The Effect of Erythritol on Glucose Blood Levels

Jason Rabahieh, Fayaz Arghandehwal, and Hannah Deiter

Department of Biological Science

Saddleback College

Mission Viejo, CA 92692

Glucose is an essential fuel that the body utilizes to create energy to undergo various activities. This energy comes from substances ingested into the body containing carbohydrates, which are converted to glucose inside the intestines, accumulating energy for the cells. This experiment measures the effects of dextrose, stevia leaf extract, and erythritol on blood glucose levels. Erythritol is found in fruit and is formed as a sugar alcohol, predicting that it will not affect glucose levels. The 10 experimenter’s blood levels were recorded with test strips after fasting for 12 hours in the following increments; before taking the sugar, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, and an hour after taking the sugar. The results presented that the null hypothesis was accepted, demonstrating that there wasn’t significant differences between erythritol, dextrose, and stevia leaf extract on glucose blood levels.

Introduction

Carbohydrates provides the needed fuel for the body to function. From the intestines, it is formed into glucose and transferred in the blood to the cells to be converted into energy. Measuring sugar blood levels gives an indication of the amount of glucose residing in the bloodstream. Having an excess amount of glucose causes it to convert to glycogen, which is stored in the liver or around the body as fat. Continuous amounts of high blood levels can create heart problems and diseases, such as diabetes. Careful monitoring of carbohydrate intake is crucial to remaining healthy. Sugars have become a major ingredient in most food products available. Some sugars, such as dextrose, contain high amounts of carbohydrates while others, such as erythritol and stevia, have little or no carbohydrates.

The proposed research project will gather the knowledge of Erythritol, a naturally occurring substance in fruits, and its effect on glucose levels. It has been seen inside energy drinks and sold separately to substitute raw sugar. Erythritol is a simple polyol (1,2,3,4-butanetetrol), present in small quantities in melons and peaches and currently produced in large quantities for use as a low-calorie, tooth-friendly bulk sweetener (Hartog, 2008). Research shows that the blood sugar level rises rapidly after a meal and then steadily declines (Murrell, 1971) and adding Erythritol in the mix can play a larger role in those levels. Eating isn’t the only cause to fluctuating the glucose levels as side effects from consuming energy drinks are fairly common, and a significant dose effect was found with jolt and crash episode (Aeby et al. 2007). Consumption of 20 and 35 g Erythritol by healthy volunteers, in a liquid, is tolerated well, without any symptoms. At the highest level of Erythritol intake (50 g), only a significant increase in borborygmi (rumbling sound by fluid and gas in intestines) and nausea was observed (Bornet et al. 2007). Intake of Erythritol is different as Erythritol is a substrate that seems to be readily absorbed but undergoes no further metabolism by the host (Ghoos et al. 1993). Erythritol also improves the taste of food and drink without adversely affecting the natural taste of vegetables and fruits and without increasing their sweetness (Kohno, Uraji, and Yoshimura, 1998). Further data and research could affect the production and use of this product

Materials and Methods

Erythritol, dextrose, stevia leaf extract, and 100 glucose blood test strips were purchased on Amazon.com. The glucose blood monitors were borrowed from Sandy Rabahieh to be used in this experiment. The sugars were weighed at 1.00g each for 10 participants to intake. Every participant will eat each sugar, accounting for 3 grams to be measured for erythritol, dextrose, and stevia leaf extract. Each participant was asked to drive to a presenter’s house for blood tests as a public area is deemed unsanitary. In order to prevent data inaccuracy, fasting was required to make sure everything is digested and glucose levels are normal.

The following day, everyone met at a presenter’s house at 8:00 a.m. to undergo the experiment after fasting for 12 hours. Measurements were taken before ingesting dextrose and taken after 15 minutes, 30 minutes, and an hour. The same procedure occurred the following two days, analyzing the results of erythritol and stevia leaf extract.

Results among the three sugars were compared with analysis of variance (ANOVA) with a post-hoc test. The differences were not considered significant at P>0.05.

Results

Glucose blood levels alternate all throughout the day. It is based on what an individual eats or drinks and whether or not it contains carbohydrates.After fasting, the levels are at the individual’s normal state. Zeroing out the different blood levels at rest was essential to get an accurate result for which sugars resulted in less overall change (Figure 1). For the rest of the experiment, the results will start at 0 and continue to 15 minutes, 30 minutes, and an hour.

Following the resting glucose blood levels, the sugars differentiated between each other 15 minutes after being ingested (Figure 1). The mean blood glucose levels of the 10 participants were averaged and showed dextrose spiking exponentially at an average change of 10.9 mg/dl while erythritol changed at 7.5 mg/dl and stevia leaf extract at 5.3 mg/dl (Table 1).

Another 15 minutes passed and the results seem to be coming back down. Interestingly, stevia is still rising as an average compared to erythritol and dextrose (Figure 1). As time progressed, the data showed that dextrose is slowly falling to 9.1 mg/dl, erythritol 6.4 mg/dl, and stevia rose to 6.1 mg/dl (Figure 1).

