New Research Shows Dark Side of Popular "Natural" Sweetener similar to, but with Less Calories than Sugar
#13 2024 The Rowen Premium Report
Dear Subscriber,
Yet another non-sugar sweetener bites the dust. This one, however, is a naturally occurring carbohydrate in vegetables and fruits, and commonly used as an alternative sweetener to sucrose, and in gum. You could be easily consuming too much and it appears to carry significant health risks.
Xylitol is a 5 carbon sugar compared to glucose and fructose which are 6 carbons.
“Xylitol has a chemical structure similar to sugar, but has fewer calories; while sugar has about 4 calories per gram, xylitol has just 2.4. Although it’s lower in calories, xylitol is equal to the sweetness of sugar. This makes xylitol unique because most sugar alcohols are not as sweet as sugar.
Xylitol is known to inhibit the growth of oral bacteria (mutans streptococci) in plaque and saliva. The act of chewing gum promotes the flow of saliva, which naturally protects teeth from cavity-causing bacteria. Based on a large amount of scientific evidence both the American Dental Association and the FDAhave recognized xylitol as beneficial to oral health.
Other health benefits of xylitol stem from its differences in chemical structure compared to sugar. Unlike sugar, xylitol is slowly and incompletely absorbed in the small intestine. This makes it and other sugar alcohols helpful for people with diabetes. Once absorbed, it can be used for energy while using little or no insulin, which means the impact on blood sugar is minimal.”
Xylitol is favored by the American Dental Association as it does inhibit growth of microorganisms in the mouth. Hence gums with xylitol are pushed. But remember the ADA was founded on the use of mercury amalgam fillings.
Xylitol has sweetness similar to sugar, but 40% less calories. So, it is pushed as a general sugar substitute. But, now it appears that it has a dark side.
Recent research is showing, that despite the alleged helpfulness of xylitol with diabetes, people in the highest tertile of xylitol use, compared to the lowest tertile, have a relative 57-80% higher risk of major adverse cardiac events after adjusting for other risk factors. This is based on a series of studies.In animals, xylitol raised platelet reactivity and in vivo (living animal) clot formation.
Now I don’t recommend you throw out your chewing gum laced with xylitol. I don’t think there is enough therein to be concerned about. But drinks? Or foods sweetened with xylitol for less calorie load? I sure do. FDA considers xylitol safe. It is found in plenty of foods.
Xylitol is found naturally in strawberries, spinach, cauliflower, and other foods but is typically made commercially from corncobs, birch trees, or genetically engineered bacteria. And no, don’t be afraid of God made foods with xylitol. I eat pounds of the above foods in a typical summer week. The concern is concentrated xylitol in man-made garbage artificially sweetened with a carbohydrate your body will tolerate in moderation (foods), not in pharmacological amounts.
Xylitol:
Glucose:
or:
Fructose:
Sucrose:
As you can see, these molecules are poly alcohols. The OH or hydroxyl group so makes them. Xylitol is chemically similar to glucose, which is your blood “sugar”. Real sugar, or sucrose is a complex of glucose and fructose.
Your tastebuds will sense all of these as sweet. But you know that separated from real food, these compounds have deleterious effects on your body, from weight gain, to inducing vascular disease, to insulin dysregulation. I am not concerned about them naturally occurring in real whole foods for most people, unless they have obvious carbohydrate intolerance. And generally as found naturally in fruit and or vegetables, there will be much less negative impact on the body than as found concentrated in grains.
I do encourage you to avoid xylitol except perhaps in gum, oral washes, or other items where you are not ingesting significant amounts. These findings are worrisome to me for a lot of folks foolishly seeking to defeat sugar issues by artificial means.
To Your Excellent Health!
Robert Jay Rowen, MD
PS As I frequently do, I humbly thank you for your support of the Premium page. Please know that the small fee definitely helps us considering our reduced time in the office.
Seems like I heard warning about xylitol in peanut butter and other foods as toxic to dogs.
What about erythritol? Have you done any research on that? My husband is diabetic, so I use that occasionally, and it doesn't spike his glucose level. Thank you for the xylitol information. Honestly, it is hard to find a healthy sweetener. Honey does raise his glucose level unfortunately.