The Benefits Of The Healthy Sugar Substitute Called Xylitol

Sugar is probably the most widespread unhealthy aspect of the modern diet. Everything we love to eat has sugar in it and even though we know it’s not good for our health, we can’t stop craving for as much sweet as we can get. But thanks to amazing minds who are always eager to explore and give the world a new discovery, in the late 19th century German and French chemists discovered a substance categorized as “sugar alcohol” or polyalcohol, the structure of which gives it the ability to stimulate the sweet taste receptors on the tongue. This substance is called xylitol and it’s the safest and healthiest sugar substitute known to men.

In the 1970’s scientists in Finland found out that xylitol has significant dental benefits and the prevention of tooth decay is the most famous one. The bad bacteria in the mouth feeds itself with the glucose from the food which gives them fuel and makes them more powerful, but this doesn’t happen with the xylitol sugar substitute. When bacteria ingest xylitol, they are unable to take up more glucose and they end up dying. This is why the xylitol sugar substitute is used so much in chewing gums. If you ever wondered why chewing gums taste sweet event though it says they’re “sugar free”, here’s your answer and it’s as healthy as it can get! When you chew a gum with xylitol, bad bacteria starve to death. On the other hand, xylitol doesn’t seem to disturb the friendly bacteria inside the mouth.

Since we know that the nose, the mouth and the ears are connected, we should also know that the bacteria that lives in the mouth can cause ear or nose infections which is a common problem in children. When normal sugar is being replaced with a xylitol sugar substitute, the chances of getting an infection drop by 40%. Also, xylitol aids the process of beating the yeast Candida albicans infection that can be really frustrating and repetitive.

A daily dose of xylitol can protect your body from getting osteoporosis, it can feed the friendly bacteria in the gut, it’s the perfect weight loss friendly sweetener and it’s completely safe for people who have diabetes, because unlike sugar, xylitol has negligible effects on blood sugar and insulin levels. It’s interesting that xylitol can actually be found in small amounts in some fruits, however, the most used form of xylitol is as a fabricated sweetener in baking or as a sugar substitute in the food industry.