Tagatose, a rare sugar, and its effects on health and oral bacteria
What it found
Tagatose is a low-calorie sweet sugar that may help with blood sugar and body weight, and in lab tests it slowed the growth of mouth bacteria linked to tooth decay and gum disease.
Some of these findings come from people, others from lab studies.
What they found
Studies in people
Blood sugar and insulin
In people, tagatose alone did not change glucose or insulin levels in healthy or diabetic individuals. When taken with glucose, it significantly reduced the rise in glucose in diabetic individuals.
Weight and cholesterol
In people with type 2 diabetes, tagatose led to improvements in body weight and HDL levels, and reduced glycated hemoglobin and fasting blood glucose in some trials.
Gut effects
About 20% of tagatose is absorbed in the small intestine, and most is fermented by gut bacteria. Some people reported mild or moderate nausea, diarrhea, flatulence, and bloating.
Chewing gum trial
In a 4-week randomized trial with 19 adults, gum with both tagatose and xylitol significantly reduced salivary S. mutans. Gum with tagatose alone did not.
Animal and lab studies
Mouth bacteria in lab
In lab tests, tagatose reversed bacterial clumping for 17 out of 28 pairs of oral bacteria, including gum disease species. It also inhibited growth, acid production, and biofilm formation of cavity-causing S. mutans.
Air-polishing powder
In lab tests on titanium discs, tagatose powder reduced Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm by more than 4 times, though less than glycine. It did not harm stem cells grown on the discs.
What the authors conclude
“D-tagatose is a rare sugar with a sweet taste and low caloric value.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say that dietary use of D-tagatose is considered safe and is an interesting option in conditions of diabetes mellitus and obesity.
- They state that D-tagatose is a non-cariogenic sugar with an antimicrobial effect against oral species, and may help prevent periodontitis and dental caries.
- They advise that future research, including preclinical and clinical trials, should be done to better understand how D-tagatose works and to evaluate its antimicrobial potential in clinical practice.
How it was done
High-calorie sugars like sucrose can contribute to dental caries and metabolic diseases such as diabetes. The authors wanted to review whether tagatose could be a useful alternative.
The authors reviewed published studies on tagatose, including clinical trials in healthy and diabetic people, lab experiments on oral bacteria, and one 4-week randomized trial where 19 adults chewed gum with tagatose, xylitol, or both.
What it can’t tell you
- Lab studies on mouth bacteria do not show what happens in a person's mouth.
- The 4-week gum trial was small and short, so it cannot show long-term effects on dental health.
- The review cannot prove that tagatose prevents diabetes, obesity, or dental disease.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
- Authors work at
- University of Sao Paulo, Brazil; University of Marilia (UNIMAR), Brazil; University Center of Adamantina (UNIFAI), Brazil
The paper
- Title
- D-Tagatose: A Rare Sugar with Functional Properties and Antimicrobial Potential against Oral Species
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Ortiz AC, Fideles SOM, Reis CHB, et al (2024). D-Tagatose: A Rare Sugar with Functional Properties and Antimicrobial Potential against Oral Species. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu16121943Free full textPubMed 38931297DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error