What is xylitol and what are the benefits, uses of xylitol?
Xylitol is not a drug. It is a natural sweetener which is found in fibers of many vegetables and fruits such as husks from corn, mushrooms, many types of berries, oats, plums, birch, corn, raspberries. Xylitol’s taste will exactly look like sugar as it is 100% natural product. It will be equal to the sweetness of sucrose but xylitol only contains two by three of the food energy level that sucrose have. It is considered as the most safe sugar free sweetener. Compared to other sugar alcohols the threshold of laxation is lower in xylitol.
Xylitol shows dental benefits in significant amount from the researches. It highly reduces the tooth decay, because from the chemical point of view, xylitol is having 5 carbon atoms only in its molecules which leaves the bacteria and yeast wont be able to use xylitol, other sugar alcohols such as sucralose which contains 6 carbon atoms. It highly fights against the dental cavities.
Xylitol contains 40% less calories than normal sugar. It is considered as the replacement for table sugar because of the less calorie xylitol contains. This is a benefit for diabetes patients and those who are affected by metabolic syndromes such as hypertensions, blood clots etc. Xylitols increases the density of bone and hence it plays a key role in Osteoporosis.
Xylitol avoids the bacterial growth in the tubes which acts as a connection tube between ear and nose, thus xylitol helps in preventing ear infections and some of the respiratory problems, it is well recommended for the kids to have xylitol chewing gums and xylitol products. Recent study and research shows that consuming xylitol helps in controlling yeast infections. It is also safe for pregnant women and are mostly recommended by all doctors because it reduces the tooth decay of the child from mother after the child is born for the first two years of life.
Xylitol side effects
As said earlier, xylitol is basically a sugar alcohol, and hence there are two major and common side effects of xylitol are
- Diarrhea
- Gastric(Intestinal gas and problems.)
Xylitol is mainly taken for oral health, if the alcohol is not digested properly it may lead to the above side effects.
The large intake of xylitol may cause the following side effects,
- Low blood sugar or hypoglycemia
- Laxative effects
- Increased level of uric acids in blood.
Due to the purification techniques used in extracting xylitol from birch trees it causes allergies in skin. But these are very rare cases such as
- Rashes in skin
- Itching
- Difficulty in breathing
- Swelling in throat or mouth
- Wheezing
If you are experiencing any of the above side effects then consult to your doctor as soon as possible. Xylitol must be taken with certain limit per day such as 4 to 12 grams per day. Xylitol is commonly free from side effects but the small amount of xylitol added in the candies and chewing gums will not be producing any form xylitol side effects explained above.