Obesity and
type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are the leading worldwide risk factors for mortality. The inextricably interlinked pathological progression from excessive
weight gain,
obesity, and
hyperglycemia to T2DM, usually commencing from
obesity, typically originates from overconsumption of
sugar and high-fat diets. Although most patients require medications, T2DM is manageable or even preventable with consumption of
low-calorie diet and maintaining
body weight. Medicines like
insulin,
metformin, and
thiazolidinediones that improve
glycemic control; however, these are associated with
weight gain,
high blood pressure, and
dyslipidemia. These situations warrant the attentive consideration of the role of balanced foods. Recently, we have discovered advantages of a rare
sugar, D-
allulose, a zero-calorie functional
sweetener having strong anti-hyperlipidemic and anti-hyperglycemic effects. Study revealed that after
oral administration in rats D-
allulose readily entered the blood stream and was eliminated into urine within 24h. Cell culture study showed that D-
allulose enters into and leaves the intestinal enterocytes via
glucose transporters GLUT5 and GLUT2, respectively. In addition to D-
allulose's short-term effects, the characterization of long-term effects has been focused on preventing commencement and progression of T2DM in diabetic rats. Human trials showed that D-
allulose attenuates postprandial
glucose levels in healthy subjects and in borderline diabetic subjects. The anti-hyperlipidemic effect of D-
allulose, combined with its anti-inflammatory actions on adipocytes, is beneficial for the prevention of both
obesity and
atherosclerosis and is accompanied by improvements in
insulin resistance and
impaired glucose tolerance. Therefore, this review presents brief discussions focusing on physiological functions and potential benefits of D-
allulose on
obesity and T2DM.