Blood glucose and insulin concentrations are reduced in humans administered sucrose with inosine or adenosine

Recently we found that some nucleosides such as inosine or adenosine inhibi ted alpha-glucosidase from rat intestine. The aim of this study was to dete rmine whether these nucleosides are sucrase inhibitors in humans as well as rats. Blood glucose and insulin responses were examined in 23 healthy volu nteers (18 males and 5 females) administered sucrose with inosine and 8 (ma les) administered sucrose with adenosine. The initial increase in plasma gl ucose and serum insulin concentrations at 30 min after loading sucrose (50 g) alone were significantly reduced by cc-administration of inosine (2.5 an d 1.0 g) or adenosine (2.5 g). The total increases in the areas under the p lasma glucose and serum insulin concentration curves for 3 h after administ ration of the same amount of sucrose with inosine were also significantly l ess than those when the volunteers were administered sucrose alone. These r esults in humans agree with the findings obtained in our previous studies i n rats. These nucleosides may be used as one of the components of artificia l sweeteners when mixed with sucrose and may be useful as food additives to suppress increases in blood glucose and insulin.