in this patent application , each of the following terms has the indicated meaning . “ glycemic index ” is the ratio of the area under the plasma glucose curve vs time ( auc ) for 50 grams of ingested carbohydrate in question divided by the auc for 50 grams of glucose times 100 . “ percent by weight ” means the percent by weight of each material with the indicated composition ; in the case of α - lactose , calculations are stated based on the weight of the monohydrate , as available commercially ; all other sugar compositions , including fructose , sucrose , and β - lactose , are calculated based on the weight of each commercially - available , anhydrous sugar . the term “ sweetener ” means a mixture of edible sugars . the mixtures of edible sugars of this invention comprise the following three : fructose , lactose , and sucrose . specific useful combinations are fructose and lactose , sucrose and lactose , and fructose , lactose , and sucrose . the mixture of sugars comprise , lactose 10 percent by weight to 80 percent by weight , and a combination of fructose and sucrose , 20 percent by weight to 90 percent by weight , wherein the combination of fructose and sucrose consists of sucrose 0 percent by weight to 100 percent by weight and fructose 0 percent by weight to 100 percent by weight . the specified mixtures of fully - caloric sugars unexpectedly have been found to work synergistically to reduce available calories and postprandial blood sugar concentration , without gastrointestinal symptoms of sugar intolerance . the mechanism of this desirable synergistic interaction between the sugars is not known . without wishing to be held to this explanation , however , the inventors of the present application suggest the following explanation of the discovery . it appears fructose interferes strongly with normal small - intestinal absorption of lactose and moderately with sucrose absorption , while lactose interferes with normal small - intestinal absorption of both sucrose and starch . the unabsorbed sugars , including α - dextrins and maltose from co - nutrient starch , pass into the colon where they are completely degraded microbially to non - caloric ( to the host ) biomass and short chain fatty acids ( scfa &# 39 ; s ). the latter are absorbed into the bloodstream and provide the host with a limited amount of energy . lactose may be used in the form of the α - lactose monohydrate or the anhydrous p - anomer . fructose may be used as the crystalline form or as aqueous syrup for preparation of spray - dried or syrup products . sucrose may be used as the pure granulated form , confectioner &# 39 ; s sugar , the various degrees of brown sugar , or even as molasses for preparation of syrups . use of brown sugar as an ingredient in the subject mixture allows the preparation of a caramelized sweetener , which is useful in baking . the sweetener in solid form may be used as a physical mixture of the crystalline sugars of similar crystal size , as a co - crystallized mixture of sugars , or as a spray - dried solid , for example . the sweetener may also be used in aqueous syrup form or in dilute aqueous / alcoholic solutions . the subject sweetener may also employ common food - grade additives and processing aids that keep the mixture dry and flowable . high - intensity sweeteners may be employed to increase the sweetness whenever desired . on the other hand , diluents to reduce sweetness while maintaining low caloric value may be employed . such diluents include maltodextrins , polydextrose , and cellulose . for the purpose of this patent application , we refer to the combination of the subject sweetener and any of the following list of edible foodstuffs as a sweetened edible formulation . the subject sweetener is useful for sweetening a large number of edible foodstuffs , including processed beverages such as carbonated and non - carbonated soft drinks , fruit drinks , flavored dairy drinks , vegetable juices , egg nogs , wines , liqueurs , coffee , or tea ; including processed foods such as sweet baked goods , dairy desserts , breakfast cereals , hard candies , meats processed with sweet liquors , custards , salad dressings , vegetable pastes and sauces , condiments such as catsup and salsa , pickles and relishes , ice creams , sherbets and flavored ices , ice milk products , icings , confections and confection toppings , syrups and flavors , jams and jellies , cake and pastry mixes , and pie fillings ; including functional / nutritional foods such as sports drinks , nutrition bars , nutrition powders and gels , probiotic yogurt and cultured dairy foods , and nutritional supplements ; and is useful as a tabletop sweetener . other edible formulations that may be sweetened by the subject sweetener include pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products requiring a sweetener / excipient and pet foods . in using the sweetener of this invention , it is incorporated in the material to be sweetened in the amount required to attain the desired level of sweetness . it is obvious that there is nothing critical about the concentration of sweetening agent or mode of mixing which is used . it is simply a matter of attaining a desired sweetness level appropriate to the material in question . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the examples and embodiments described herein are by way of illustration and not of limitation , and that other examples may be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention , as set forth in the appended claims . the present invention will hereinafter be described in more detail by the following examples . it should , however , be borne in mind that this invention is not limited solely to these examples . interactions of lactose , sucrose , fructose and α - dextrins ( maltose ) in the small intestine the test subject ( subject # 1 ) was a 54 - year - old caucasian male in good health , with a body mass index ( bmi ) equal to 28 . 6 kg / m 2 . the subject was required to exercise moderately at least 30 minutes each day before testing , sleep at least 7 hours the previous night , and fast for no less than 12 hours prior to oral tolerance testing ( ott ) early the next morning . water was restricted 1 . 5 hours prior to testing , and only small sips of water were allowed infrequently during ott . the test article , described below , was ingested as quickly as possible after the time 0 blood sample was obtained . subsequent blood samples were taken at 30 , 60 , 90 , 120 , 150 , and 180 minutes , and plasma glucose measurements were recorded in units of mg / dl immediately each time using a hand - held glucometer ( at • last model , amira medical , scotts valley , calif . 95066 ). the subject abstained from food and remained sedentary during the 3 - hour test . clinical observations were noted and recorded continuously . the subject was tested with duplicate 51 : 24 , 34 : 16 , and 17 : 8 g sucrose / g starch ott &# 39 ; s to assure linearity of the plasma glucose response as area under the curve ( auc ) vs dose . the dose response for this subject was linear between 0 and 50 g total carbohydrate ; thus , all subsequent testing with this subject was done with 50 g total carbohydrate . the α - lactose monohydrate ( wisconsin dairies ), sucrose ( safeway inc . ), fructose ( a . e . staley ), porridge oats ( 57 % starch , quaker instant oatmeal ), and deionized water ( ½ cup ) were heated together in a microwave oven for 1 . 5 minutes with stirring , 10 minutes prior to ingestion . in table 1 , la = lactose · h2o , su = sucrose , fr = fructose , st = oat starch =( 0 . 95 × maltose ). n is the number of times a mixture was tested . auc is the area under the curve for δ plasma glucose concentration vs time in units of mg - min / dl . auc theoretical was calculated based on the known auc for su / st ( 3155 mg - min / dl ) for the test subject and the gi values of 46 , 64 , 23 , and 100 for la , su , fr , and st , respectively . auc theoretical is free of any sugar interactions since there is no known interaction between su and st . auc actual was determined experimentally for the mixture of sugars and includes all of the sugar interactions , if any . the ratio , auc actual / auc theoretical , gives a measure of the degree of interaction ( s ) described in the first column , and p ≦ 0 . 