Mar 26, 2004 12:33 ET

New Study Confirms Low Carb Value of Tagatose; Finds Spherix's Sweetener Has a Glycemic and Insulin Response of Only 3 Percent

BELTSVILLE, Md., March 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Spherix Incorporated (NASDAQ:SPEX) , today announced that a new study by a prestigious Australian University confirms the low carb value of Gaio(R) tagatose.


Gaio(R) tagatose was tested in a research study by Sydney University's Glycaemic Index Research Service (SUGiRS). The University states that, compared to glucose, which had glycaemic and insulinaemic responses of 100%, Gaio(R) tagatose produced very low glycaemic and insulinaemic responses of only 3%.


Dr. Gilbert V. Levin, Spherix Executive Officer for Science, said "It's very comforting to have a major university confirm these important inherent properties of tagatose. Together with its winning taste, this clearly differentiates our product from many others attempting to capitalize on the rapidly expanding low-carb, low-cal market. These results, well below that of competing sweeteners, may make foods and beverages with tagatose even more attractive to a weight-conscious public that increasingly embraces lowering carbohydrates to lose weight." Tagatose is a natural low-calorie sweetener patented by Spherix Incorporated. It is being manufactured and sold as Gaio(R) tagatose for food and beverage uses under license by Arla Foods Ingredients. Tagatose tastes and acts like table sugar, and can be used to sweeten foods and beverages either by itself or in combination with high intensity, synthetic sweeteners.


Tagatose is now being used in 7-Eleven's Diet Pepsi Slurpee(R), and in Pasco Brands' Light and Tasty frozen juices distributed in major chain stores and directed at the burgeoning low-calorie, low-carb market. Arla officials say they expect a range of new products using tagatose to reach the market in 2004. For more information on Gaio(R) tagatose, see Arla's website at http://www.gaio-tagatose.com/.


Certain statements contained herein are "forward looking" statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Because such statements include risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied include, but are not limited to, those discussed in filings by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the filing on Form 8-K made on March 3, 1999.


Under its motto, "A World of Solutions," Spherix's mission is to create value and increase shareholder wealth through innovations that benefit our clients and the human condition. Spherix offers innovations in information technology, knowledge management, and biotechnology.


Spherix's Internet address is http://www.spherix.com/.


Source: Spherix Incorporated

I found this interesting:

"Two clinical studies with diabetic patients and normal subjects found Naturlose (tagatose) to be a therapeutic adjunct for diabetes. In addition, studies demonstrated that Naturlose protected against glucose spikes from other ingested sugar products. Naturlose also lowers the glycemic index of foods that include it as an ingredient."

... i just cant believe that 7-11 found out about this stuff before ME..:-)

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I think this bears more looking into. Maybe even a blood-sugar reaction test if I can get my hands on some Tagatose in the future. The low-carb manager at my health food store got me all excited about Whey-Low, and the makers of Whey-Low made a lot of the same claims (ie: the product can actually lower the glycemic index of foods with which it is combined) So, I tried it.
But the Whey-Low spiked/crashed me big-time. (See: artificial sweetener experiments thread) Yet I remember a thread in which someone's diabetic friend did a similar test with Whey-Low and had very little glycemic response.
So...in the end...again: Everybody and every body is different.

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