences at p < 0.05 compared using the independent t-test. * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01. Abbreviations: AUC: area under the curve.
Figure 5
Figure 5
(A) Glucagon changes and (B) AUC 120 min after consuming the jellies. ○: sugar-free jelly; ●: control jelly. Significant differences at ** p < 0.05 compared using the independent t-test. Abbreviations: AUC: area under the curve.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Subjective appetite scores after eating the jellies. ○: sugar-free jelly; ●: control jelly. No significant differences at p < 0.05 by non-parametric test (Mann–Whitney test).
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