05 indicates that the effect is significant , per the student &# 39 ; s t test . the testing of the four carbohydrates was performed in order to learn which of the sugars interact in the small intestine to enhance or inhibit the absorption of others . none of these carbohydrates is known to inhibit the α - amylase - catalyzed hydrolysis , which converts starch into maltose (˜ 75 %) and α - dextrins (˜ 25 %). consequently , starch and α - dextrins / maltose may be treated as equivalents for the purpose of the following analysis . the results are summarized in table 1 . there were no significant interactions between sucrose and α - dextrins ( and maltose ) and no significant interactions between fructose and α - dextrins ( and maltose ), resulting in unchanged actual conversions to plasma glucose vs theoretical auc . table 1 shows four significant interferences : 1 ) lactose and α - dextrins ( and / or maltose ) interact to reduce the expected conversion of 50 grams of carbohydrate into plasma glucose . 2 ) fructose and sucrose interact to reduce the expected conversion of 50 grams of carbohydrate into plasma glucose . 3 ) lactose and sucrose interact strongly to reduce the expected conversion of 50 grams of carbohydrate into plasma glucose . 4 ) fructose and lactose interact very strongly to reduce the expected conversion of 50 grams of carbohydrate into plasma glucose . the mechanisms of these desirable synergistic interactions between the sugars are not known . without wishing to be held to this explanation , however , the inventors of the present application suggest the following explanation of the discovery . our results show for the first time that lactose significantly interferes with α - dextrins ( and / or maltose ) absorption , and not vice versa , since it is known from the literature that maltose ( and presumably α - dextrins ) does not inhibit lactose hydrolysis , the rate - limiting step for lactose absorption . it is likely that this new interference results from lactose inhibition of isomaltase and / or maltase , the enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of α - dextrins and maltose , respectively , to glucose . our results show that fructose interferes with sucrose absorption , a result that confirms the in vitro inhibition of human sucrase by fructose ( alpers and gerber , 1971 ). the presence of sucrose or its hydrolysis products does not inhibit the facilitated diffusion rate of fructose ( gray and ingelfinger , 1966 ). the results from the lactose / fructose / starch and lactose / sucrose / fructose / starch mixtures confirm the newly found lactose interference with starch absorption while showing a further strong interference between fructose and lactose . as it is known that lactose does not inhibit the absorption of fructose , we can only conclude that this strong effect is a manifestation of the inhibition of human lactose hydrolysis by fructose , previously observed in vitro . the effect we observe in vivo is surprisingly strong in light of the fact that fructose is absorbed in the small intestine so rapidly . we believe that the inhibiting effect of fructose on lactase is only effected in the proximal jejunum , where the concentration of lactase in the intestinal mucosa is high . by the time the fructose is fully absorbed , most of the lactose in the bolus has made it through to the ileum where the mucosal concentration of lactase approaches zero ( gudmand - høyer et al , adv nutr res , 6 , 233 - 69 , 1984 ). this scenario practically assures that lactose , along with unabsorbed sucrose and α - dextrins ( and / or maltose ), is degraded microbially in the colon , with consequent lower - energy and prebiotic benefits for the sweetener . the results from the four lactose / sucrose / starch tests in table 1 show another new and strongly negative interaction between lactose and sucrose , while confirming the weaker lactose interference with α - dextrins ( and / or maltose ) absorption . the negative lactose and sucrose interaction can only be due to lactose inhibition of sucrase or to inhibition of glucose and / or fructose absorption , since it is already known that sucrose is not an inhibitor of human lactase in vitro . further , no disaccharide is known to inhibit the absorption of an actively transported or facilitatively diffused monosaccharide like glucose or fructose , respectively . consequently , we believe we have identified a new inhibition of the sucrase enzyme by lactose . it is also probable that lactose inhibits the closely associated enzyme , isomaltase , responsible for hydrolysis of α - dextrins to glucose . often , an inhibitor of sucrase is also an inhibitor of isomaltase . as the auc actual / auc theoretical ratio approaches zero , caloric value of the sweetener approaches some lower limit below 1 calorie . the test designated “ all interactions ” in table 1 gave an auc actual / auc theoretical ratio of 0 . 