Natural sweetener xylitol

Xylitol is a natural sweetener, its sweetness is comparable to that of sucrose, and it will be accompanied by a slight cooling sensation after the entrance. It is native to Finland and is currently mainly produced in China.

It is widely present in various plants and is a product of xylose metabolism. The content of it is higher in plants such as birch, oak, corncob, bagasse, etc., so the production of xylitol mainly uses these plants as raw materials.

After continuous research by scientists, it was found that xylitol cannot be fermented and utilized by bacteria that produce dental caries in the mouth, and can inhibit the growth of streptococcus and the production of acid, so using it to replace sugar in desserts can effectively prevent tooth decay.

Based on this property, xylitol is widely used in foods such as gum, chewing gum, candy, and chocolate, and is officially recognized by many national dental health associations.

Another excellent feature of xylitol is that it can directly enter cells without insulin during metabolism, and the metabolism is very fast, with a glycemic index (GI) of only 7-13, which is much lower than that of sucrose (the liter of sucrose). It has a glycemic index of 65) and has no health hazards of fructose, making it an ideal sucrose substitute for diabetics.

According to the fact that the calories of xylitol are only 60% of sucrose, and the consumption of xylitol will not increase the neutral fat in the blood, but also inhibit the synthesis of glycerol and fatty acids, people who lose weight have begun to use xylitol instead of sucrose.

Because of these characteristics, xylitol has received more and more attention, and merchants are also vigorously promoting the advantages of xylitol, but this does not mean that products using xylitol can be eaten casually.

Since xylitol is not easily decomposed by gastric enzymes and directly enters the intestinal tract, excessive amounts will stimulate the gastrointestinal tract, which may cause abdominal discomfort, flatulence, and bowel sounds. Moreover, the absorption rate of xylitol in the intestine is less than 20%, and it is easy to accumulate in the intestinal wall, which is easy to cause osmotic diarrhea.

At the same time, excessive consumption of xylitol will increase the level of triglycerides in the human blood, thereby increasing the risk of coronary atherosclerosis in blood vessels, especially important blood vessels