Trehalose, blood sugar and insulin in people with impaired glucose tolerance
What it found
In ten overweight people with impaired glucose tolerance, trehalose led to lower peak blood sugar and insulin than glucose.
Trehalose did not change how much fat the body burned compared with glucose.
What they found
Studies in people
Blood sugar peaks
When taken with a meal, trehalose led to a 33 % smaller rise in blood sugar compared with glucose. Peak blood sugar levels were also lower after trehalose than after glucose at both breakfast and lunch.
Insulin response
Trehalose led to a 14 % smaller rise in insulin compared with glucose when taken with a meal. Peak insulin was lower after trehalose than after glucose at both breakfast and lunch.
Fat burning
Trehalose did not differ from glucose in how it affected fat burning after breakfast or lunch. There was no difference in carbohydrate oxidation between trehalose and glucose either.
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 the gut breaks it down into glucose using an enzyme called trehalase.
What the authors conclude
- They conclude that trehalose leads to smaller rises in blood sugar and insulin after meals compared with glucose in people with impaired glucose tolerance.
- They note that swapping sucrose for isomaltulose may help prevent metabolic problems and slow the progression to type 2 diabetes.
- They call for more studies on the long-term effects of replacing fast-digesting sugars with slower ones for weight control and diabetes prevention.
How it was done
Obesity and type 2 diabetes are growing problems, and people who struggle to process sugar normally face a higher risk of both. The authors wanted to see if slowly digested sugars like trehalose could improve how the body handles sugar and burns fat after meals in these people.
Ten overweight men and women with impaired glucose tolerance each took part in four test days, one week apart. They drank 75 g of trehalose, glucose, isomaltulose or sucrose dissolved in water, either alone at breakfast or with a mixed meal at lunch. Researchers measured blood sugar, insulin, fat burning and energy use for 3 hours after each drink.
What it can’t tell you
- Only ten people took part, so the results might not apply to everyone with impaired glucose tolerance.
- The study measured responses over just 3 hours, so it cannot show what happens over weeks or months of eating trehalose regularly.
- Because the group included six men and four women, the study cannot rule out differences between sexes.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Maastricht University Medical Centre, The Netherlands
The paper
- Title
- Reduced glycaemic and insulinaemic responses following trehalose and isomaltulose ingestion: implications for postprandial substrate use in impaired glucose-tolerant subjects
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- van Can JG, van Loon LJ, Brouns F, Blaak EE (2012). Reduced glycaemic and insulinaemic responses following trehalose and isomaltulose ingestion: implications for postprandial substrate use in impaired glucose-tolerant subjects. The British journal of nutrition. doi:10.1017/S0007114511006714Free full textPubMed 22172468DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error