37 ; i . e ., only 3 / 8 of the 50 g carbohydrates or 18 . 5 g is absorbed from the small intestine into the bloodstream and converted to plasma glucose . the remaining 31 . 5 g , including ˜ 1 / 3 of the α - dextrins ( and / or maltose ) from the oat starch , passed into the colon without any gastrointestinal effects beyond a brief period of mild rumblings and slight fullness in the gi system . the key interferences in this example were fructose / lactose , lactose / sucrose , fructose / sucrose , and lactose / α - dextrins ( and / or maltose ). the results presented in table 1 for the “ calculated ” test show a near - optimal case calculated from a multi - variable regression analysis and have not been confirmed experimentally . in this case , the four sugars interfere so extensively with each other that only a quarter of the sweetener and oat starch is expected to be absorbed in the small intestine of the subject . [ 0075 ] fig1 shows the plots of δ plasma glucose vs time for three tests described in table 1 . the glucose peak for the 17 g lactose / 17 g sucrose sweetener with 16 g starch ( curve b ) is typically the same intensity and time as that for the 34 g sucrose with 16 g starch control ( curve a ), but the auc ( 1613 mg - min / dl ) is significantly less than for sucrose ( 3155 mg - min / dl ). the δ plasma glucose values for 90 and 120 minutes are different from those of sucrose . the subject observed no gi effects at all . the 8 . 5 g lactose / 17 g sucrose / 8 . 5 g fructose sweetener ( curve c ) in fig1 showed ½ of the peak plasma glucose increase of sucrose and significantly lower auc ( 1002 mg - min / dl ) than for sucrose ( 3155 mg - min / dl ). none of the time values was significantly different from sucrose because this formulation showed a different time peak and shape of curve each of the four times it was tested . the subject observed very mild gi rumblings and fullness , which were related to the test article , two out of four times tested . it is interesting to note too that the sucrose curve ( a ) returned from its peak to the fasting blood glucose level at 3 hours , in contrast to the new sweeteners ( curves b and c ), which fell to fasting blood glucose levels within 1 . 5 to 2 hours and stayed below fasting plasma glucose level until some time after 3 hours . without wishing to be held to this explanation , we surmise this reduction of plasma glucose below fasting level is related to the fermentation of the sugars to short chain fatty acids ( scfa &# 39 ; s ) in the colon . absorption of the two most dominant scfa &# 39 ; s ( acetic and propionic acids ) from the colon and initial metabolism to triglyceride requires that glucose be oxidized to make atp . test articles were aqueous solutions ( in 200 g water ) of 50 g of total carbohydrates , which were prepared early in the morning before the test . all of the same protocol criteria were applied for the test , as described in example 1 above , except that times for blood samples were 0 , 30 , 45 , 60 , 90 , 120 , and 180 minutes . the test subjects were subject # 1 , described above , and subject # 2 , a 24 - year - old , healthy caucasian male ( bmi = 27 . 7 kg / m 2 ). see fig3 and 2 , respectively , for results of their ott &# 39 ; s . calculation of estimated caloric value ( ecv ) demands some explanation here , as the calculation requires acceptance of some reasonable assumptions : gi values for lactose monohydrate , fructose , sucrose and oat starch are 46 , 23 , 64 , and 100 , respectively . caloric values for lactose monohydrate , fructose , sucrose and oat starch are 3 . 8 , 3 . 7 , 3 . 9 , and 3 . 