What Are the Effects of Sugar Alcohols?
Sugar alcohols (polyols) are carbohydrates that occur naturally in many fruits and vegetables. They are also made by food manufacturers from starches, glucose, and sucrose, and are commonly added to foods. Corn syrup is most commonly used to make polyols. Sugar alcohols have a couple of properties that make them attractive for people who would like to reduce their carbohydrate intake but still enjoy sweets. Here are a few things to remember: First, polyols are slowly and not completely absorbed from the gut. This reduces the quantity of carbohydrates the body absorbs and converts into glucose in the bloodstream. Second, most polyols have fewer calories than table sugar. The most common polyols are: • Sorbitol (2.6 calories per gram) • Maltitol (2.1 calories per gram) • Lactilol(2 calories per gram) • Erythritol (0.2 calories per gram) • Isomalt (2 calories per gram) • Hydrogenated starch hydrolysates (3 calories per gram) • Mannitol (1.6 calories per gram) • Xylitol (2.4 calories per g
