Xylitol, the good sugar

Pure xylitol is a white crystalline substance that looks and tastes like sugar. On food labels, xylitol natural sugar is classified broadly as a carbohydrate and more narrowly as a polyol. Because xylitol is only slowly absorbed and partially utilized, a reduced calorie claim is allowed: 2.4 calories per gram or 40% less than other carbohydrates.

Xylitol sugar has been used in foods since the 1960’s. It is a popular sweetener for the diabetic diet in some countries. In the U.S., xylitol is approved as a food additive in unlimited quantity for foods with special dietary purposes.

Xylitol sugar is just as sweet and tasteful as sugar with fewer calories (about 2.4 calories per gram verses 4.0 for sugar). 40% Fewer Calories. Diabetic-Safe. Fights tooth decay.

Industry White Paper Xylitol | CAS Number 87-99-0 | Molecular Formula C5H12O5 Xylitol All Natural Sugar Sweeter. Healthier. Smarter.

Xylitol sugar dramatically helps reduce cavities and gum disease and completely safe for diabetics. It is sometimes called "diet sugar" because it has 40% fewer calories. Family household uses for Xylitol Natural Sugar .

Just what is "wood" sugar?
Sugar, by definition, is a natural product. It comes from plants, not laboratories, and under U.S. consumer-protection laws the word sugar defines plant products only. Non-natural-sugar facsimiles like saccharine and NutraSweet are generally marketed as sweeteners or sugar substitutes. Familiar examples of sugar-producing plants are sugar cane and sugar beets, yet trees too are plants, and a familiar example of a tree sugar is the delicious natural extract from the maple tree: maple sugar. Xylitol is a tree sugar that is a white, crystalline, natural carbohydrate, and in the last century was given the name xylitol to clearly distinguish it not only from other natural sugars, but likewise from synthetic sweeteners too. The Finnish name for it is "koivusokeri", which means birch sugar, because the best way to harvest xylitol in volume is from birch trees.

Xylitol All Natural Sugar fights cavities and gum disease, and is much healthier than ordinary commercial sugar.

Xylitol has a 5-carbon molecular structure that does not interact with oral bacteria, including the cavity-promoting streptococci mutans and lactobacilli. Since xylitol does not ferment, it cannot result in acid production and plaque, thus the pH level in the mouth remains neutral. Xylitol can also have the added benefit of actually reversing the unsafe fall of pH levels in the mouth. When a person chews xylitol-sweetened gum, for instance, the oral pH is raised to a safe level and saliva flow is stimulated, helping to neutralize any acids that have formed. Another tremendous benefit is that saliva contains the minerals calcium and phosphate which aid the remineralization of early cavities. In these ways, Xylitol dramatically helps reduce tooth decay, helps inhibit plaque buildup, helps retard loss of tooth enamel, and helps reduce infections in the mouth and nasopharynx (sore throat). Whereas ... sucrose, the sugar additive in most commercial sweets, pastries, soft drinks, etc., is a cause or aggravator in many instances of health problems and degenerative disease such as diabetes, tooth decay, heart disease, obesity, and so on. The fundamental difference between xylitol and sucrose is that xylitol serves as a regulator of the oral flora and reduces the amount of plaque and the virulence of streptococci mutans and lactobacilli. Candy, chewing gum and breath fresheners made with xylitol as the principal sweetener received official endorsement from national dental associations in the United States and other countries.

Xylitol Sugar has long been used as a sweetener for diabetics, and it has 40% fewer calories than commercial sugar. Because it does not require insulin to be metabolized, xylitol is completely safe for diabetics. Xylitol is often called "diet sugar" and for good sound reason: xylitol's sweetness is equal to the sweetness of sucrose sugar but xylitol has only 2.4 calories per gram compared to about 4 in sucrose sugar.

What are the household uses for xylitol natural sugar?
Keep it on the kitchen table and use it just like regular sugar. Some people keep it right in the sugar dish. For most baking, xylitol natural sugar can even be mixed with regular sugar.

How to use Xylitol
It is not necessary to replace all sweeteners to get the dental benefits of xylitol. Look for xylitol sweetened products that encourage chewing or sucking to keep the xylitol in contact with your teeth. The best items use xylitol as the principal sweetener.

How much?
Studies show that 4 to 12 grams of xylitol per day are very effective. It’s easy to keep track of your xylitol intake. The "all xylitol" mints and gums contain about one gram of xylitol in each piece. You could begin with as little as one piece four times a day for a total of four grams. It is not necessary to use more than 15 grams per day as higher intakes yield diminishing dental benefits.

How often?
If used only occasionally or even as often as once a day, xylitol may NOT be effective, regardless of the amount. Use xylitol at least three, and preferably 5 times every day.

Timing
Use immediately after eating and clearing the mouth by swishing water, if possible. Between meals, replace ordinary chewing gum, breath mints, or breath spray with comparable xylitol products.

What is Glycemic Index of Food?
The speed at which a food is able to increase a person's blood glucose levels is called the glycemic response. The glycemic index of food is a ranking of foods based on their immediate effect on blood glucose (blood sugar) levels. Carbohydrate foods that breakdown quickly during digestion have the highest glycemic indexes. Their blood sugar response is fast and high. Carbohydrates that breakdown slowly, releasing glucose gradually into the blood stream, have low glycemic indexes.