Xylitol
This sugar alcohol is used as a naturally occurring sugar substitute found in the fibres of many fruits and vegetables, including various berries, corn husks, oats, and mushrooms. It can be extracted from corn fibre, birch, raspberries, plums, and corn. Xylitol is roughly as sweet as sucrose with only two-thirds the food energy.
Extraction of xylitol
Xylitol crystals
Xylitol (Finnish ksylitoli) was first derived from Birch trees in Finland in the 20th century and was first popularised in Europe as a safe sweetener for people with diabetes that would not impact insulin levels.
Today, using hardwood or maize sources, the largest manufacturer globally is the Danish company Danisco, with several other suppliers from China.
Properties
One teaspoon (5 mL) of xylitol contains 9.6 calories, as compared to one teaspoon of sugar, which has 15 calories. Xylitol contains zero net effective carbohydrates, whereas sugar contains 4 grams per 5 mL.
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.
Dietary use worldwide
Xylitol is widely used in Finland, its "home country".
Virtually all chewing gum sold in Finland is sweetened with xylitol.
The formerly Spanish company Chupa Chups, now Dutch-Italian, 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. There is a brand of gum named "Xylitol" in all three countries.
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: saai3 lok6 to4), which literally means "suntan camel", and the camel is used as a figurative icon in its advertisements.
In 2004, popular North American Trident gum was reformulated to include xylitol, but not as the main sweetener (which are still aspartame, sorbitol and maltitol). It is also found in Smokey Mountain Snuff, and IceBreakers brand Ice Cubes Gum from Hershey.
Xylichew, made in Finland (available in US), is also sweetened exclusively with xylitol.
In 2006, William Wrigley Jr. Critics have noted that the amount of Xylitol in some chewing gums is small, and other sugar alcohols may be used in larger amounts.
Xylimax gum and mints have 1 gram of xylitol per piece, and xylitol is the only sweetener. Early studies from Finland in the 1970s found that a group chewing sucrose gum had 2.92 decayed, missing, or filled (dmf) teeth compared to 1.04 in the group chewing xylitol gums. In another study, researchers had mothers chew xylitol gum 3 months after delivery until their children were 2 years old.
The researchers found that the xylitol group had "a 70% reduction in cavities (dmf)." Recent research 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 remineralise 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.
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.
Ear and upper respiratory infections
Studies have shown that xylitol chewing gum can help prevent ear infections (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 (auditory tubes or pharyngotympanic tubes) which connect the nose and ear. This action that xylitol has on bacteria in the back of the nose is explained on the following referenced website about the nasal application of xylitol. When bacteria enter the body they hold on to the tissues by hanging on to a variety of sugar complexes.
The researchers believe that it increases the effectiveness of endogenous (naturally present in the body) antimicrobial factors.
Infection
Xylitol has been found to increase the activity of neutrophils, the white blood involved in fighting many bacteria. This effect seems to be quite broad, acting even in cases such as general sepsis
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.
Benefits for pregnant or nursing women
Xylitol is not only safe for pregnant and nursing women, but studies show that regular use significantly reduces the probability of transmitting the Streptococcus mutans bacteria, which is responsible for tooth decay, from mother to child during the first two years of life by as much as 80%.
Concerns
Xylitol, like most sugar alcohols, has a laxative effect, because sugar alcohols are not fully broken down during digestion.