After an hour passed, the participants recorded their final results for dextrose, erythritol, and stevia leaf extract. Erythritol hasn’t dropped back to normal resting blood levels, while dextrose dips substantially and stevia leaf extract is effectively progressing down in blood glucose levels (Figure 1). The time interval of 0-60 minutes for erythritol is 4.8 mg/dl demonstrating that glucose is still present in the blood while stevia leaf extract resides at 2.7 mg/dl and dextrose at 1.7 mg/dl (Table 1).

Time / Dextrose / Erythritol / Stevia Leaf
0 / 0 / 0 / 0
0-15min / 10.9 / 7.5 / 5.3
0-30min / 9.1 / 6.4 / 6.1
0-60min / 1.7 / 4.8 / 2.7

Table 1. Table displaying the specific time interval values for the mean glucose blood levels with dextrose, erythritol, and stevia leaf extract.

Figure 1. Line graph displaying the mean change in blood glucose levels (mg/dl) for dextrose, erythritol, and stevia leaf extract.

Discussion

Review Form

Department of Biological Sciences

Saddleback College, Mission Viejo, CA 92692

Author (s):_Jason Rabahieh, Fayaz Arghandehwal, and Hannah Deiter______

Title:_The Effect of Erythritol on Glucose Blood Levels______

Summary

Summarize the paper succinctly and dispassionately. Do not criticize here, just show that you understood the paper.

  • Studying consumption of erythritol and its effect on blood glucose levels.
  • Will use dextrose and stevia sugar samples as a comparison.
  • On testing day each participant gave a resting blood sugar level as the control, then consumed 1 gram of sugar and relayed blood sugar level readings after 15 minutes, 30 minutes, and 60 minutes. The same procedure was used for the other two sugars.
  • The difference in blood sugar levels at each marked time after consumption of the sugars as compared to the resting blood sugar level was taken from each participant and averaged. Result was no statistical difference using an ANOVA and post-hoc test.
  • Dextrose increased blood sugar levels more than the other sugars.
  • Blood sugar levels decreased slowly after consumption of erythritol.
  • Found that erythritol does not increase blood sugar level more than dextrose.
  • Erythritol’s benefit is a longer period of time for an increase in blood sugar levels.

General Comments

Generally explain the paper’s strengths and weaknesses and whether they are serious, or important to our current state of knowledge.

Strengths:

  • A lot of background information on sugars, blood glucose, and others studies.
  • Referenced figure and table to explain the data.

Weaknesses:

  • Introduction needs more flow, seems abrupt with facts.
  • Unclear what hypothesis the presenters were testing.
  • Add some data to the figure caption (means, p-value) and include ANOVA and post-hoc.
  • Missing some information

Technical Criticism

Review technical issues, organization and clarity. Provide a table of typographical errors, grammatical errors, and minor textual problems. It's not the reviewer's job to copy Edit the paper, mark the manuscript.

This paper was a final versionThis paper was a rough draft

  • Incorrect formatting, not two-column.
  • Be consistent with the letter casing of Erythritol.
  • Not sure why dextrose and stevia were analyzed if project is focusing on erythritol.
  • Why were the marked times chosen as 15 minutes, 30 minutes, and 60 minutes?
  • Was testing done in one day?
  • Discussion?
  • Literature cited?

Quote / Location / Suggestion
“Continuous amounts of high blood levels can create heart problems and diseases, such as diabetes.” / Introduction, paragraph 1 / Continuous amounts of high bloodglucose levels can create heart problems and diseases, such as diabetes.
“It has been seen inside energy drinks and sold separately to substitute raw sugar.” / Introduction, paragraph 1 / It has been used as an ingredient for energy drinks and sold separately to substitute raw sugar.
“Eating isn’t the only cause to fluctuating the glucose levels as side effects from consuming energy drinks are fairly common, and a significant dose effect was found with jolt and crash episode (Aeby et al. 2007).” / Introduction, paragraph 2 / Reword
“Intake of Erythritol is different as Erythritol is a substrate that seems to be readily absorbed but undergoes no further metabolism by the host (Ghoos et al. 1993).” / Introduction, paragraph 2 / Intake of Erythritol is different as Erythritol in a substrate that seems to be readily absorbed but undergoes no further metabolism by the host (Ghoos et al. 1993).
“Glucose blood levels alternate all throughout the day.” / Results, paragraph 1 / Blood glucose levels alternate all throughout the day.
“For the rest of the experiment, the results will start at 0 and continue to 15 minutes, 30 minutes, and an hour.” / Results, paragraph 1 / Change to past tense
“Every participant will eat each sugar, accounting for 3 grams to be measured for erythritol, dextrose, and stevia leaf extract.” / Materials and methods, paragraph 1 / Every participant ate each sugar, accounting for 3 grams to be measured for erythritol, dextrose, and stevia leaf extract.

Recommendation

 This paper should be published as is

 This paper should be published with revision

 This paper should not be published