SUGAR SUBSTITUTES - THEIR ENERGY VALUES, BULK CHARACTERISTICS, AND POTENTIAL HEALTH BENEFITS

Restriction of dietary energy extends life and reduces incidences of d isease in animals. These benefits would Likely extend to humans. Howev er, diet restriction in animals imposes reductions of 30-50% in food i ntake, which is probably unacceptable to humans. Low-energy sweeteners used in beverages offer minor reductions in energy intake. However, t hey lack the bulk required for baked goods and other sugar-rich foods. Full-bulk sweeteners providing about one-half the energy of sugar are under development for such uses. Laxation limits their acceptable dos e. Even within such limitations, they can help achieve the health bene fits for humans indicated by diet restriction. D-Tagatose, a new candi date sweetener, is nearly as sweet as sucrose and has the bulk of sucr ose, yet provides zero available energy. We discuss its potential cont ribution to human diet restriction along with its specific effect in d elaying the aging effects of glycosylation.