Xylitol: A Good Choice

Mar 30
11:47

2011

Judy He

Judy He

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For quite a long time, sugar is sugar in people’s mind. But now there is a variety of sugar in the world. Xylitol is the most popular one. Nowadays many kinds of xylitol products are on the market. They are greatly received by consumers, especially by those diabetics.

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For quite a long time,Xylitol: A Good Choice  Articles sugar is sugar in people’s mind. But now there is a variety of sugar in the world. Xylitol is the most popular one. Nowadays many kinds of xylitol products are on the market. They are greatly received by consumers, especially by those diabetics.

People are always fond of sweet food. It is because that sweet food such as candies, chocolates, cookies and cakes always brings happiness to people. Unfortunately, such food is sometimes a danger. Excessive ingestion of sugar not only causes decayed teeth and even obesity, but also heightens the risk of diabetes. For most diabetics, they have to say goodbye to such food no matter how greatly they were fond of it before. Otherwise, their life is in a great danger. 

Recently, as a low-calorie nutritious sweetener, xylitol becomes more and more popular. It can make products authentically sweet, but this sweetener will not be absorbed directly by the human body. Therefore, it is well received by diabetics and obese patients because its calorie is much lower than that of dextrose or that of granulated sugar. 

In foreign countries, xylitol is widely used in diabetic food as a replacement of cane sugar and dextrose. It is also applied in products like diet food, chewing gums and syrups. Such application also appears in China. Reporters find lots of xylitol products like biscuits, sweets and milk powders. It is also used in cooking. Xylitol powder can replace granulated sugar. However, its price is much higher. A salesperson in one supermarket said, “It sells quite well. Diabetics usually choose such products because it is beneficial to our health. ” When asked whether there exists any disadvantage, the saleslady answered affirmatively, “It is much better than ordinary sugar. It does goods to our health. Ordinary people can eat it to prevent diabetes.”�

Is this sugar really so magic? A nutritionist gives us his idea. Xylitol is a kind of natural sweetener extracted from plants like birches and oaks. Since it is not easily fermented by microbes, it helps with the prevention of decayed teeth. Compared with ordinary granulated sugar, it contains fewer calories. When it enters the human body, the absorption is rather slow and only part of it can be used. Meanwhile, it is sweet enough. It is a good choice in cooking. In addition, foreign scientists find that it can protect the liver and the lung as well.��

However, too much xylitol is dangerous. It also may lead to obesity. And theoretically, it can not be easily digested that it would cause discomfort of the stomach. In Europe and America, food containing it will be attached with a warning. Such warnings are rare in China.