7 kcal / g , respectively . the order for complete active absorption of sugar mixtures from the small intestine to the bloodstream is fructose & gt ; starch ( as maltose and α - dextrins )& gt ; sucrose & gt ; lactose . passive absorption of unhydrolyzed disaccharides is assumed to be zero for these calculations . disaccharides not actively absorbed pass to the colon , where they are fully degraded by microflora . 78 % of the disaccharides form short chain fatty acids ( scfa &# 39 ; s ), which are fully absorbed and used by the body with 50 %× 0 . 85 = 42 . 5 % energy efficiency vs glucose ( livesey , int j food sci nutr , 44 , 221 - 241 , 1993 ). 22 % of the disaccharides are converted to biomass , which is calorically unavailable to the host ( weber et al , j lab clin med , 110 , 259 - 263 , 1987 ). nb - starch ( not part of the sweetener ) which passes to the colon and is degraded microbially subtracts energy value from the sweetener , a component of which ( lactose ) caused it to pass to the colon . the accepted caloric value of a sweetener for nutrition labeling purposes may require consideration of the disposition of the sweetener components alone , and not the effect the sweetener has on disposition of other nutrients . so , the following tests of claimed mixtures of the sugars in aqueous solutions , without other nutrients , serve to demonstrate the most conservative estimated caloric values ( ecv &# 39 ; s ) of the sweetener . in fig3 a 50 - g sucrose in 200 - g water solution ( curve a , where n = 3 tests ) was used as the control ( defined as 3 . 9 kcal / g ) for a 20 % aqueous solution of 16 g lactose / 17 g sucrose / 17 g fructose in normal subject # 1 ( curve b , where n = 3 tests ). plasma glucose increments were significantly lower for the mixture of sugars at 30 , 60 , and 90 minutes , as well as the auc ( 754 mg - min / dl vs 2935 mg - min / dl ). the subject noted slight rumblings and fullness in the gi tract from 1 . 7 hours on . the estimated caloric value ( ecv ) for the sugar mixture was 2 . 2 kcal / g . for the sugar mixture , 12 . 5 g lactose / 25 g sucrose / 12 . 5 g fructose in 20 % aqueous solution ( curve c , where n = 3 tests ), plasma glucose increments were significantly lower for the mixture of sugars at 45 and 90 minutes , as well as the auc vs sucrose ( 580 mg - min / dl vs 2935 mg - min / dl ). two of three times , the subject noted slight gi rumblings at two different times ; once , there were no gi effects . the estimated caloric value ( ecv ) for the sugar mixture was calculated as 1 . 9 kcal / g . when the same ratio of the three sugars ( total 34 g ) was added to oat starch ( 16 g ) for an ott in the same subject ( see fig1 curve c , test of 8 . 5 g lactose / 17 g sucrose / 8 . 5 g sucrose / 16 g starch , where n = 4 tests ), the ecv for the sweetener was 1 . 0 kcal / g . clearly , the sugars of the sweetener interfere with absorption of a fraction of the starch from the oats . in fig2 a 50 - g sucrose in 200 - g water solution ( curve a , where n = 2 tests ) was used as the control for a 20 % aqueous solution of 20 g lactose / 30 g sucrose in the normal subject # 2 ( curve b , where n = 2 tests ). plasma glucose increments were significantly lower for the mixture of lactose and sucrose at 90 minutes . the ecv for the two - sugar mixture was calculated as 2 . 1 kcal g . when 7 g fructose replaced an equal amount of sucrose in the previous test ( curve c , where n = 2 tests ), plasma glucose increments were significantly lower for the mixture of sugars at 60 minutes vs sucrose . no gastrointestinal effects were observed . the ecv for the three - sugar mixture ( 20 g lactose / 23 g sucrose / 7 g fructose ) was calculated as 2 . 4 kcal / g . the shapes of both curves for the mixed sugars are interesting because the initial rate of glucose absorption ( 0 to 30 minutes ) is the same for the two test articles as for the sucrose control . without wishing to be held to this explanation , we believe this identical initial rate of glucose absorption occurs because inhibition of lactose , and therefore sucrose and starch , absorption does not work well until a certain level of fructose accumulates in the lumen of the small intestine . there is consequently a caloric advantage to having a minimal amount of fructose ingested as part of the sweetener , rather than waiting for sucrose to hydrolyze and supply the threshold fructose concentration in the small intestine . the test subject with impaired glucose tolerance ( igt ) was an 84 - year - old caucasian male ( bmi = 21 . 