Are Sugar Alcohols Really A Healthier Swap?
Sugar alcohols are in everything from processed food to medications. If you spot “Sugar-Free” on the label, you most likely will see sugar alcohols in it. The most common sugar alcohols are erythritol, hydrogenated starch hydrolysates (HSH), isomalt, lactitol, maltitol, mannitol, sorbitol, and xylitol.
Polyols or as we know them – SUGAR ALCOHOLS, are ingredients used to bulk and sweeten products. They are naturally occurring compounds found in some fruits and vegetables. However, the end product you find in processed foods and other consumables is made through multiple chemical processes to make them suitable for use as sweeteners and bulking agents.
Sugar alcohols are extremely popular because they are relatively low in calories and they don’t cause sudden increases in blood sugar as sugar does. The FDA approved sugar alcohols under GRAS (generally recognized as safe); this is also the same approval category for ingredients like artificial sweeteners, MSG, butane, and propane.
This approval is concerning because the use of a GRAS substance does not require premarket approval. Rather, experts qualified by scientific training and experience to evaluate its safety conclude, based on publicly available information, that the substance is safe under the conditions of its intended use. A company can make an independent GRAS determination for a substance with or without notifying FDA. YIKES!! Currently, there are few known risks to using sugar alcohols (just as there weren’t many with aspartame) but side effects. These include nausea, diarrhea, bloating, flatulence, watery feces, and other laxative effects. Infants may also experience colic in addition to the other side effects.
On a side note, most sugar alcohols come from fermenting glucose from GMO corn. This in itself is concerning.
I recommend trying to keep these to a minimum in your diet or avoiding them as much as possible. It is always best to use real food (I know that is difficult for diabetics)or unrefined sugar to sweeten your desserts or drinks.
