Xylitol for Diabetics – What is Xylitol?

During WWII Finland was suffering from an acute sugar shortage. With no domestic supply of sugar, the Finns searched for an alternative. It was then, when Finnish scientists rediscovered xylitol, a low-calorie sugar made from birch bark. It was first  manufactured in 1891  in Germany but got kind of lost after that.

By the 1960′s, xylitol was being used in Germany, Switzerland, the Soviet Union, and Japan as a preferred sweetener in diabetics. It has been relatively unknown in the U.S. and Australia, primarily because cheap supplies of cane sugar made the more expensive xylitol less economically viable.

Xylitol tastes and looks exactly like sugar, but those are the only similarities. Sugar destroys our health and body and xylitol heals and repairs it. Not only has xylitol no aftertaste but it also builds immunity, protects us against chronic degenerative diseases, plus it has anti-aging benefits.

The body makes xylitol in small amounts in the body naturally and has no toxic levels. You might feel small discomfort when you start first taking it until your body gets used to the higher levels of xylitol. People sometimes complain about diarrhea or some cramping at the beginning.

Xylitol has 40% less calories and 75% fewer carbs than sugar, plus xylitol is absorbed slower into the body than sugar. We metabolise xylitol slower, which results in a small change in insulin levels. Xylitol is a Diabetics best friend for breakfasts and desserts as well as sweets.

But did you know, that xylitol:

• has a low glycemic index of 7
• releases a steady energy flow
• has very little effect on blood sugar
• reduces your carbohydrate cravings
• improves dental health
• it is very alkaline

Xylitol is found in fibrous vegetables and fruit, as well as in corn and various hardwood trees like birch. The body itself produces up to 15 grams daily from other foods during normal metabolism. Xylitol is the only form of sugar that does not promote and feed dangerous bacteria and fungi and it is approved by USFDA and World Health Organization.

Xylitol has been used in the dental field for over sixty years to help promote oral health and the prevention of disease caused by bacteria.

• Inhibits plaque and dental cavities up to 80%.
• Retards demineralization of tooth enamel.
• Re-mineralization of tooth enamel.
• Increase saliva production.
• Protects saliva proteins.
• Reduces infections in the mouth.

Xylitol benefits in the dental field are unlimited and is used in lots of gums and toothpastes.

reference: xylitol canada