Xylitol What Is Xylitol? Xylitol

Xylitol

What is Xylitol? Xylitol is an alternative to sugar that author Andreas Moritz explains tastes like real sugar and looks like real sugar, but it has "less than 40% of the calories" of sugar (Moritz, 2007). This paper delves into the source of Xylitol, why it is effective in terms of dental issues, and its general usage.

Xylitol -- Why is it considered important to dentistry?

Xylitol is actually a natural carbohydrate that can be found in vegetables and most fibrous plants. Xylitol can also be found in hardwood trees like birch trees, in berries, "almond hulls and corncobs," according to Moritz. The author also notes that humans actually produce very small amounts of Xylitol during "normal metabolism." This sugar substitute is certainly well-known because as of the year Moritz' book was published (2007), Xylitol was approved for human use in more than 35 countries.

Why do nutritionists, dentists, and other healthcare professional stand by this product? According to Moritz Xylitol has been shown to reduce the amount of plaque on teeth, and it also is said to reduce cavities, up to an eye-popping 80%. How does it do that? Moritz asserts that it inhibits the growth of Streptococcus mutant, which is a bacteria that is said to be most accountable when it comes to dental caries (cavities). By stimulating the "remineralization of tooth enamel," and by boosting the human immune system, Xylitol is an effective substance to fight cavities.

Going beyond the retardation of tooth enamel and the reduction in infections in the mouth, Xylitol is also known to improve breath order, Moritz explains. Diabetics can safely use Xylitol, as can those that are hypoglycemic. It even "increases the absorption of B-vitamins and calcium," according to the author. Xylitol can be found in sugar-free chewing gum, it is used in gum drops and hard candy along with mouthwash and toothpaste. The Dental Schools of Michigan and Indiana University have conducted studies that show "a significant decrease in plaque accumulation," Moritz goes on. And it has been used in Russia, Japan, Finland and the other Scandinavian countries for many years, Moritz explains.

Author Fran Gare references a Gallup Poll that shows "…as many as 90% of adult Americans -- 173 million people -- eat sugar-free and other diet foods on a daily basis" (Gare, 2009, p. 1). That of course is on the surface a good thing, Gare explains, especially now that "low-fat" doesn't automatically mean that the fat is gone but the sugar is still there. Gare writes that she has studied the diet foods that make the most sense, and she actually co-authored sugar-free cookbooks with Dr. Atkins. Meantime, she believes in Xylitol as an "all-natural substance" that is truly health for people to use.

A brief history of Xylitol

In 1975, the first large-scale production of Xylitol took place in Finland, and in 1976 the Finnish company partnered with the Swiss company F. Hoffman La-Roche and they launched a product called Xyrofin, which is patented by the Finnish Sugar Company (Gare, 7). While Xylitol was being used elsewhere in the world the United States still have "an abundant amount of sugar available" so it wasn't heard of in the U.S. until it arrived in chewing gum in 1975. While Germans and Italians -- along with the Russians and Japanese -- were using it as a sugar substitute, Americans were still heaping piles of sugar on their breakfast cereal and in their coffee and ice tea.

But today, Xylitol is marketed in the U.S. As "Miracle Sweet," "Perfect Sweet," and "Healthy Sweet" (Gare, 8). Is it more or less expensive than sugar? Gare writes that it is "far more expensive than sugar, albeit recently the price has been coming down low enough to be marketed in items like cake mixes, brownies, muffins, cookies, candies, ice creams and puddings; Gare asserts that Xylitol in these baked items make them taste as least as good as, of not better than, "the real thing" (8).

How exactly is it made? Already noted in this paper is the fact that Xylitol is present in hardwood like birch and beech, and it is found in wheat, rice, cottonseed hulls and corncobs. In fact, Gare suggests that since corncobs are "a major waste product" in the food industry, a great deal of the supply of Xylitol comes from corncobs. This is an appealing concept for those Americans conscience about recycling, global climate change, and conservation in general. If an effective product to reduce the amount of sugar people consume can come from corncobs, that is a very good sign that Americans are making the best use of their food chain items.