Xylitol

Xylitol is a natural sweetener that can effectively replace sugar or other sweeteners. Nowdays, it is mainly extracted from corn, although originally it used to be made from birch tree pulp. As I have said above xylitol is a natural sweetener, in fact even the human body produces a few grams of xylitol each day.

Chemically, xylitol is a polyol and unlike most sweeteners it looks and tastes almost exactly like sugar (please note I said almost). However, you should note that it's not a calorie free sweetener but it has 40% less calories than sugar.

This brings me to my next point: How much weight can someone lose by replacing sugar with xylitol? Obviously there isn't a clear answer but I will try to give an example. Let's say you consume 3 teaspoons of sugar per day which provide 60KCal per day. By replacing it with xylitol you can save 24Kcal per day or about 9000 Kcal per year. Cutting down your energy intake by 9000Kcal can lead to a weight loss of 1.5-2kgr (please note this isn't a completely accurate number.

Some of you if you read food labels you might have noticed that some of the sugars that are supposed to improve dental health contain xylitol. This is not a coincidence. Xylitol can have a beneficial effect for dental health especially when compared to sugar. The two main reason are:

• The bacteria that cause the dental problems cannot metabolize xylitol.
• It helps maintain an alkaline enviroment in the oral cavity.

Xylitol has been approved by the FDA almost 45years ago and there have never been reported any side effects other than a mild laxative effect. After all it's a natural substance that we produce ourseleves and we even consume anyway by eating various fruits.

Xylitol and Dogs

Nevertheless, it should be mentioned that the consumption of xylitol can be dangerous for dogs.

One of the most important parts of diabetes management includes blood glucose management. Sugar and other carbohydrates cause a rapid elevation of blood glucose levels. Xylitol on the other hand, has a low glycaemic effect (it has a glycaemic index of 7) and doesn't require insulin for its metabolism. Because of this it is considered a good sugar alternative for diabetic patients.