The next time you pop a stick of sugar-free chewing gum in your mouth, take a look at the list of ingredients: Chances are you'll see an ingredient called xylitol. This sugar alcohol that tastes as sweet sugar but has fewer calories and negligible effects on blood sugar levels and insulin.
For this reason, xylitol is used in many sugar-free gums, candies, baked goods, and diabetes-friendly foods. You'll also find xylitol in toothpaste, mouthwash, and other types of oral-care products.
What is xylitol?
A naturally occurring sugar alcohol found (in trace amounts) in many fruits and vegetables, xylitol can be processed from certain trees or from a plant fiber called xylan. It tastes about as sweet as regular sugar, but with only about half the calories per serving. Store-bought xylitol is a white, crystalline powder that can be used as a one-to-one replacement for sugar in recipes.
What are the health benefits of xylitol?
Eating too much sugar has been linked to a host of serious health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and tooth decay, so sugar-free sweeteners like xylitol are a compelling alternative.
Xylitol is lower in calories and carbohydrates tha
Is Xylitol Bad for You? Here’s How It May Affect Your Health
Xylitol is a natural sugar-free sweetener derived from fruits and vegetables. It tastes as sweet as sugar and is well-known for being diabetes-friendly and improving dental health. It's one of many sweeteners classified as a sugar alcohol.
While it has some clear health benefits, xylitol also has some drawbacks, especially for certain people—and if you have a dog or ferret, you need to know that it poses a real danger to them.
1. Doesn’t Spike Blood Sugar or Insulin
Xylitol is considered diabetes-friendly because it’s very low on the glycemic index (GI), which is a measurement of how fast a food raises your blood sugar. Sugar’s GI score is about 60, while xylitol’s is just 7.
A lower GI score means the food is associated with sustained energy instead of the spike and sudden drop experienced with sugar.
Xylitol also has fewer calories and carbohydrates than sugar. This is believed to be beneficial for people who:
Using Xylitol at Home
You can buy xylitol powder to use in your coffee, tea, and baked goods. It’s a one-to-one sugar replacement in recipes, meaning the same amount of xylitol as sugar ca
Xylitol Benefits vs. Dangers for This Popular Sugar Substitute
If reading food labels is part of your shopping experience, you may have come across the mysterious ingredient called xylitol. What is xylitol exactly, and is it good for you?
Although it&#;s reported by manufactures as being “all natural,” few suspect it’s actually a healthy ingredient, especially when consumed in large amounts. Unfortunately, natural doesn’t always mean “good for you,&#; or even &#;non-toxic.”
To make matter worse, reports on the Internet about xylitol have been anything but clear, since research hasn&#;t proven whether it&#;s necessarily dangerous or beneficial. For example, benefits of xylitol include both oral and dental health, but it can also trigger digestive issues, including diarrhea.
Why is this the case? The key lies in understanding what xylitol is.
What Is Xylitol?
Xylitol is considered a &#;sugar alcohol&#; because it has a chemical structure that&#;s similar to both sugars and alcohol, but it&#;s technically neither of these in the way we usually think of them. It&#;s in fact a type of low-digestible carbohydrate that includes fiber.
Ad
What is xylitol made from? It&#;s a
.
.
Is Xylitol Bad for You? Here’s How It May Affect Your Health
Xylitol is a natural sugar-free sweetener derived from fruits and vegetables. It tastes as sweet as sugar and is well-known for being diabetes-friendly and improving dental health. It's one of many sweeteners classified as a sugar alcohol.
While it has some clear health benefits, xylitol also has some drawbacks, especially for certain people—and if you have a dog or ferret, you need to know that it poses a real danger to them.
1. Doesn’t Spike Blood Sugar or Insulin
Xylitol is considered diabetes-friendly because it’s very low on the glycemic index (GI), which is a measurement of how fast a food raises your blood sugar. Sugar’s GI score is about 60, while xylitol’s is just 7.
A lower GI score means the food is associated with sustained energy instead of the spike and sudden drop experienced with sugar.
Xylitol also has fewer calories and carbohydrates than sugar. This is believed to be beneficial for people who:
Using Xylitol at Home
You can buy xylitol powder to use in your coffee, tea, and baked goods. It’s a one-to-one sugar replacement in recipes, meaning the same amount of xylitol as sugar ca
Xylitol Benefits vs. Dangers for This Popular Sugar Substitute
If reading food labels is part of your shopping experience, you may have come across the mysterious ingredient called xylitol. What is xylitol exactly, and is it good for you?
Although it&#;s reported by manufactures as being “all natural,” few suspect it’s actually a healthy ingredient, especially when consumed in large amounts. Unfortunately, natural doesn’t always mean “good for you,&#; or even &#;non-toxic.”
To make matter worse, reports on the Internet about xylitol have been anything but clear, since research hasn&#;t proven whether it&#;s necessarily dangerous or beneficial. For example, benefits of xylitol include both oral and dental health, but it can also trigger digestive issues, including diarrhea.
Why is this the case? The key lies in understanding what xylitol is.
What Is Xylitol?
Xylitol is considered a &#;sugar alcohol&#; because it has a chemical structure that&#;s similar to both sugars and alcohol, but it&#;s technically neither of these in the way we usually think of them. It&#;s in fact a type of low-digestible carbohydrate that includes fiber.
Ad
What is xylitol made from? It&#;s a
.
.