Benefits of Xylitol for Diabetics

People with high blood sugar cannot eat refined sugars, and it is a good choice for diabetics to use xylitol as a condiment. So, what are the benefits of xylitol for people with diabetes?

Ⅰ. What is xylitol?

Xylitol is native to Finland and is a natural plant sweetener extracted from birch, oak, corncob, bagasse and other plants.

In nature, it is widely distributed in various fruits, vegetables, cereals, mushrooms and other foods.

For our body, xylitol is not an "exotic product", it is an intermediate in our body's normal carbohydrate metabolism.

Even if a healthy adult does not eat any food containing xylitol, 0.03-0.06 mg/100 mg of xylitol flows in the blood.

From a chemical standpoint, xylitol is a polyol and the sweetest of the polyols. Pure xylitol is white crystals or white powder crystals, and it is difficult for people to distinguish it from sucrose whether it looks or tastes unless otherwise specified.

If the taste is better at low temperature, its sweetness can reach 1.2 times that of sucrose. Xylitol is often accompanied by a slight cooling feeling after the entrance, which makes people feel comfortable, because it is easily soluble in water and absorbs a certain amount of heat when it dissolves.

Ⅱ. Xylitol can be used as a sweetener for diabetes

In the absence of insulin promotion in the human body, xylitol can be absorbed and utilized by tissues through the cell membrane, and can promote the synthesis of liver glycogen and improve liver function. It is an ideal food for patients with diabetes and hepatitis complications.

Since it does not increase blood sugar concentration and tastes no less than sucrose, xylitol is widely used as a sugar substitute for diabetics.

In the United States, it can be used as a food additive for some special foods. In order to achieve a certain effect, it can even be added to foods without any dosage restrictions.

Xylitol has been used in food since the 1960s and has a good reputation among diabetic patients. And it has been clinically verified that after long-term use, the patient's "three more" symptoms are relieved, thirst and hunger basically disappear, and urine sugar is reduced, which effectively controls the occurrence of diabetes complications.

In addition, xylitol also has a major feature that it is low in calories – xylitol contains only 2.4 calories per gram, which is 40% less than most other carbohydrates. Therefore, it is also used in various diet foods as a substitute for high-calorie white sugar.

Ⅲ. The benefits of xylitol for diabetics

1. Xylitol is not decomposed into glucose in the body and does not affect the postprandial blood sugar level.

2. The cell membrane of human cells is highly permeable to xylitol, and it can diffuse into the cells without the help of insulin, without increasing the burden on islets.

3. People often associate xylitol with sugar free confectionery application industry. The xylitol that enters the liver is partly synthesized into liver glycogen, and the other is decomposed into pyruvic acid or lactic acid in the absence of oxygen, or the metabolic function is finally oxidized into water and carbon dioxide, which is 40% lower than the same weight of sucrose, which can help maintain blood sugar levels.

4. The sweetness of xylitol is conducive to improving the taste of food, allowing diabetic patients to enjoy delicious food without the increase of special energy and the increase of insulin demand.

Ⅳ. How to eat xylitol? How much xylitol should a diabetic eat?

It should be reminded that diabetic patients must not limit the total amount of diet because of "sugar-free xylitol". For example, "sugar-free" pastries added with xylitol, even without sucrose, are high-calorie foods, and eating too much will have a great impact on postprandial blood sugar.

In fact, diabetic patients can eat some xylitol food in moderation on the basis of controlling the total amount of diet. However, it must not be consumed without any taboo because of its low calorie content. In terms of human body constitution, the total intake of xylitol should not exceed 50 grams a day.