'Xylitol', also called 'wood sugar' or 'birch sugar', is a five-carbon
sugar alcohol that is used as a
sugar substitute. Xylitol is a naturally occurring sweetener found in the fibers of many fruits and vegetables, including various berries, corn husks, oats, and mushrooms.
[2] It can be extracted from corn fiber,
[3] birch,
raspberries,
plums, and
corn. Xylitol is roughly as sweet as
sucrose but with two-thirds the
food energy.
Extraction of xylitol
Xylitol crystals
Xylitol was first derived from
Birch trees in
Finland in the 19th century and was first popularized in
Europe as a safe sweetener for
diabetics that would not impact
insulin levels. In the late 20th century, xylitol in granular form began to be mass produced in the United States under the brand name "Ultimate Sweetener" using beet plants in California. Today, using
maize sources, most world supplies reportedly come from
China.
Properties
One teaspoon of xylitol contains 9.6
calories, as compared to one teaspoon of
sugar, which has 15 calories. Xylitol also contains zero net effective carbohydrates, whereas sugar contains 4 grams per teaspoon. Xylitol has virtually no
aftertaste, and is advertised as "safe for
diabetics and individuals with
hyperglycemia". This is because sugar-alcohols have less impact on a person's
blood sugar than regular
sugars[4].
Dietary use worldwide
Xylitol is widely used in
Finland, its "home country". Many Finnish
confectioneries employ xylitol, or have a xylitol version available. Virtually all
chewing gum sold in Finland, as well as the rest of Europe is sweetened with xylitol.
The formerly Spanish company, now Italian,
Chupa Chups makes a xylitol-based breath mint,
Smint, that it markets worldwide.
In China, Japan and South Korea, xylitol is found in wide assortment of chewing gums. China, Korea and Japan even have a brand of gum named "Xylitol", Japan also has a brand called "Xylish". In addition, when
Extra introduced xylitol-containing products to
Hong Kong and
Guangdong, the word "xylitol" is
transcribed into
Cantonese as "晒駱駝" (
Jyutping: saai
3 lok
6 to
4), which literally means "suntan camel", and the camel is used as a figurative icon in its advertisements.
[5]
In
2004, popular North American
Trident gum was reformulated to include xylitol, but not as the main sweetener (which are still
sorbitol and
maltitol). Also sold in North America is Carefree
Koolerz, which is a sugarless gum sweetened exclusively with xylitol. It is also found in Smokey Mountain Snuff,
[6] and IceBreakers brand Ice Cubes Gum from
Hershey.
In
2006, William Wrigley Jr. Company reformulated their
Orbit gum to contain xylitol and released it under the name "Orbit Complete."
Medical applications
Dental care
Xylitol is a "
toothfriendly" sugar. In addition to not encouraging tooth decay (by replacing dietary sugars), xylitol may actively aid in repairing minor cavities caused by
dental caries. Recent research
[7] confirms a
plaque-reducing effect and suggests that the compound, having some chemical properties similar to
sucrose, attracts and then "starves" harmful micro-organisms, allowing the mouth to remineralize damaged teeth with less interruption. (However, this same effect also interferes with
yeast micro-organisms and others, so xylitol is inappropriate for making yeast-based
bread, for instance.)
Xylitol based products are allowed by the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration to make the medical claim that they do not promote dental caries.
[8]
A recent study demonstrated that a water additive for animals containing xylitol was effective in reducing plaque and
calculus accumulation in cats.
[9]
Diabetes
Possessing approximately 40% less food energy,
[10] xylitol is a low-
calorie alternative to table sugar. Absorbed more slowly than sugar, it doesn't contribute to high
blood sugar levels or the resulting
hyperglycemia caused by insufficient
insulin response.
Osteoporosis
Xylitol also appears to have potential as a treatment for
osteoporosis. A group of Finnish researchers has found that dietary xylitol prevents weakening of
bones in laboratory rats, and actually improves bone density.
[11][12]
Ear and upper respiratory infections
Studies have shown that xylitol chewing gum can help prevent ear infections
[13] (acute
otitis media); the act of chewing and swallowing assists with the disposal of
earwax and clearing the
middle ear, whilst the presence of xylitol prevents the growth of bacteria in the
eustachian tubes which connect the nose and ear.
[14] This action that xylitol has on bacteria in the back of the nose is best explained on the site dealing with the nasal application of xylitol.
[15] When bacteria enter the body they hold on to the tissues by hanging on to a variety of sugar complexes. The open nature of xylitol and its ability to form many different sugar-like structures appears to interfere with the ability of many bacteria to adhere.
[16] Xylitol can be applied nasally through a saline solution containing xylitol, such as
Xlear Nasal Wash.
Candida yeast
A recent report suggests that consumption of xylitol may help control oral infections of ''
Candida'' yeast; in contrast,
galactose,
glucose and
sucrose may increase proliferation.
