Surprising effect discovered of a protein 2,000 times sweeter than sugar

 Ice cream sweetened with brazzein, a natural protein much sweeter than sugar, causes blood glucose levels to rise 52% less than a conventional version, according to a clinical trial involving 101 adults with fatty liver disease associated with metabolic issues. 

Forty-four percent of the participants had type 2 diabetes.

The study was conducted by scientists from Russia’s Federal Research Center of Nutrition, Biotechnology and Food Safety and published in the journal Clinical Nutrition ESPEN. The participants, with an average age of 54.6 years, tested three 100-gram servings of vanilla ice cream on different days: one sweetened with sucrose, another with brazzein, and a third combining brazzein with inulin, a dietary fiber.

The results showed that the post-ingestion glycemic response was 52% lower with the ice cream sweetened with brazzein and 48% lower with the combination of brazzein and inulin, compared to the version containing sugar. These differences were observed while monitoring glucose levels over a period of 150 minutes. The researchers found reductions in participants with type 2 diabetes as well as in those without it.

Brazzein is a sweet protein originally identified in a West African fruit climbing plant Pentadiplandra brazzeana (known locally as the Oubli fruit). According to ScienceAlert, it can be between 500 and 2,000 times sweeter than sucrose, meaning only a very small amount is needed to sweeten a food product. Although it occurs naturally in that fruit, it can now also be produced using fungi modified for this purpose.

However, the authors cautioned that the results do not prove brazzein alone caused the entire reduction observed. The sugar-free formulations differed in other ingredients as well, making it impossible to attribute the effect exclusively to the sweetener. Furthermore, replacing sugar in ice cream requires maintaining characteristics such as volume and texture, functions that sucrose also performs in the product.

The trial did not detect any serious adverse effects; it evaluated only the immediate glucose response following ice cream consumption. It did not determine whether regular use of brazzein can reduce liver fat accumulation, improve diabetes control, or yield sustained health benefits. The researchers noted that longer-term studies are needed to assess these potential effects.