Group: Specific Diets & Nutrition

Specific Diets & Nutrition
Created: 2012/01/01, Members: 104, Messages: 22775

With so many diets and nutritional plans out there, you can get lost. Find out what works best for others and share your experiences!

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Sugar alcohols

ZackDarnell
ZackDarnell
Posts: 30
Joined: 2001/11/15
United States
2001/12/01, 05:45 PM
A lot of nutritional products labelled as sugar free say they have sugar alcohols in them. what is this? is it healthy?
ltroisi
ltroisi
Posts: 764
Joined: 2001/11/06
United States
2001/12/01, 06:00 PM
The idea is to give sweetness without the insulin spike you get from regular sugar. There is one side affect and that is because it isn't absorbed in the gut it can cause GAS and Bloating. I cannot toch the stuff not even in gum. Protein Bars and sugarfree candy are loaded with it.So USER BEWARE! Here is a definition of sugar alcohol :
called sorbitol also called mannitol,is made commercially by hydrogenation of glucose and is absorbed very slowly into the bloodstream. It is though not to require insulin for its metabolism and has the same calorie value of glucose, and nearly the same sweetening effect as well.
Mannitol can be obtained by hydrogenation of mannose which occurs in pineapples, olives as well as carrots. Other sugar alcohols are malitol and xylitol.
ZackDarnell
ZackDarnell
Posts: 30
Joined: 2001/11/15
United States
2001/12/01, 07:12 PM
so is gas and bloating the only side effects?
ltroisi
ltroisi
Posts: 764
Joined: 2001/11/06
United States
2001/12/02, 10:23 AM
I think so...and not everyone has that problem. Got to try it to find out