[17]
Health concerns
Xylitol, like most sugar alcohols, can have a mild
laxative effect at high doses. It has no known
toxicity, and people have consumed as much as 400
grams daily for long periods with no apparent ill effects.
[18]
Dogs ingesting foods containing high doses of xylitol (greater than 100mg xylitol consumed per kg bodyweight) have presented with low blood sugar (
hypoglycaemia) which can be life-threatening.
[19]
Low blood sugar can manifest as loss of coordination, depression, collapse and seizures as soon as 30 minutes after ingestion.
[20][21]
Intake of very high doses of xylitol (greater than 500 - 1000 mg/kg bwt) has also been implicated in liver failure in 8 dogs, which can be fatal.
[22]
One reported death occurred in a standard poodle that ate five or six cookies sweetened with xylitol.
[22]
As humans can tolerate much higher doses of xylitol, large amounts of xylitol can be found in even small quantities of food such as sugar-free gums, baked goods and tooth pastes.
Dogs that have eaten products containing high levels of xylitol, might need immediate medical attention even if they are not yet showing illness. Sick dogs (vomiting, weak, seizuring, etc) are likely to need aggressive veterinary treatment and close monitoring of blood values.
[19][25][22]
Other applications of xylitol
ASICS Corp., a Japanese company, markets a line of women’s t-shirts with xylitol infused into the fabric. Xylitol, like several other sugar alcohols, exhibits a cooling effect in the mouth. The t-shirts are intended to utilize this same property to keep a person cooler in warm weather.
[27]
This application has also been used by YONEX to make shirts
References
1. MSDS for xylitol
2. The Sweet Miracle of Xylitol, , Fran, Gare, Basic Health Publications, Inc., , ISBN 1-59120-038-5
3. R Sreenivas Rao, Ch. Pavanajyothi, RS Prakasham, PN Sharma, L Venkateswar Rao (2006) Xylitol production from corn fiber and sugarcane bagasse hydrolysates by Candida tropicalis ''Bioresource Technology'' 97:1974-1978.
4. http://fcs.tamu.edu/health/health_education_rural_outreach/Health_Hints/2006/april06/sugar-substitutes.php
5. Xylitol advertisement in Guangdong
6. Smokey Mountain Snuff FAQ
7. Tanzer, JM (1995). Xylitol chewing gum and dental caries. ''International dental journal'' 45(1 Suppl 1):65-76. (online abstract)
8. U.S. FDA 21 CFR §101.80
9. Clarke, D.E. (2006) Drinking Water Additive Decreases Plaque and Calculus Accumulation in Cats. ''J Vet Dent''(23)2:79-82
10. www.diabetes.org.nz/food/artificialsweeteners.html
11. Mattila PT, Svanberg MJ, Jämsä T, Knuuttila ML (2002). Improved bone biomechanical properties in xylitol-fed aged rats. Metabolism 51(1):92-6. (online abstract)
12. Mattila, PT (1999). Dietary xylitol in the prevention of experimental osteoporosis: Beneficial effects on bone resorption, structure and biomechanics. Dissertation, Institute of Dentistry, University of Oulu. (online)
13. Uhari M, et al. (1998). A novel use of xylitol sugar in preventing acute otitis media. Pediatrics, 102(4): 879–974.
14. Drgreene.com
15. Nasal-xylitol.com
16. Besttreaments.co.uk
17. Abu-Elteen, Khaled H. The influence of dietary carbohydrates on in vitro adherence of four Candida species to human buccal epithelial cells. ''Microbial Ecology in Health and Disease'' (2005), 17(3), 156-162
18. [1] Mäkinen,longterm tolerance
19. Dunayer, E.K., Gwaltney-Brant, S.M. (2006) Acute hepatic failure and coagulopathy associated with xylitol ingestion in eight dogs, ''Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association'' (229)7:1113-1117
20. ASPCA article
21. Dunayer, E.K (2004) Hypoglycemia following canine ingestion of xylitol-containing gum, ''Veterinary and Human Toxicology'' 46(2):87-88
22. Dunayer, E.K (2006) New findings on the effects of xylitol ingestion in dogs ''Veterinary Medicine'' 101(12):791-797
23. Dunayer, E.K (2006) New findings on the effects of xylitol ingestion in dogs ''Veterinary Medicine'' 101(12):791-797
24. Dunayer, E.K., Gwaltney-Brant, S.M. (2006) Acute hepatic failure and coagulopathy associated with xylitol ingestion in eight dogs, ''Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association'' (229)7:1113-1117
25. AVMA Press Release
26. Dunayer, E.K (2006) New findings on the effects of xylitol ingestion in dogs ''Veterinary Medicine'' 101(12):791-797
27. information from the Danisco website
See also
★ Other sugar alcohols:
mannitol,
sorbitol,
erythritol,
maltitol,
lactitol
★ Herbal sweetener:
stevia
★ Artificial sweeteners:
aspartame,
sucralose
★ Another birch-extracted treat:
birch syrup
★
L-xylulose reductase
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