Tagatose

Studies in people

• Benefit

  Blood sugar and appetite²

  In women with insulin resistance, tagatose led to lower C-peptide release than stevia after a glucose drink.

• Benefit

  Weight and blood sugar in diabetes³

  In 8 people with type 2 diabetes, tagatose taken daily for a year was linked to weight loss and higher good cholesterol.

• Benefit

  Type 2 diabetes treatment⁴

  Small human studies showed tagatose may help treat type 2 diabetes.

• Benefit

  Appetite and food intake⁵

  In men, eating tagatose instead of sugar led to eating less at supper that day.

• Concern

  Blood uric acid levels⁶

  In people, tagatose raised blood uric acid more than fructose or water did.

• Open question

  How much the body absorbs⁷

  People absorbed about 81% of tagatose, a new low-calorie sweetener, and it barely changed how they absorbed other nutrients.

• Concern

  Sweetener side effects⁸

  In people, tagatose caused gas and diarrhea, and single doses briefly raised uric acid, but eight weeks of daily tagatose did not.

• No harm found

  Liver size and glycogen⁹

  In people, eating tagatose daily for 28 days did not change liver size or glycogen.

• Concern

  Gut symptoms after eating¹⁰

  In people, tagatose in chocolate caused more nausea and mild gas, bloating and stomach rumbling than regular chocolate.

• Benefit

  Blood sugar after meals¹¹

  In people, a tagatose drink lowered blood sugar after meals in those with high blood sugar.

• Concern

  Stomach and gut comfort¹²

  People eating tagatose reported more stomach rumbling, bloating, wind and loose stools than with sugar.

Animal and lab studies only

• Open question

  Blood sugar after bread¹⁷

  In lab studies, tagatose in toast lowered the glycemic index and added flavor, but made the bread denser and more acidic.

• Open question

  Liver size in rats¹⁸

  In animal studies, tagatose enlarged rat livers by increasing stored glycogen, without tissue changes.

Study type not stated

• Benefit

  Tooth decay and gum health¹³

  D-tagatose is a rare sugar that slowed the growth of mouth bacteria that cause tooth decay.

• Benefit

  Blood sugar control¹⁴

  Tagatose is a sweet sugar that may help keep blood sugar steady in people with diabetes.

• Benefit

  Tooth decay¹⁶

  Tagatose is now included in the health claim about sugar alcohols and tooth decay.

How it’s made and used

• Sugar reduction in food¹⁵

  Tagatose is a reduced-calorie sugar that can be made from fructose.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.