Xylitol Powder 500g By DFH

Xylitol (“ZY-litol”) is a safe and natural sweetener which is made from and tastes like sugar, but has 40% less calories and creates no sugar highs or lows! You can mix it into hot or cold beverages or bake with it using it in the same quantity as you would sugar (i.e. 1 Tbsp sugar= 1 Tbsp Xylitol). Also, Xylitol does not feed intestinal yeast, and does not raise insulin or blood sugar levels. This makes it a perfectly healthy sugar replacement for diabetics, low carbohydrate dieters, and heart disease patients who must keep their sugar consumption to a bare minimum. Xylitol gum or toothpaste is clinically proven to fight cavities and reduce plaque, and is used by dental and medical professionals worldwide.

Benefits of Xylitol Include:

Can diabetics use Xylitol?
Yes, Xylitol is recommended for people with diabetes or hypoglycemia.

Where did Xylitol come from?
Xylitol was discovered in 1891 by German chemist Emil Fischer and has been used as a sweetening agent in human food since the 1960s. Xylitol occurs naturally in many fruits and vegetables and is even produced by the human body during normal metabolism. Produced commercially from plants such as birch and other hard wood trees and fibrous vegetation, Xylitol has the same sweetness and bulk as sucrose with one-third fewer calories and no unpleasant aftertaste. It quickly dissolves and produces a cooling sensation in the mouth.

Has Xylitol been approved?
Xylitol is currently approved for use in foods, pharmaceuticals and oral health products in more than 35 countries. Xylitol is used in foods such as chewing gum, gum drops and hard candy, and in pharmaceuticals and oral health products such as throat lozenges, cough syrups, children's chewable multivitamins, toothpastes and mouthwashes. In the United States, Xylitol is approved as a direct food additive for use in foods for special dietary uses.

Natural is Always Better
Because Xylitol is naturally occurring, and a natural part of human metabolism, it does not present you with any of the possible health risks that may occur with synthetically created artificial sweeteners. Companies that make artificial sweeteners have to create a new compound never seen before in nature in order to make them patentable and profitable. Because of that, artificial sweeteners will always be just that-artificial- and will never be a natural and friendly part of human metabolism like xylitol is.

Xylitol Shows Promise For Diabetics
Xylitol does not require insulin to be metabolized, and therefore is a very useful sweetener for diabetics. Xylitol scores a 7 out of 100 on the glycemic index. This shows that xylitol has a minimal impact on blood sugar and insulin levels. A study of healthy men examined the metabolic effects of xylitol compared to those of glucose. After an overnight fast, the men consumed a 25 gram dose of xylitol , and their rise in blood sugar and insulin was lower than after consuming the same amount of glucose.4 In another study, a 30 gram dose of xylitol produced only a small increase in blood sugar, and no rise in insulin levels. This suggests that xylitol is safe, even in high doses.5 While xylitol appears to be safe for everyone, diabetics who are interested in using large amounts of xylitol regularly should do so with the guidance of their health care practitioner.

Increasing Satiety
Xylitol has been shown to slow stomach emptying, and thus to help promote a feeling of fullness with less food intake. Those given 25 grams of xylitol at mealtime needed only 690 calories before they felt full. Those who did not use xylitol consumed 920 calories in order to achieve satiety. A preload of glucose, fructose, or sucrose failed to suppress food intake.6 Xylitol, therefore, shows great promise as a natural way to decrease food intake, and thereby help promote weight loss.

Preventing Middle Ear Infections
Consuming eight to ten grams of xylitol per day led to a 30% decrease in ear infections in children after two to three months of use.7 Xylitol was well tolerated by the children. Researchers believe that xylitol used regularly helps inhibit the growth of Streptococcus pneumoniae as well as the attachment of both pneumococci and Haemophilus influenzae to the nasopharyngeal cells, thus helping prevent infections.

Xylitol and Bone Health
Animal studies suggest that xylitol supplementation leads to improved bone strength during aging.8 Regular xylitol supplementation throughout the life cycle was needed to get this effect.9 Further research is needed to see if this benefit occurs in humans.

