D-tagatose, a novel hexose: acute effects on carbohydrate tolerance in subjects with and without type 2 diabetes

Summary Aim: D‐Tagatose (D‐tag), a hexose bulk sweetener, does not affect plasma glucose levels when orally administered to rodents. Additionally, D‐tag attenuates the rise in plasma glucose after mice are administered oral sucrose. The current study was undertaken to investigate the acute glycaemic effects of oral D‐tag alone or in combination with oral glucose in human subjects with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus. Glycaemic responses to D‐tag also were investigated in subjects after oral sucrose to examine whether the glucose‐lowering effects of D‐tag in rodents may result from a direct inhibition of intestinal disaccharidases. Methods: Eight normal and eight subjects with diabetes mellitus were administered 75 g of glucose, 75 g of D‐tag, or 75 g of D‐tag 30 min prior to a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Five patients with diabetes mellitus were challenged with a 75 g oral sucrose tolerance test (OSTT) with and without oral pre‐treatment with 75 g of D‐tag. Patients with diabetes mellitus also received separate 0, 10, 15, 20 and 30 g of D‐tag 30 min prior to a 75 g OGTT. Results: Oral loading with D‐tag alone led to no changes in glucose or insulin levels in either normal patients or those with diabetes mellitus. Pre‐OGTT treatment with 75 g D‐tag, however, attenuated the rise in glucose levels in patients with diabetes mellitus (p