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Xylitol, or xylitol, is a crystalline sugar substitute that does not contain carbohydrates.
It is sweeter than sugar, but with fewer calories. It is considered safe for use at any age, and is also allowed for athletes and pregnant women.
General characteristics
The discovery of xylitol (chemical formula – С5Н12О5) occurred at the end of the 19th century almost simultaneously in two countries – in Germany and France. A new sweet substance began to be actively used by people with diabetes as a safe alternative to sweets. In its pure form, it is a white crystalline powder, which is able to dissolve in water, alcohols, acetic acid.
Xylitol is the only carbohydrate of all that tastes and looks identical to dietary sugar. But the fact that it can be obtained from almost any fibrous raw material of plant origin has brought even greater popularity to the substance. Therefore, its other name is wood or birch sugar. For the first time, xylitol was produced in Finland from birch bark.
Role in the body
Xylitol is one of the substances that the body is able to produce on its own. A healthy adult has the ability to produce approximately 15 grams of xylitol daily.
Once in the body as part of various products, it plays the role of a light choleretic and laxative. This effect becomes more noticeable with the use of 50 g of the substance per day. In the role of a laxative, xylitol is often used in parallel with weight loss diets to improve and speed up the result. However, this should not be abused.
In addition, the substance has anti-infective abilities, due to which it is used to treat diseases of the middle ear. There is evidence that chewing gum containing xylitol can prevent otitis media.
Nasal preparations, which contain a substance with the formula С5Н12О5, protect against staphylococcal bacteria and are effective in treating asthma.
Xylitol is believed to be effective in the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis. The results of some researchers have shown that this substance is able to condense bone tissue and restore mineral balance.
But despite the beneficial effect of xylitol on the body, it is not one of the important substances. Moreover, scientists say that there are no signs of a deficiency in the sweetener. At least, numerous experiments have never yet confirmed that a person may experience discomfort through lost xylitol.
Xylitol: benefits and harms
Most often, xylitol is used as a dietary sugar for diabetics, which is absorbed without insulin and does not provoke hyperglycemia.
By regularly consuming products with xylitol, you can not worry about the possible occurrence of serious consequences. The researchers say that the maximum harm that an overdose of this sweetener can bring is diarrhea or flatulence. The scientific world learned about this back in 1963 and still does not change its mind. But it is always important to remember the maximum possible dosage.
But for whom xylitol is really dangerous, it’s dogs. 500-1000 mg of a substance per kilogram of weight is enough for the animal to get liver failure, convulsions and collapse.
Useful properties of xylitol:
- protects the enamel on the teeth;
- prevents tooth decay and plaque;
- reduces the number of streptococcal bacteria;
- chewing gum containing xylitol is good for ear health (mechanical movements with the jaws clean the ear of sulfur, and xylitol fights against infections);
- reduces the risk of allergies, asthma, runny nose.
Applications
This versatile and easy-to-obtain sugar substitute is used in a wide variety of applications. Since 1960, it has been successfully used in the food and chemical industries, and is also part of many medications.
Most often, xylitol appears in food in the form of food additive E967, which in many products acts as a dietary sweetener, stabilizer, and emulsifier. But for yeast dough, this sweetener is not suitable, because it reduces the efficiency of yeast. The safety of xylitol is evidenced by the fact that the substance is allowed for use in 35 countries around the world.
In addition, like another sweetener, sorbitol, xylitol has antibacterial properties. And it is also actively used in the food industry. For example, the substance will help keep the freshness of raw meat for 2 weeks. To do this, it is enough to process the product with a sweet solution.
Chemists resort to using xylitol to create resins, esters, and other compounds. In pharmacology, this substance can be found in cough syrups and lozenges, chewable vitamins, oral fluids, and toothpastes.
Effect on teeth
Sweets ruin your teeth. It is believed that compared to other sweeteners, xylitol is not harmful to health, and protects teeth from caries and lack of minerals. In addition, xylitol cleans teeth from plaque, enhances protection for enamel. And as studies have shown, the positive result of xylitol for teeth lasts for many years. Scientists say: it is enough to consume 6 g of birch sugar daily to prevent tooth decay.
At the end of the last century, Finnish researchers compared the effects of xylitol and sucrose on the teeth and oral cavity. It turned out that xylitol, unlike other sugars, does not cause a fermentation reaction. It is not a source of energy, therefore it does not help the growth of bacteria in the oral cavity. Simply put, with xylitol, bacteria cannot exist and die.
Rescue from harmful fungi
The fungus of the genus Candida, as some scientists say, is infected with almost 80% of the world’s population. One of the breeding sites for fungi is the oral cavity. While other carbohydrate sweets promote the rapid growth of Candida, xylitol is able to prevent or completely stop this process.
Xylitol in combination with antifungal drugs is a component of therapy for the treatment of candidiasis, prevents the spread of the fungus inside the body. Not getting the sugar necessary for life, fungi die.
Dietary sweetness
Xylitol has the same level of sweetness as sugar but contains 30% fewer calories than glucose (1 teaspoon of xylitol has 9,6 calories). Another feature of the chemical composition of the substance is that it does not contain ineffective carbohydrates. These characteristics make xylitol an excellent dietary supplement as part of weight loss programs. Dietary sugar pairs well with any type of food, and allows you to cut calories almost imperceptibly.
A sudden rise in blood sugar after consuming xylitol is not possible because the absorption of the sweet substitute is slower than the absorption of dietary sugar. If you compare the glycemic index of food sugar and xylitol, you get a proportion of 100 to 7. And this is already a significant plus in favor of birch sweetness. This feature makes xylitol a suitable product for people with metabolic disorders, diabetics, and hypertensive patients.
Sources of
Natural xylitol, as already noted, is present in almost all plants containing fiber. This substance is found in berries, fruits, many vegetables, cereals and mushrooms.
Considerable xylitic reserves are also found in corn husks, birch bark and sugar cane.
Industrial xylitol is most often a product derived from corn cobs or raw materials from processed leafy trees. The largest exporter of sweetener is China.
In food, xylitol is found in baked goods, desserts, diabetic sweets, fruit juices, sausages, chewing gums.
Daily rate
The natural sweetener xylitol, although it has a reduced calorie content, should not be consumed in unlimited doses. Scientists do not recommend consuming more than 30 grams of sugar powder per day. This is explained by the fact that a dose of 30 g or more irritates the digestive system. As a result, stomach and intestinal disorders may occur. In some individuals, against the background of the abuse of xylitol, bladder edema and fluid retention are possible.
Birch sugar as a medicine
Xylitol can be used as a medicine. To obtain a laxative effect, it is necessary to drink the maximum allowed portion of the substance (30 g) on an empty stomach, preferably with warm tea.
If necessary, approximately 20 g of xylitol diluted in warm tea or water helps to stimulate the excretion of excess bile.
The role of the antiketogenic drug will be played by the administration of 20 sugar substitute twice a day (in the morning and in the afternoon).
It is also worth remembering xylitol for obesity, biliary dyskinesia, cholecystitis, diabetes mellitus and caries. The use of birch sugar in these diseases will be very helpful. You can also consider the consumption of the substance for diseases of the throat and ears.
People prone to diarrhea, with colitis and diseases of the digestive system, should not abuse xylitol.
The food industry offers many sugar substitutes. Sorbitol, saccharin, aspartame, maltitol and many others. It is logical that among this sweet abundance a person tries to choose what is better, more useful, more natural. By many indicators, xylitol is still leading.