Trehalose, blood sugar and insulin in ten overweight people
What it found
Trehalose led to lower peak blood sugar and lower insulin levels than glucose in ten overweight people.
It also reduced how much carbohydrate the body burned for energy after a morning drink.
What they found
Studies in people
Blood sugar response
Peak blood sugar was lower after trehalose than after glucose. When taken with a meal, the overall blood sugar rise was also smaller with trehalose.
Insulin response
Both peak insulin levels and the total insulin response were lower after trehalose compared with glucose. This was seen in both the morning and afternoon tests.
Fat burning
The researchers expected trehalose might help the body burn more fat after eating. They found no meaningful difference in fat burning between trehalose and glucose at any point.
Carbohydrate burning
After drinking trehalose alone in the morning, the body burned less carbohydrate for energy than after glucose. In the afternoon, when taken with a meal, carbohydrate burning was about the same for both.
Other findings
What trehalose is
Trehalose is a sugar made of two glucose molecules joined together. It occurs naturally in honey, bread, mushrooms and fermented drinks, and is made commercially from starch. It tastes about 40 to 45 percent as sweet as regular table sugar.
What the authors conclude
- They conclude that trehalose produces smaller rises in blood sugar and insulin than glucose in overweight people.
- They note that this slower response did not lead to more fat burning after eating.
- They suggest the smaller blood sugar and insulin rises happen because trehalose is digested and absorbed more slowly than glucose.
How it was done
Rapidly digested sugars cause sharp rises in blood sugar and insulin that may encourage fat storage. The authors wanted to see if trehalose, which is digested more slowly, would produce smaller rises in blood sugar and insulin compared with glucose.
Ten healthy overweight adults (eight men and two women) took part in a crossover trial. On two separate days they drank either 75 g of trehalose or 75 g of glucose dissolved in water after an overnight fast, and again with a standard lunch. Blood samples were taken every 30 minutes for three hours each time, and their breathing was measured to track how the body used fuel.
What it can’t tell you
- Only ten people took part, so the results may not apply to everyone.
- The study measured responses over just a few hours on single days.
- It cannot show what happens when someone eats trehalose regularly over weeks or months.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Maastricht University, The Netherlands
The paper
- Title
- Reduced glycaemic and insulinaemic responses following trehalose ingestion: implications for postprandial substrate use
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- van Can JG, Ijzerman TH, van Loon LJ, Brouns F, Blaak EE (2009). Reduced glycaemic and insulinaemic responses following trehalose ingestion: implications for postprandial substrate use. The British journal of nutrition. doi:10.1017/S000711450999050XFree full textPubMed 19664296DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error