Sugar alcohols are candy natural chemical compounds generally used as a sugar substitute. Because they don’t influence blood sugar in the identical method common sugar does, they are often helpful to people who want to management their blood sugar ranges or consumption.
Products that embody them are sometimes marketed as “low-carb” or “sugar-free.”
Here’s what you have to find out about sugar alcohols — and whether or not or not these sugar substitutes are best for you.
What Is Sugar Alcohol?
“Sugar alcohols are sugar substitutes used as sweeteners in a variety of products, such as candy and gum,” says Natalie Allen, MS, RD, an teacher of biomedical sciences at Missouri State University.
Technically, they’re a part of a gaggle of short-chain carbohydrates often called fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols — a.ok.a. FODMAPs. (Sugar alcohols are a part of the “P” — polyols.)
To spot them on a vitamin label, take a look at the top of every ingredient. If you see an “itol” on the finish of it, meaning it’s a sugar alcohol — which is a little bit of a misnomer since they’re neither sugar nor alcohol. They are, nevertheless, chemically processed synthetic sweeteners.
The low-calorie sweeteners could also be present in “sugar-free” variations of meals like sweet, chewing gum, cookies, pudding, weight-reduction plan sodas, and different sweets.
Sugar alcohols might also be utilized in meals merchandise for texture and moisture (and to stop browning throughout cooking).
Types of Sugar Alcohols
Sugar alcohols embody:
- Erythritol (in sweeteners like Truvia)
- Isomalt
- Lactitol
- Maltitol
- Mannitol
- Sorbitol
- Xylitol
What Is the Difference Between Sugar and Sugar Alcohols?
Sugar alcohols “provide fewer calories than regular sugar, and the metabolism is a little different,” Allen explains. While sugar sometimes will get fully absorbed in your small gut, sugar alcohols are incompletely absorbed there.
Because the physique doesn’t take in sugar alcohols in the identical method it metabolizes sugar, Allen says, they supply fewer energy than common sugar.
One sugar alcohol specifically, erythritol, incorporates no energy, as a result of it’s excreted into the urine and doesn’t influence blood glucose and insulin ranges.
For instance, a teaspoon of granulated sugar has 16 energy. The similar quantity of xylitol powder incorporates roughly half the quantity of energy, and a teaspoon of Truvia (erythritol) incorporates zero energy.
Are Sugar Alcohols Bad for You?
“It is certainly okay to eat sugar alcohols, but don’t overdo it,” Allen says.
They can typically trigger bloating, fuel, and diarrhea as a result of they’re not fully digested within the intestine and never fully absorbed by your physique. This is what makes them decrease in energy than sugar, however it will possibly additionally trigger some unwanted side effects.
And for folks with irritable bowel syndrome, FODMAPs typically have been related to long-term gastrointestinal signs.
Research means that the unwanted side effects are extra seemingly when greater quantities are consumed.
Can You Eat Sugar Alcohols on a Sugar-Free Diet?
It is determined by the plan. Some sugar-free diets suggest eliminating them solely.
But people trying to devour much less sugar and keep higher blood sugar management could profit from sugar alcohols.
The backside line that sugar alcohols aren’t sugar “freebies.” They ought to nonetheless be consumed moderately, and it’s essential to think about the potential GI unwanted side effects.
If you’re making an attempt to kickstart a sugar-free life-style, it’s possible you’ll discover it’s greatest to chop out meals sweetened with sugar alcohol.
