Xylitol is a bulk sweetener that is good tasting, reduced in calories and dentally safe. It is an increasingly popular ingredient in foods, pharmaceuticals and oral health products. Xylitol is gaining increasing acceptance as a sugar substitute in modern society.
Xylitol is present in many fruits and vegetables and is even produced naturally in our bodies during normal metabolism. Produced commercially from corn core or some hard wood trees and fibrous vegetation, xylitol has the same sweetness and texture as sucrose with one-third fewer calories and no unpleasant aftertaste. It quickly dissolves and produces a cooling sensation in the mouth.
Xylitol is used in foods such as chewing gum, gumdrops and hard candy, and in pharmaceuticals and oral health products such as throat lozenges, cough syrups, children’s chewable multivitamins, toothpastes and mouthwashes. The United States approved xylitol officially as a direct food additive for use in foods for special dietary purposes.
Benefits of Xylitol
- Good Taste with No Unpleasant Aftertaste
- Helps Reduce the Development of Dental Cavities
- Reduces Plaque Formation
- Increases Salivary Flow to Aid in the Repair of Damaged Tooth Enamel
- Contains One-Third Fewer Calories than Sugar – about 2.4 Calories per Gram
- May Be Useful as an Alternative to Sugar for People with Diabetes on the Advice of their Health Care Providers
Reduces New Cavities Formation
The clinical and field tests have shown that the consumption of xylitol between meals reduces the formation of new cavities, even when participants were already practicing good oral hygiene. Results clearly show that use of xylitol sweetened foods play a role in preventing against tooth decay. The American Dental Association has already recognized the usefulness of polyols, including xylitol, as substitutes to sugars and as part of a comprehensive program of proper dental hygiene. The FDA has officially agreed sugar-free foods including xylitol or other polyols to be labeled as “does not promote tooth decay”.
The Ylivieska Health Care Center in Finland concluded in a two-year study that children aged 11-12 who consumed xylitol daily in chewing gum showed a 60% reduction in new dental cavities development compared to the controlled group that was not consuming xylitol.
Reduces Plaque Growth
The effect of xylitol or xylitol/sorbitol blends in chewing gum and mints on plaque has been tested. Xylitol has been proven to reduce plaque.
Stimulates Salivary Flow
An increase in salivary flow was triggered by the sweetness and pleasant cooling effect of xylitol-sweetened products (such as mints and chewing gum). Saliva has the effect of cleaning and protecting teeth from decay.
Use in the Diets of People With Diabetes
Xylitol can be slowly absorbed. Using xylitol, the rise in blood glucose and insulin response associated with the ingestion of glucose are significantly reduced. The reduced caloric value (2.4 calories per gram versus 4.0 for sugar) of xylitol is consistent with the objective of weight control.
Source
Isokangas P, Tiekso J, Alanen P, Mäkinen KK. Long-term effect of xylitol chewing gum on dental caries. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol. 1989 Aug;17(4):200-3. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0528.1989.tb00611.x. PMID: 2758793.