Xylitol, which is a naturally occurring sugar alcohol, can be used as an alternative to sugar with significant health benefits. It can be extracted from various types of berries, oats, mushrooms, cauliflower, endives, plums, as well as from fibrous material such as corn husks. Xylitol is roughly as sweet as sugar (sucrose), but with only two thirds the food energy – thus often considered as a “safe” sweetener, with no bad aftertaste.
Chemically speaking, xylitol differs from other sweeteners such as sorbitol, fructose and glucose, in that its molecule contains five carbon atoms, instead of six carbons. Most bacteria and yeast in the mouth are unable to make use of this five carbon sugar, xylitol.
Xylitol can be used for baking – substitute sugar with an equal amount of xylitol, as they are equally sweet. However, as yeast cannot ferment xylitol, it is better to not use xylitol in recipes that require yeast.
Some of the medical benefits of xylitol are:
1) Dental care
Using xylitol has been found to prevent the formation of caries – thus the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration has allowed xylitol products to make the claim that they do not promote dental cavities.
Sugar feeds bacteria in your mouth, causing them to multiply rapidly. Acids are produced by this metabolic process, which cause cavities to begin to form. Because these bacteria in your mouth causing caries, are unable to ferment xylitol, chewing xylitol containing gum, mints and sweets, will reduce the growth of these bacteria enormously – by upto 90%. As no acid is formed, the pH of the saliva does not drop either.
Studies have shown that the xylitol effect on teeth, with low decay rates, is long lasting.
2) Diabetes
The body does not require insulin to metabolise xylitol – thus it has a lower glycaemic index than sugar or glucose and 40% less calories than sugar. Xylitol is a low-calorie alternative to table sugar and is absorbed more slowly than sugar. It does not contribute to high blood sugar levels, resulting in hyperglycemia from an insufficient insulin response, and has also proven beneficial to people suffering from metabolic syndrome. Xylitol is widely used as a sweetener in the diabetic diet; however, it is important to consult your doctor in this regard.
3) Osteoporosis
A group of Finnish researchers has found dietary xylitol prevents weakening of the bones in Laboratory rats and actually improves bone density.
4) Ear and upper respiratory infections
Xylitol has been shown to inhibit the growth of bacteria. When used as a nasal wash, it prevents bacteria from adhering to the upper respiratory passages. Studies have also shown that 8 grams of xylitol taken orally every day, prevented about 40% of ear infections.
5) Infection
Xylitol has been found in studies on rats to increase the activity of neutrophils, the white blood cells involved in fighting bacteria.
6) Candida yeast
Contrasting starkly to sugar which may increase proliferation, recent studies suggest that the consumption of Xylitol may help control oral infections of Candida yeast.
It is important to note that Xylitol has no known toxicity in human beings. Like most sugar alcohols it does however have a laxative effect.
While xylitol offers many health benefits to humans, it can be deadly to dogs and
should not be fed to any pets.