塔格糖

Q1. What is carbohydrate? 

A1: Carbohydrates are the general term for sugar, oligosaccharides and polysaccharides. It is the richest organic matter  in nature and the most economical one of  the four essential core nutrients of human body. Sugar refers to all monosaccharides and disaccharides. Oligosaccharide refers to the carbohydrate formed by the polymerization of 3~9 monosaccharides. Polysaccharide refers to the carbohydrate polymerized by at least 10 monosaccharides, including starch, glycogen, dextrin, pectin, cellulose and hemicellulose, etc.  

Q2. What is metabolizable carbohydrates? 

A2: Metabolizable carbohydrates refer to carbohydrates that can be digested and absorbed by the human  body,  such  as  glucose,  fructose,  galactose,  sucrose,  lactose  and maltose  in  sugar,  and starch, glycogen and dextrin in polysaccharides.  

Q3. What is table sugar?  

A3: Table  sugar  also known  as  sugar,  free  sugar or  added  sugar,  refers  to  the monosaccharides and disaccharides that can be added in food, as well as the sugars naturally found in hones, syrup, juice and concentrated  juice. Sucrose, glucose and fructose are the three most common types of sugar. Sucrose is a disaccharide formed by dehydration and condensation of 1 molecule of glucose and 1 molecule of fructose with chemical formulaC₆H₁₂O₁₁. Glucose is  often called blood sugar. Glucose is the final hydrolysate of starch (C₆H₁₀O₅)n. Fructose is a free  sugar existing in all types of fruits and vegetables.  

Q4. What is the relationship between metabolizable carbohydrates and health? 

A4: Studies have shown that excessive intake of metabolizable carbohydrates can harm health and is one of the most closely related components of food that contribute to the development of the epidemic of metabolic noncommunicable chronic diseases. 

Q5. Is there a kind of sugar that can make people live a health life with sugar?  

A5: Yes, tagatose (D-Tagatose) is the answer.  

Q6. What is tagatose and iSugar®? 

A6: Tagatose, an isomer of fructose, is a rare occurring monosaccharide in nature, CAS No. 87-81-0,  chemical formula C₆H₁₂O₆, molecular weight  180.16. iSugar® is the brand name for the tagatose produced by Wuxi Jcantek Pharmaceuticals (Jcantek for short). 

Q7. What differentiates tagatose from sucrose and nonnutritive sweeteners? What is the tagatose’s unique nutritional advantages? 

A7: Tagatose and sucrose are both sugar and nutritional sweeteners. Tagatose has similar taste, sweetness and usage characteristics to sucrose, and also possesses unique nutritional advantages such as almost zero glycemic index, anti-hyperglycemia, low-calorie, non-cariogenic, anti-caries, prebiotics and antioxidant activity. 

Q8. What is the regulatory stance and safety assessment conclusion of China’s regulatory body on tagatose? 

A8: China National Health and Family Planning Commission [2014] 10th bulletin announced the approval of Jcantek’s iSugar® Tagatose as novel food ingredient, and made a “no specified” assessment conclusions to its daily allowable intake (acceptable daily intake, ADI). 

Q9.  What are the international regulatory positions and safety assessment conclusions for tagatose? 

A9: The safety and production of tagatose as novel food ingredient has been approved by more than 30 countries, including China, the European Union, the United States, Australia, New Zealand  and South Korea, as well as WHO/FAO and the international Codex Alimentarius Commission, with “no specified” to its ADI.  

Q10. What is the “no specified” ADI? 

A10: ADI is the maximum allowable daily dosage of a chemical that is ingested by humans or animals without any known adverse health effects. The tagatose ADI is “no specified” and says it has the highest level of food ingredient safety.  

Q11. What is glycemic index?  

A11: Glycemic Index (GI) is a more useful concept of carbohydrate nutrition than energy. GI was proposed by David j. Jenkins, Ph.D., professor of nutrition at the university of Toronto, Canada, and his colleagues in 1981, and it is an internationally recognized effective index to measure the postprandial blood glucose response caused by food. GI refers to the percentage value of a food containing 50 grams of carbohydrates and the same equivalent glucose that affects the blood glucose response level in the body within a certain period of time (generally 2 hours). It reflects the speed and ability of food to increase blood glucose compared with glucose. The GI of glucose is  usually set at 100 as the benchmark. Foods with a GI of 55 or below are considered low glycemic index foods, foods with a GI of 56 to 69 are considered medium glycemic index foods, and foods with a GI of 70 or higher are considered high glycemic index foods.  

Q12. What is glycemic load?  

