Xylitol Side Effects
What is Xylitol?
Xylitol is a sugar alcohol sweetener that stands out in a world where almost all sugar substitutes are also artificial sweeteners because Xylitol is actually a naturally occurring substance. Technically speaking, Xylitol is a plant-based sugar alcohol that’s found in a wide variety of plants and plant materials, usually berries, mushrooms, oats and other fruits and vegetables. However, most commonly the Xylitol that you see on the shelf is extracted from birch tree wood because it’s cheap and easy to produce a lot of it.
Xylitol has approximately 9 calories per teaspoon as opposed to sugar’s 15; it also contains 0 grams of carbohydrates to sugar’s 4, making it a safe alternative for folks with diabetes since it won’t affect insulin levels. In fact, Xylitol has actually been used in the medical community for some time (but more on that under ‘Positive Xylitol Side Effects’).
Before we jump in, I just wanted to give you a brief overview of Xylitol’s side effects:
Positive:
- Helps fight off dental cavities
- Helps prevent ear infections and similar respiratory infections
- Helps to prevent loss of bone density
- Helps mothers limit a newborn’s exposure to certain teeth-decaying bacteria
- Contains 40% less food energy and has a slower absorption rate than sugar, making it an ideal natural sugar substitute for those with diabetes
Negative:
- Can cause mild diarrhea and gas when first introduced into your diet
- Has been shown to cause increased tumor growth in rats, although not yet humans
- Can be very harmful if ingested by your pets
- Can cause allergic reactions
Below you can find more detailed information on all of the side effects of Xylitol, both good and bad.
What Are the Negative Side Effects of Xylitol?
The first thing you want to know before consuming any amount of any substance is: “What’s it going to do to my body?”
Xylitol actually has very few negative side effects associated with its use. The most common problem that people face is a small amount of diarrhea/other related stomach problems when first introducing Xylitol into their diets. This is simply due to Xylitol being a sugar alcohol, it naturally has mild laxative properties.
Even though it’s never been found to be true for humans, in laboratories Xylitol has also been found to cause tumor growth in large doses over extended periods of time. Obviously, further testing needs to be done to determine exactly what is safe for humans and what isn’t, but as of right now no one is documented as having suffered this particular side effect from Xylitol, so you’re probably safe (especially in moderation).
It can also cause allergic reactions to those with food and preservative allergies, especially if not extracted cleanly from the birch wood.
Even though Xylitol is typically considered to be completely safe for consumption during pregnancy and breastfeeding, if you’re at all worried about the effects it could have then it’s probably best to just stay away (after talking to you physician, of course). Too little research has been done to safely guarantee that your newborn will be unaffected by Xylitol consumption, although it’s sure to be safer than most of the ‘older’ sweeteners.
Please note that being a sugar alcohol is NOT the same thing as regular alcohol, and will not have the same effects on your baby. It should also be noted that Xylitol can be very harmful for your pets, so be careful to keep it away from any dogs or cats you have.
What Are the Positive Side Effects of Xylitol?
As a non-fermentable sugar alcohol, Xylitol actually has MANY more positive qualities than negative qualities.
Xylitol has been shown to have the proper medical qualities needed to effectively fight off dental cavities, which is why you’ll see the substance included in many sugar-free gums and toothpastes. You can even find several candies that have Xylitol in them instead of sugar, although typically a less expensive sweetener is used.
The reason Xylitol is so effective at fighting cavities is due to its alcoholic nature…The substance breaks down in your saliva differently than regular sugar, and actually fights bacteria growth in your saliva and plaque. Not only that, but the surviving cavity causing bacteria is made less effective by an added saliva production and increased calcium and phosphate in the saliva. Its also been shown to help prevent loss of bone density, so when ingested it will not only fight cavities, it will actually keep your teeth stronger, too.
It’s also been reported that mothers who chew Xylitol gum are also helping their newborns fight cavities by preventing exposure to the Streptococcus Mutans bacteria (causes tooth decay) by as much as 80% during the first 2 years of life.
Basically, Xylitol is effective at limiting most kinds bacterial growth, which is why it’s so effective at fighting cavities, and also why it can be used as preventive treatment to ward off ear infections, especially in young children. As if that weren’t enough, it’s also been reported that Xylitol can actually help improve behavior in children by reducing hyperactivity, but most of these and similar claims aren’t really based on scientific fact.
As mentioned above, Xylitol has approximately 40% less food energy in it than regular sugar, and it’s also slower to be absorbed into your body, making this substance one of the best natural sugar substitutes for anyone with diabetes.
It would seem that Xylitol is definitely one of the healthier sugar alternatives out there, and in time it may be shown to have even more benefits than we already know about.
Take a look at stevia, another natural sweetener: Stevia Side Effects, or an artificial sweetener: Splenda Side Effects