Reduced Caries Formation
In clinical and field tests, the consumption of xylitol between meals was associated with significantly reduced new caries formation, even when participants were already practicing good oral hygiene. Results clearly establish that use of xylitol-sweetened foods provides additional help in the battle against tooth decay. It also inhibits the growth of S. mutans, the primary bacterium associated with dental caries.

In a two-year study conducted at the Ylivieska Health Center in Finland, children aged 11-12 who consumed 7 to 10g of xylitol daily in chewing gum showed a 30 to 60% reduction in new dental caries development compared to the control group not chewing gum.

The possible long-term caries-preventing effects of xylitol have been studied as a follow-up to the Ylivieska study. Re-examination of the subjects 2 or 3 years after discontinuation of the use of xylitol revealed a continued reduction in caries increment in the post-use years of about 55%. In teeth erupting during the first year of the use of xylitol chewing gum, the long-term caries preventative effect was over 70%. The results suggest that the value of xylitol may be highest during periods of high dental activity such as eruption of new teeth.

A 40-month (1989-93) cohort study on the relationship between the use of chewing gum and dental caries was performed with 4th grade students in Belize, Central America. Nine treatment groups were included: control group (no gum); four xylitol groups (range of xylitol consumption 4.3-9.0g/day); two xylitol/sorbitol groups (total polyol consumption 8.0/9.7g/day); one sorbitol group (9.0g/day); and one sucrose group (9.0g/day). Compared with the no-gum group, sucrose gum usage resulted in a marginal increase in caries rate (relative risk 1.20). Sorbitol gum reduced the caries rate (relative risk 0.74). The four xylitol gums were most effective in reducing caries rates (relative risks from 0.48-0.27). The most effective gum was a 100% xylitol pellet gum (relative risk 0.27). The xylitol/sorbitol gums were less effective than xylitol, but reduced the caries rates significantly compared to the no-gum or sorbitol gum groups. The results suggest that systemic usage of polyol-based chewing gum reduces caries rates in young subjects, with xylitol gums being most effective.

A three-year clinical dentifrice caries study was conducted with 2,630 children initially aged 8-10 years in the San Jose, Costa Rica metropolitan area. The study evaluated the efficacy of a 0.243% sodium fluoride/silica/10% xylitol dentifrice when compared to a 0.243% sodium fluoride/silica dentifrice which contained no xylitol. After the three-year period, subjects using the xylitol-containing dentifrice had a statistically significant reduction in decayed and filled dental surfaces (12.3% reduction; P<0.001). The study supports earlier work which suggests that xylitol and fluoride act synergistically to increase the efficacy of oral hygiene products.

Plaque and Tooth Decay
Xylitol may be one of the most valuable natural ways we have to help maintain healthy teeth. Cavities are formed when the wrong bacteria are allowed to grow in our mouth. Regular sugar needs to be avoided for healthy teeth and gums, because sugar feeds the bacteria that destroy our teeth. Xylitol, however, does not feed these bacteria. What’s more xylitol interferes with many of the destructive elements that cause cavities. It does this by inhibiting microbial growth and by reducing the amount of plaque and bad bacteria in both plaque and saliva.1

A study conducted from 1989 to 1993 showed that chewing xylitol gum was more frequently associated witih the arrest of carries than either sorbitol or sucrose gums. Using xylitol gum regularly also appeared to help repair caries lesions.2

In another study of 2 years duration, children who used 2 or 3 xylitol gums per day experienced a caries reduction rate of 30% and 60%, respectively. In a sub-group with high caries activity, reductions of 50% and 80% were achieved with 2 to 3 grams per day.3

Recent studies at the Dental Schools of Michigan and Indiana Universities have tested the effect of xylitol/sorbitol blends in chewing gum and mints on plaque. They showed a significant decrease in plaque accumulation.