A12: Glycemic load (GL) is a function of GI and carbohydrate intake. The concept of GL was proposed by Harvard University scholar Salmeron et al. in 1997, with the purpose of simultaneously estimating the effects of the quality (GI) and quantity (g) of carbohydrates in food on blood glucose and insulin. The GL of a single food is calculated by multiplying the given food carbohydrate GI by its mass (g) and then dividing the total by 100. The GL values range from 1 to 20 - lower values being better. A GL of 10 or below is considered low, 11 to 19 is considered medium, and 20 or above is considered high. In simple terms, GI stands for fast and slow blood glucose rise of food, while GL stands for more or less blood glucose rise of food. The consensus among scientists is that GL is a  significant factor in diet planning for obesity, insulin resistance and metabolic  syndrome. Low-glycemic load (LGL) diet is associated with the prevention and management of obesity, diabetes, and coronary heart disease. LGL diet intervention can effectively improve fasting blood  glucose, hemoglobin A1c (HbAlc), body mass (BM), body mass index (BMI), diastolic blood  pressure (DBP) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) of diabetic patients. Long-term consumption of high-glycemic load (HGL) foodstuffs is an independent risk factor for obesity, type-II diabetes, cardio-cerebrovascular disease and certain cancers.  

Q13. What is the effect of tagatose on glycemic response? 

A13: Tagatose was found to be the strongest anti-hyperglycemia carbohydrate. In addition to reducing the blood glucose and insulin response to glucose intake, tagatose can also reduce the formation of advanced glycosylation end-products (AGE).  

Short-term clinical trials have shown that pre-taking tagatose in healthy subjects and people with type II diabetes can inhibit postprandial blood sugar and insulin elevation caused by the intake of glucose or sucrose, even in healthy subjects taking tagatose 4 hours before lunch. Further studies have shown that daily intake of tagatose can reduce the HbA1c value of patients with type-Ⅱ diabetes mellitus in short- and long-term clinical trials. 

The university of Kentucky college of pharmacy a 6-month phase II clinical trial, reported the conclusions of a dose-response effect of small doses of tagatose on blood glucose control in patients with type II diabetes mellitus. The subjects were found to have a good tolerance to 2.5g, 5.0g, and 7.5g TID (three times a day). Tagatose at 5.0g TID is the minimal dose required to reduce HbA1c. Tagatose at 7.5g TID provided the greatest improvement in most diabetes control measures, including HbA1c. The following 10-month phase III clinical trial assessed the safety and efficacy of a placebo-controlled 15g tagatose TID for glycemic control in patients with type II diabetes mellitus.  Studies have shown that tagatose is an effective single agent for many therapeutic targets for type II diabetes, including lower fasting blood glucose and HbAlc, and lower LDL and total cholesterol. Different from many other diabetes drugs, patients have a high tolerance to tagatose. The longer tagatose treatment is given, the lower HbA1c will be and the better the effect will be.  

Spherix announced the results of the Phase III of clinical trials, showing that tagatose as a monotherapy has a significant (p<0.05) effect on patients with type II diabetes mellitus. The average HbAlc value of patients entering the clinical trials was 7.5%. After 10 months of therapy with tagatose, the HbA1c value of 101 subjects of U.S. ITT (Intent-to-Treat) was reduced to 7.1% (-0.4), and the HbA1c of 92 subjects of Global PP (Per-Protocol) was reduced to 7.1% (-0.4). The results from ITT were consistent with the results of from PP, indicating that the clinical trials experimental findings are reliable.  

Based on Bloomgarden et al.’s (2006) study, other drugs show an average efficacy of reducing HbA1c is only half that of tagatose in similar patients. Tagatose provides glycemic and lipoprotein  control through a mechanism of action unlike any currently available agent on the international market. Overall results of these phases III clinical trials illustrate that tagatose has the potential to fulfill a need in current type II diabetes treatment.  

An emerging literature has shown that small doses (≤10g/meal) of fructose and tagatose decrease the glycemic response to high glycemic index meals. Small doses of fructose and tagatose significantly reduced fasting glucose, fasting insulin and HbA1c. Across, randomized and double blind experimental was designed to determine the effect of supplementation containing tagatose on postprandial hyperglycemia  in 85 Korean hyperglycemic individuals (impaired  fasting blood sugar and newly diagnosed type II diabetes).  After the intake of a drink containing 5 grams tagatose, only hyperglycemia individual experienced a  ignificant decrease in blood glucose at 120  min (P=0.019),  as  well  as  in  the  blood  glucose  area  under  the  curve  (AUC)  (P=0.017). Normal  individuals  who  received  a  drink  containing  10  grams  tagatose  showed  a  decrease  in serum insulin, insulin AUC, and C-peptide levels. These results suggest that a drink containing a small dose of 5 grams of agatose as a  single dietary supplement could control  the postprandial glycemic spikes in individuals with hyperglycemia. 

Q14. Why can tagatose hit the sweet sport? 

A14: Tagatose is a multifunctional sugar, food ingredient and potential drug. Tagatose fully satisfies people's inborn love of sugar, and eliminates the health burden of consuming metabolizable carbohydrates. Tagatose is an ideal drug for the treatment of hyperglycemia and its complications. For consumers who have to limit their intake of metabolizable  carbohydrates because of diabetes, obesity, sub-health, or the pursuit of a healthy lifestyle, tagatose is the natural best ingredient in their foodstuffs and other dietary formulas. Tagatose eases the soar in blood sugar and insulin and the formation of advanced glycosylation end products from the intake of metabolizable carbohydrates. As long as tagatose can be part of the daily intake of metabolizable carbohydrates, it can play an important role in the healthy life with sugar, even if it is limited. 

Q15. What is GIV and what is the significance of introducing GIV logo into food nutrition label?