Xylitol – a sugar your teeth love
As a sugar-free sweetener, it is used as an ingredient in chewing gums and candies, diabetes-safe food, and oral care products.
Categorized as sugary alcohol it can be found in many fruits and vegetables (like raspberries, strawberries, cauliflower, and mushrooms) and is considered natural.
We even produce small amounts via normal metabolism.
Summary: natural, sugar-free sweetener
Healthier Sweet tooth
While we enjoy our sweet tooth moments there is always something we could do to reduce certain risks by being only little bit more mindful and knowledgeable.
Using non-sugar sweetener as xylitol actually can be our magic stick.
Xylitol has a low glycemic index- that means that after its consumption it doesn’t spike blood sugar!
Its GI is only 7, compared to other sugars that have Glycemic Index of 60-70.
Summary: has a low glycemic index and doesn’t spike blood sugar
What is it that makes it so beneficial for our teeth?
Prevents tooth decay
- does not get fermented by plaque organisms, and simply because it is not fermentable it does not encourage bacterial growth, hence reducing plaque quantity,
- selectively reduces mutant streptococci and induces their reduced virulence,
- reduces adhesion of plaque,
- causes the changes in quantity and quality of saliva and contributes to remineralization
There are many studies that show the efficacy of xylitol in the reduction of caries rate in children if used 3-5 times a day
In comparison with other sugar-free sweeteners (for example sorbitol), xylitol remains superior
Summary: chewing xylitol chewing gum 3-5 times a day significantly reduces the risk of caries in children.
Mother and child
The study has shown that there was a significant reduction in caries incidence in 5 years old children whose mothers were chewing xylitol chewing gums 2-3 times a day 3 months after the birth, considered a critical period for transmission of mutants streptococci from mother to child.
Summary: reduces transmission of mutants streptococci from mother to baby
Your dog doesn’t love xylitol
While it is considered harmless to people, xylitol is highly toxic to dogs.
Keep your xylitol safely contained and out of reach of dogs as it can cause hypoglycemia and liver failure in small amounts.
Summary: even a very small amount of xylitol can be toxic for a dog