Brazzein ice-cream formulations reportedly halved post-meal glucose rises in MASLD trial

One hundred one participants compare three formulations on separate days

Participants ate a 100-gram serving of vanilla ice cream on three separate days: one sweetened with sugar, one with brazzein, and one with brazzein plus the dietary fiber inulin. The reported results found significantly smaller blood-sugar spikes with both brazzein-containing formulations; no serious side effects were reported.

The reported comparison was limited to single 100-gram servings of three ice-cream formulations in adults with MASLD. It did not establish longer-term effects or outcomes in broader populations.

In the reported trial, the two sucrose-free formulations containing brazzein produced post-meal blood-glucose rises about half as large as those after sugar-sweetened ice cream. Because the recipes differed in other ingredients, the effect cannot be assigned to brazzein alone.

Brazzein is a protein reported to be up to 2,000 times sweeter than sugar by weight. The result points to a possible avenue for studying sugar-substitution foods for people with MASLD, including those with type 2 diabetes, but does not show long-term health benefits.