Core Tip: Xylitol has now become a fashionable consumer product, beneficial for teeth and more. However, experts suggest that you shouldn't eat too much xylitol, as excessive consumption can also lead to weight gain.
Candy, chocolate, cookies, cakes... these "sweet" foods always bring a sense of happiness. But behind this "sweetness," there are quite a few hidden worries. Excessive sugar intake not only corrodes people's teeth and "pushes" them towards obesity, but also significantly increases the risk of developing diabetes. For many diabetic patients, no matter how much they used to "love" sweets, they now have to be "insulated" from these "sweet" foods.
And now, xylitol—a low-calorie nutritive sweetener—is becoming popular. It gives food a cooler, purer sweetness but is not fully absorbed by the human body. Its calorie content is much lower than glucose and white sugar, making it widely welcomed by diabetic patients and obese people.
Xylitol Foods Are Selling Well in Supermarkets
Abroad, xylitol is widely used as a substitute for sucrose or glucose in foods for diabetic patients, or in various diet foods and in products like lozenges, chewable tablets, and syrups for medicinal purposes. In China, foods with added xylitol are also becoming more and more common. Supermarkets are filled with a dazzling array of "xylitol" foods, including biscuits, candies, milk powder, qiqima (a traditional Chinese snack), and even xylitol powder for cooking. This xylitol powder can replace white sugar; a 100-gram bag sells for 8-10 yuan, nearly 20 times more expensive than white sugar, yet buyers are in an endless stream. A supermarket clerk said: "Xylitol is much better than regular sugar; it's more beneficial to your health! Don't just for diabetics, even ordinary people can eat it to prevent diabetes!"
Too Much Xylitol Can Also Cause Weight Gain
So, is xylitol really that amazing? Experts say that xylitol is a natural plant-based sweetener extracted from plants like birch and oak trees. Because xylitol is not easily fermented by microbes to produce acidic substances, it can reduce the production of cariogenic bacteria and dental plaque, and has a certain effect in preventing cavities.
Compared to regular sugar, low calorie content is one of xylitol's biggest advantages. After entering the human body, it is absorbed slowly, and only a portion can be utilized. Its sweetness is similar to sucrose, but its calorie content is 40% less than other carbohydrates. Therefore, xylitol can be used as a substitute for household sucrose to prevent obesity caused by excessive sucrose consumption.
In addition, recent medical researchers abroad have also discovered that xylitol is not just a sweetener; it also has beneficial effects such as protecting the liver and resisting lung infections. Therefore, xylitol is considered the best substitute for sugar.
But friends with a sweet tooth should not be at ease. Although xylitol can replace sugar, eating too much of it can also lead to weight gain. Moreover, in terms of its physicochemical properties, xylitol is cool in nature. It is not broken down by gastric enzymes and goes directly into the intestine. Eating too much can irritate the gastrointestinal tract, possibly causing abdominal discomfort, bloating, and bowel sounds. Since the absorption rate of xylitol in the intestine is less than 20%, it can easily accumulate on the intestinal wall, easily causing osmotic diarrhea. In European and American countries, foods containing xylitol will carry a consumer warning on the label that states "Excessive consumption may lead to diarrhea."
Excessive Consumption Can Raise Blood Lipids
Because diabetic patients cannot consume refined sugars, using xylitol as a seasoning is a good choice. However, it should be noted that xylitol, like glucose, is composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, and can release heat energy after being oxidized in the human body. In the initial stage of metabolism, xylitol may not require insulin participation, but in the later stage, it needs insulin to promote its metabolism.
After consuming xylitol, the magnitude and speed of blood sugar elevation in normal people are lower than with glucose and sucrose. However, if diabetic patients consume too much, it can have side effects, causing an increase in blood triglycerides and leading to coronary atherosclerosis. Therefore, diabetic patients should not eat too much xylitol. It is especially forbidden for those who suffer from insulin-induced hypoglycemia.