The sweetness and pleasant cooling effect of xylitol-sweetened products (such as mints and chewing gum) create an increase in salivary flow. Saliva helps with cleaning and protecting teeth from decay.

Safety
Xylitol was approved by the FDA in 1963 for special dietary uses. In 1986, the FDA recognized xylitol as a safe sweetener. Xylitol is approved throughout Europe for various dietary, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic uses. The only side effect of too much Xylitol (a single serving of 30 grams or more) is temporary gastrointestinal discomfort and diarrhea in sensitive individuals. This diarrhea results from xylitol’s slow absorption from the intestinal tract. The syrup form of xylitol tends to have more side effects than powdered xylitol. Long-term feeding trials in humans have shown that xylitol does not cause any changes in metabolic functions.10 The human body produces up to 15 grams of xylitol per day from other food sources, so it should not come as a surprise that xylitol has such an impressive safety record.

Use Xylitol, the Sweetener That Prevents Tooth Decay
An excerpt from Health & Healing, November 1998, Volume 8, No. 11 Sugar is the bane of dentistry because it is a favorite food of Streptococcus mutans, bacteria that reside in the mouth and are the principal cause of dental caries. These bacteria metabolize sugar in a fermentation process, producing acids that eat through the enamel of teeth and cause decay. S. mutans thrive in the low pH (high acid) conditions in the mouth that inhibit other bacteria, easily adhering to tooth surfaces and contributing to plaque buildup. The more sugar you eat and the more often you eat it, the larger and more destructive the colonies of S. mutans in your mouth.

Xylitol is a naturally occurring carbohydrate derived from birch trees. It looks like sugar and it tastes like sugar-but the similarities end there. Unlike sugar, xylitol is slowly and only partially absorbed by the body, making it an excellent sweetener for diabetics. A number of long-term studies have also shown that xylitol administered on a regular basis reduces the formation of new caries, halts and even reverses the progression of early decay, and provides continued protection for months to years after use.

Xylitol does this by inhibiting the growth of S. mutans, which is unable to metabolize it for energy. Xylitol also raises the pH of the mouth, making it less hospitable to S. mutans, and over time, these microorganisms are crowded out by harmless bacteria. Xylitol also reduces periodontal disease. In a 1996 studied carried out at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Dayton, Ohio; patients were given gum or small candies sweetened with xylitol after meals and sugary snacks. After an average of 1.8 years, patients had significantly fewer caries at the roots of the teeth and improved gum health.

1. Trahan, L. Xylitol: a review of its action on mutans strep and dental plaque. Its clinical significance. Int Dent J, 1995. 45(1 Suppl 1): p. 71-92.

2. Makinen KK, et al., Xylitol cewing gums and caries rates: a 40-month cohort study. J Dent Res. 1995 74(12): p. 1904-13.

3. Isakangas, PJ, Institute of Dentistry, Univ of Turku Academic. Dissertation, 198/.

4. Natah, S.S., et al., Metabolic response to lactitol and xylitol in healthy men. Am J Clin Nutr, 1997, 65(4) p. 947-50.

5. Safminen, The Effects of Xylitol on the Secretion of Insulin and Gastric Inhibitory Polypeptide in Man and Rats. Diabetolagia, 1982. 226 p. 480-82.

6. Shafer, R.B., et al., Effects of xylitol on gastric emptying and food intake. Am J Clin Nutr. 1987. 45(1): p. 947-50.

7. Uhari, M., T. Tapianen and I. Kontrokan. Xylitol in preventing acute… Vaccine, 2000 19 Suppl 1. p. S144/.

8. Mattila, PT, et al., Improved bone biomechanical properties in xylitol-fed aged rats. Metabolism, 2002 51(1): p. 92-6.

9. Mattila, P.T., M.J. Svanberg, and M.l. Knuutila. Increased bone volume and bone mineral content in xylitol fed aged rats. Gerontology, 2001. 47(6): p. 300-5.

10. Makinen K.K., Effect of long-term peroral administration of sugar alcohols on men. Swad Danl J. 1984 8(3) p. 113-24.