What are sugar alcohols?
Sugar alcohols are carbohydrate derivatives of sugar, which are commonly used to sweeten products like chewing gum, and more recently, food bars. Popular sugar alcohols include: glycerol, maltitol, xylitol, sorbitol, and mannitol. Sugar alcohols do not have 4 calories per gram, like other carbohydrates. They range from 2.2 to 4.32 calories per gram. However, sugar alcohols, have a minimal impact on blood-sugar levels. Currently, the FDA has not focused on these important biochemical differences and treats all carbohydrates alike.
Sugar alcohols are sugar replacers that are not well digested and absorbed by the body. Most of your sugar-free products are made with sugar alcohols. They usually end with “itol” like xylitol, manitol, sorbitol, etc. Sugar alcohols cause diarrhea in many people, even if they have not had bariatric surgery. Some people will tolerate up to 10 grams of sugar alcohols while others may not tolerate sugar alcohols at all so try them cautiously.
Sugar Alcohols are chemical alcohols, but are derived from sugar molecules. They include sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, lactitol, maltitol, and others. They vary in their sweetness, ranging from about half as sweet as sugar to about as sweet. Sugar alcohols, or polyols, may be used in place of sugar by most people on a low-carbohydrate diet or who have diabetes. Polyols are slowly and incompletely absorbed from the small intestine into the blood. They are used in candy, chewing gum, and in some baked goods. Sugar alcohols have about half the calories of other nutritive sweeteners. They are called sugar alcohols because of their chemical structure. They do not contain alcohol. They are not included on the food label under grams of sugar but they are part of the ingredient list. Unlike sugar, they do not contribute to dental cavities. Sugar alcohols don’t break down completely in the body, so they do not affect blood glucose levels.
Sugar Alcohols: are chemically alcohols, but are derived from sugar molecules. They include sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, lactitol, maltitol, and others. They vary in their sweetness, ranging from about half as sweet as sugar to about as sweet. Sugar alcohols, or polyols, may be used in place of sugar by most people on a low-carbohydrate diet or who have diabetes. Polyols are slowly and incompletely absorbed from the small intestine into the blood.