5 kg / m 2 ) in relatively good health . his daily drug regimen included coumadin ® and cardoxin ®, all taken after ott . the same ott protocol for example 1 was used for the igt subject . see fig4 for igt &# 39 ; s ott results . igt showed a peak plasma glucose increase at 30 minutes for the 20 g lactose / 14 g sucrose / 16 g starch test article ( curve b ) that was 39 % of the peak from 34 g sucrose / 16 g starch ( curve a ). his plasma glucose concentration remained nearly constant for ˜ 1 . 5 hours after peaking , then dropped back to nearly baseline by 3 hours . the subject felt no gi effects . unlike the sucrose / starch control ( curve a ), the lactose / sucrose / starch test article ( curve b ) never caused his plasma glucose level to break above 200 mg / dl , an important criterion for diabetes ( especially at 2 hours ). the auc for the sucrose / lactose / starch dose was 45 % of the auc for sucrose / starch ( 3860 mg - min / dl vs 8595 mg - min / dl ). maintenance of low postprandial auc is important for keeping control of glycosylated hemoglobin in type 2 pre - diabetics and diabetics , as is controlling caloric intake in most cases . caloric value of the sweetener added to the oatmeal for the lactose / sucrose case was reduced from 3 . 9 kcal / g for sucrose to 1 . 0 kcal / g . the type 2 diabetic subject ( dm2 ) was a 51 - year - old caucasian female ( bmi = 32 . 8 kg / m 2 ), who was trying to control her diabetes without insulin or oral medications . her daily drug regimen included premarin ®, prempro ®, xenical ®, and lipitor ®, all taken after ott was completed each day . the same ott protocol for example 2 was used for dm2 , except that 100 g water was used for the test solution . dm2 was tested with duplicate 50 , 25 , and 15 g sucrose ott &# 39 ; s to assure linearity of the plasma glucose response as auc vs dose . the dose response was linear between 0 and 25 g sucrose ; thus all subsequent testing with this subject was done with 25 g total carbohydrate . see fig5 for dm2 &# 39 ; s ott results . the 25 - g sucrose control ( curve a , where n = 2 tests ) showed an unexpectedly large plasma glucose rise with a peak at 45 minutes . the mean plasma glucose level for 30 and 45 minutes broke above 200 mg / dl , and the auc was large for a relatively small dose of sucrose . dosing with 25 g of 1 : 3 lactose / fructose ( curve b , where n = 2 tests ) showed significantly reduced δ plasma glucose levels at 30 , 45 and 60 minutes and a reduced auc vs sucrose control ( 1113 mg - min / dl vs 6184 mg - min / dl ). with 1 : 3 lactose / fructose , the plasma glucose level never broke above 200 mg / dl , even though the fasting blood glucose level at time 0 for the 1 : 3 lactose / fructose test was 42 mg / dl higher than that for sucrose . the subject felt no gi effects . because of the low peak glucose concentration and auc , 1 : 3 lactose / fructose has significant potential for use by diabetics . the ecv for the sweetener is 2 . 3 kcal / g . dosing with 25 g of 2 : 3 : 3 lactose / sucrose / fructose ( curve c , where n = 2 tests ) showed significantly reduced δ plasma glucose levels at 30 , 60 , and 120 minutes and a reduced auc vs sucrose control ( 1448 mg - min / dl vs 6184 mg - min / dl ). the subject observed no gi effects . the ecv for the sweetener is 2 . 2 kcal / g . six adult subjects ( 3 males , 3 females ) served as tasters for the claimed described sugar mixtures as 10 wt % aqueous solutions at ambient temperature . the study was a blind paired - comparison taste study to evaluate relative sweetness of six sugar mixtures vs each of the 0 , 4 , 8 , 12 , 16 , or 20 wt % aqueous sucrose solutions , used as standards . each subject tested each unknown twice . the mean results as percent sucrose equivalent (% se ) are presented in table 2 . a package of grape - flavored kool - aid ®) unsweetened soft drink mix ( 3 . 