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Definition: "An ergogenic aid is any substance or phenomenon that enhances performance "
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11.01.2024 |
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Low-cal sweetener erythritol enhances testosterone levels in diabetics | Animal study
Erythritol, a low-calorie sweetener that is gaining popularity in Western countries, may be able to increase testosterone production in men with diabetes - and perhaps also in healthy men. This is suggested by an animal study published in Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications.
Study
Rats in a control group were healthy and were not administered any active substances [Control].
Rats in a second group of rats were also healthy and received erythritol [Ery]. Erythritol is produced when yeasts convert glucose. Erythritol is a sweetener that provides only 0.2 kilocalories per gram. In Japan, the food industry has been using erythritol since the 1990s.
The EFSA believes that adults can consume approximately 0.5 grams of erythritol per day and per kilo of body weight. Diarrhea may occur with a higher intake. [EFSA J. 2023 Dec 20;21(12):e8430.] An adult weighing 80 kilos could therefore tolerate a maximum of 40 grams of erythritol per day. We, the simpletons of this free web magazine, honestly think this amount is on the high side. In practice, consumers can already experience abdominal complaints from ingesting 20 grams of erythritol per day.
The human equivalent of the dose the Nigerians gave to their rats was about 10 grams per day. This amounts to 2 teaspoons.
Rats in a third group were diabetic and did not receive any active substances [Db]. Rats in a fourth group were diabetic and received erythritol [Db + Ery], while rats in a fifth group were diabetic and received metformin [Db + Met].
With diabetes, testosterone production decreases. Aggressive molecules, which are caused by an excessive presence of glucose, play a key role in this. Because erythritol not only reduces the absorption of glucose and enhances the action of insulin [Eur J Nutr. 2018 Oct;57(7):2431-44.] but also has an antioxidant effect, [Nutrition. 2010 Apr;26(4):449-58.] Nigerians wondered whether erythritol could help maintain hormone balance in diabetes.
Results
Mechanism
Diabetes reduced the activity of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase, the activity of VEGF and the function of the proton pump in the testes. Supplementation with erythritol reduced all these effects - and sometimes even eliminated them completely.
Conclusion
"However, erythritol intake improved all these alterations."
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