Sugar Alcohol Background Information
Sugar alcohols may also be referred to as polyol, glycitol, polyhydric alcohol and polyalcohol. The chemical constitution and arrangement make these compounds more structurally similar with alcohols rather than sugars. In commercial goods, sugar alcohols are commonly used in place of sugar. Sugar alcohols are combined with high intensity artificial sweeteners to improve the taste. Xylitol remains the most popular brand name. These brands resemble sugar. Unlike sugar, sugar alcohols don’t cause tooth decay.
Sugar alcohols can be obtained from disaccharides and monosaccharides. There is a difference between these two. Sugar alcohols that are shaped from disaccharides like maltitol and lactitol aren’t wholly hydrogenated. They are not hydrogenated entirely is because only one aldehyde group is obtainable for reduction. The most simple sugar alcohols, ethylene glycol and methanol, are sugary but extremely noxious chemicals used in antifreeze. The more intricate sugar alcohols are for the most part nontoxic.
Sugar alcohols give less energy compared to sucrose. Their flavor is like sucrose, and they can be used to mask the disagreeable aftertastes of some high intensity sweeteners. Sugar alcohols aren’t metabolized by oral bacteria, and so they do not add to tooth decay. When heat is there, these sugar alcohols don’t become caramelized. These sugar alcohols may give off a menthol feeling in the mouth. This happens, for example, with the crystalline phase of sorbitol, erythritol, xylitol, mannitol, lactitol and maltitol.
Diabetics comprise the majority of sugar alcohol regulars. For years, these artificial sweeteners are marketed for people that can no longer consume table sugar. Blood sugar levels may potentially be lowered with continued use of these sugar alcohol. This property makes them popular sweeteners among diabetics and people on low-carbohydrate diets.
Some people question if taking alcohol sugar is entirely safe. Like many unnatural substances in the human body, they have effects. Bloating of the stomach region and diarrhea may occur with continued use of sugar alcohols. Passing gas is also one of the embarrassing unintended effects of sugar alcohol. These aren’t absorbed entirely in the gut, hence the unintended effects. Some people experience these effects instantly after using their primary packet of sugar alcohols. There are people that develop tolerance and no longer show these signs and symptoms. Erythritol, a brand name of sugar alcohol, is an exception. These sugar alcohol is commonly absorbed entirely and excreted through the urine. On account of the unintended effects, people that have undergone gastric bypass should take care not to use too much alcohol sugar.