9 g net weight ) was mixed with 1 cup of sugar ( 215 g ) in 2 quarts of cool tap water ( drink b ). a second drink was prepared by replacing the sugar in the first recipe with 1 cup of dry mixture ( 210 g ) of 25 wt % lactose monohydrate , 50 wt % sucrose , and 25 wt % fructose ( drink a ). the two drinks were refrigerated for at least 2 hours before taste - testing by eight individuals . four of eight untrained tasters rated b sweeter than a . all agreed the comparison was extremely close . five of eight of the same tasters , basing their decision on taste only , said they would buy a over b . five thought that a was prepared from table sugar as the only sweetener , and three thought b was prepared from table sugar only . the estimated caloric values of an 8 - oz serving were 105 kcal for b and 50 kcal for a , a reduction in caloric value of 52 %. two samples of sweetened oatmeal were prepared . the first used 34 g light brown cane sugar and one pack ( 28 g ) of instant quaker oatmeal in a bowl . water ( ½ cup ) was added , the mixture stirred , and heated for 1 minute at the high setting of a microwave oven , stirred briefly , and heated for another 30 seconds . the second preparation used a mixture of 8 . 5 g lactose monohydrate / 17 g dark brown cane sugar / 8 . 5 g fructose in place of the light brown cane sugar in the first preparation . the colors of the two sweeteners were nearly the same . the taste and texture for the two oatmeal preparations were both the same . the estimated caloric values were 233 and 134 kcal , respectively , a reduction in caloric value of 42 %. [ 0102 ] a ingredients : ½ cup granulated sugar ( 107 . 5 g × 3 . 9 1 teaspoon baking soda kcal / g ) ½ cup brown sugar 2 teaspoons cream of tartar ( 14 kcal ) 1 egg ( 44 g , 70 kcal ) 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup shortening ( 179 g × 9 . 2 kcal / g ) ¼ teaspoon salt 2 cups flour ( 280 g × 3 . 7 kcal / g ) mix all ingredients and chill dough in refrigerator . roll dough in balls and dip in granulated sugar . bake in a medium oven at 350 ° f . for 12 minutes . let cookies ( n ≈ 45 ) cool before eating . b ingredients : 2 ounces krystar 300 ( fructose ) 2 cups flour 2 ounces lactose monohydrate 1 teaspoon baking soda ½ cup brown sugar 2 teaspoons cream of tartar 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup shortening ¼ teaspoon salt mix all ingredients and chill dough in refrigerator . roll dough in balls and dip in a mixture of 25 wt % krystar 300 / 50 wt % granulated sugar / 25 wt % lactose monohydrate . bake in a medium oven at 350 ° f . for 10 minutes . let cookies ( n = 45 ) cool before eating . the two recipes , a and b , were executed as described . six people ate cookies a and b and agreed that the taste of each was nearly identical . the b recipe cookies were a slightly darker color on top than the a cookies . each cookie contained 29 wt % sugars and 24 wt % fat . the estimated caloric values of the individual cookies a and b were respectively 80 and 66 kcal , a reduction in caloric value of 18 %.
mixtures of fructose and lactose are useful for reducing caloric intake and glycemic index for individuals who are overweight , glucose - impaired , diabetic , or who just consume too large a fraction of their calories from “ added sugars ”. the fructose / lactose sweetener is included in the daily diet as a one - for - one replacement for “ added sugars ” in various edible formulations without sacrificing quality of taste . sucrose can be used as a replacement for all or part of the fructose in the claimed sweetener to increase sweetness or improve certain functional properties without substantially changing caloric value . the claimed mixtures of fully - caloric sugars work synergistically to reduce available calories and blood sugar concentration . specifically , fructose interferes strongly with normal small - intestinal absorption of lactose and interferes moderately with sucrose absorption , while lactose interferes with normal small - intestinal absorption of both sucrose and starch . unabsorbed di - and oligosaccharides pass into the colon and cause increased growth of healthful bacteria , making the new sweetener useful as a prebiotic . no gastrointestinal symptoms of sugar intolerance were observed when the claimed sugar mixtures were ingested at normal dietary levels .