Diabetes-Specific Oral Nutritional Supplements for Prediabetes Improve Postprandial Glycemic Response Compared with Standard Formulas

For people with prediabetes, the wrong oral nutritional supplement can create more problems than it solves. Standard formulas deliver a quick load of carbohydrate. Blood glucose climbs. The pancreas works harder. Over time, that pattern worsens insulin resistance.

A new paper in Nutrition Research and Practice (DOI: 10.4162/nrp.2025.19.6.904) shows a different path. A diabetes-specific oral nutritional supplement containing allulose produced a much smaller post-meal glucose response than a standard oral nutritional supplement. For formulators, the gap was striking.

Why Glycemic Response Matters in Prediabetes

Prediabetes sits in a fragile metabolic zone. People in this group already struggle to control postprandial glucose. When a supplement spikes glucose, it adds stress to a system that is already strained.

Standard oral nutritional supplements are designed around convenience, shelf stability, and calories. That often means plenty of available carbohydrates. Those carbohydrates hit the bloodstream quickly. In a normal person, that’s manageable. In someone with prediabetes, it is a problem.

A diabetes-specific nutritional formula tries to flip that script. It lowers available carbohydrates. It adds ingredients that may blunt glucose excursions. In this study, the diabetes-specific formula included 3 g of allulose per 200 mL. The standard ONS contained none.

What the Study Did

Researchers compared the postprandial blood glucose response to a diabetes-specific nutritional formula and a standard ONS in people with prediabetes. They measured glucose after intake and calculated the incremental area under the curve, or iAUC. iAUC captures the total glucose exposure after a meal. It is a practical endpoint for product testing.

The two products were different by design. The diabetes-specific formula delivered 3 g allulose with lower available carbohydrates. The standard ONS delivered no allulose and a standard carbohydrate load. The comparison was not about a single ingredient. It was about the entire formula.

Key Findings

The result was decisive. The diabetes-specific formula produced a postprandial glucose iAUC of 1,683.49. The standard ONS produced 4,455.92. That’s a 62% lower glucose response, and the P value was below 0.0001. Statistical noise did not drive this outcome.

Measure	Diabetes-Specific Formula	Standard ONS
Allulose per 200 mL	3 g	0 g
Available carbohydrate	Lower	Standard
Postprandial glucose iAUC	1,683.49	4,455.92

The paper’s discussion points to several mechanisms. Allulose may inhibit glucose absorption in the gut. It may stimulate GLP-1 release. It also appears to promote glycogen storage in the liver. Together, these effects reduce how much glucose enters circulation from a meal.

What This Means for Manufacturers

This study gives formulators a practical product blueprint. Use allulose as part of a lower-carbohydrate oral nutritional supplement. The target consumer is clear: adults with prediabetes who need medical nutrition but cannot afford a glucose spike.

Don’t treat allulose as a single-ingredient silver bullet. The diabetes-specific formula also had fewer available carbohydrates. Both factors likely contributed to the lower iAUC. If you simply add allulose to a high-carb standard formula, you may not reproduce these results. Reduce the carbohydrate load too.

The mechanisms also matter for positioning. Consumers with prediabetes are not just looking for lower sugar. They want better glycemic control after a meal. This study gives you a clinical endpoint to build claims around. The iAUC difference is large enough to be meaningful.

Allulose gives you flexibility in a category where sweetness still matters. In a diabetes-specific formula, that combination is useful.

FAQ

Is allulose the only reason for the lower glucose response?
Probably not. The diabetes-specific formula also had lower available carbohydrates. Allulose likely contributed, but the formula worked as a system.

What does iAUC mean?
It stands for incremental area under the curve. It represents the total post-meal glucose excursion over time. Lower values mean less glucose exposure.

Can this be used in sports or general wellness ONS?
The study used a diabetes-specific product in prediabetes. The concept can be extended, but this paper only supports the prediabetes population.

If you’re developing products for the prediabetes market, this study offers a clear starting point. Use allulose in a lower-carb formula. Measure your postprandial response. The data suggests the payoff could be substantial.