This means that it can have beneficial effects on the oral flora (microbes living in your mouth) not shared by other sweeteners.Д«ecause mouth bacteria canвЂ™t use xylitol as a source of energy, it may help prevent tooth decay (such as bacteria like Streptococcus mutans) and the buildup of plaque on your teeth. Research tells us that xylitol may be able to help prevent cavities because it cannot be metabolized by plaque bacteria, unlike other forms of sugar. In fact, the dental community is one of its biggest supports of xylitol because of its reported ability to prevent cavities.ДЇor example, according to a study published in the Journal of Dental Education, вЂњThe replacement of sucrose with sorbitol and xylitol may significantly decrease the incidence of dental caries.вЂќ This appears to be widely held by most health care professionals and dentists. May Help Improve Dental HealthДЄlthough consuming this ingredient can put you at risk for digestive issues, one potential xylitol benefit seems to be its ability to improve oral health.

Liver evaluation suggests that xylose gets stored in the body.

People who eat foods with xylose may experience digestive issues like gas, bloating and diarrhea.

Single-stomach animals are unable to properly metabolize xylose.

For example, starting in the 1950s, research has shown that: Yet, just because something is вЂњnaturalвЂќ doesnвЂ™t mean that it is good for you. Is this product truly вЂњnaturalвЂќ? Xylose, not xylitol, is naturally obtained from bark of the birch tree and from certain fruits. In the case of xylitol, this is generally experienced as gastrointestinal disturbances. Sometimes, these chemicals can react with other foods that you eat, or enzymes that your pancreas produces or other вЂњgastric juices,вЂќ and cause complications. However, when chemical compounds like xylitol are consumed, the body cannot utilize them, so they travel through your GI tract relatively unscathed. Normally when foods are eaten and digested the vitamins, minerals and other substances in the food are absorbed into the bloodstream in the small intestine. It has a similar appearance to sugar and can be used in the same ways. ItвЂ™s about 40 percent lower in calories than regular sugar, providing about 10 calories per teaspoon (sugar provides about 16 per teaspoon). ItвЂ™s usually produced in a lab from xylose but also comes from the bark of the birch tree, the xylan plant, and in very small quantities is found in some fruits and vegetables (like plums, strawberries, cauliflower and pumpkin).Дoes xylitol have calories? Although it has a sweet taste, which is why itвЂ™s used as a sugar substitute, it doesnвЂ™t contain any cane/table sugar and also has fewer calories than traditional sweeteners. What is xylitol made from? ItвЂ™s a crystalline alcohol and a derivative of xylose - a crystalline aldose sugar that is not digestible by the bacteria in our digestive systems. ItвЂ™s in fact a type of low-digestible carbohydrate that includes fiber. Xylitol is considered a вЂњsugar alcoholвЂќ because it has a chemical structure thatвЂ™s similar to both sugars and alcohol, but itвЂ™s technically neither of these in the way we usually think of them. Why is this the case? The key lies in understanding what xylitol is.

For example, benefits of xylitol include both oral and dental health, but it can also trigger digestive issues including diarrhea. To make matter worse, reports on the Internet about xylitol have been anything but clear, since research hasnвЂ™t proven whether itвЂ™s necessarily dangerous or beneficial. Unfortunately, natural doesnвЂ™t always mean вЂњgood for you,вЂќ or even вЂњnon-toxic.вЂќ What is xylitol exactly, and is it good for you?ДЄlthough itвЂ™s reported by manufactures as being вЂњall natural,вЂќ few suspect itвЂ™s actually a healthy ingredient, especially when consumed in large amounts.

If reading food labels is part of your shopping experience, you may have come across the mysterious ingredient called xylitol.

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