11 Sep What is Xylitol?
- Xylitol is a white crystalline substance that looks and tastes just like regular table sugar
- Xylitol is naturally occurring in many fruits, berries and vegetables and is also found in small amounts in your body
- It is NOT an artificial substitute
- Xylitol is FDA approved.
What is xylitol sourced from?
- Xylitol is generally sourced from corncobs or the bark of birch trees.
Wha
t is xylitol’s history?
- First discovered in 1890 by both German and French around the same time
- Purified in 1930,s
- During World War II Scandinavian countries experienced a shortage of sugar so the Government commissioned scientists to find an alternative.
- Xylitol replaced sugar
- After the war, dental professionals in the area started noticing an improvement in their patient’s oral health and started looking into this further.
- Other health benefits were being noticed by health professionals such as Upper Respiratory (nose and ears)
- By the early 1960s, xylitol was being used in Germany, Switzerland, the Soviet Union, and Japan as a premium sweetener for people with diabetes.
- Long-term clinical trials were launched
- Xylitols most important health benefit the ability to improve dental health wasn’t fully understood until the early 1970s at which time large scale production of Xylitol began in earnest.
- Chewing gum first appeared in the USA in 1975
- Dentists around the world recommend its use in both adults and children to enhance oral health and even infants can safely benefit from xylitol
- Because of its impressive health benefits and improved technology availability of Xylitol has steadily increased
What is xylitol’s benefit?
Xylitol has been proven to provide many dental and general health benefits and can help to;
- Reduce the development of dental caries
- Reduce plaque formation (that white furry stuff on teeth)
- Increase saliva
- Aid repair of damaged tooth enamel (remineralisation)
- Relieve symptoms of dry mouth
- Block acids that can demineralize tooth enamel;
- Stop growth of some types of acid-producing bacteria (Strep Mutans)
- Reduce gingival (gum) inflammation;
- Lessens transfer of decay-causing bacteria from mother to baby
- Maintain upper-respiratory health
- Helps to lessen chances of ear infections
Xylitol is available in a wide range of products including toothpastes, mouth rinses, chewing gum, mints and candies which are easy to incorporate in your normal routine.
One of the greatest benefits of Spry xylitol is its great flavour and doesn’t leave a bitter aftertaste as with other sugar alternatives
Xylitol may also be useful as a sugar alternative for people with diabetes (on the advice of their healthcare providers) as it does not have the same effect on insulin that sugar does.
Xylitol has 40% lower calories than sugar so it can be used by those on weight control diets. It also and has a Glycaemic index of 7 compared with 83 for table sugar
What is xylitol’s suggested use?
Professionals suggest having at least five exposures of xylitol a day for its dental benefits—in the morning and at nightly brushes, and after every meal and snack. Professionals say that 6-10 grams is a good amount to have each day.
Sources: Xlear, Dr John’s, Wikipedia