Sugar alcohols

"Stuart Pedazzo" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I found a "carb-friendly" product at the store today that said it had 3 effective grams of carbs.
When I looked at the nutritional panel it stated :

Total carbs : 15g Sugar alcohols : 12g Effective carbs: 3g

Is sugar alcohol non-digestible like fiber? Any info would be appreciated.

Sugar alcohol = laxative. Eat with great care! And check your BG. Some people find that these
products raise their BG just like sugar would.

--
Type 2 users.bestweb.net~jboveOpen ↗

Stuart Pedazzo <[email hidden]> wrote in
:"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

I found a "carb-friendly" product at the store today that said it had 3 effective grams of carbs.
When I looked at the nutritional panel it stated :

Total carbs : 15g Sugar alcohols : 12g Effective carbs: 3g

Is sugar alcohol non-digestible like fiber? Any info would be appreciated.

The sugar alcohols (xylitol, sorbitol, mannitol, and hydrogenated starch hydrolysates) are absorbed
more slowly than carbohydrates as they are processed further down the gut. For reasons that have
never been fully clear to me, it is difficult to give an accurate calorie/gram figure, but it is
less that the 4 calories/gram for carbohydrates. They are widely used in diabetic/dietetic foods.
The slow absorbtion of sugar alcohols can be a source of difficulty since it can promote osmotic
diarrhea. For most people, this is only a problem when ingesting large quantities (30-50 g depending
on the particular compound). Some people seem to be more sensitive.

Charly Coughran [email hidden]

Stuart Pedazzo said:

I found a "carb-friendly" product at the store today that said it had 3 effective grams of carbs.
When I looked at the nutritional panel it stated :

Total carbs : 15g Sugar alcohols : 12g Effective carbs: 3g

Is sugar alcohol non-digestible like fiber? Any info would be appreciated.

Sugar alcohols do not contribute to blood glucose increase in the same way as other carbohydrates
(except fiber). A recent study reports that the blood glucose increase is different for different
sugar alcohols. See <diabetes.caSugarAlcohols WoleverOpen ↗ CJDDecember2002.pdf>.

At the last diabetes education class I attended, I received a handout saying to divide sugar alcohol
grams by 2 and then subtract from total carbs. All of the marketing for "effective carbs" or "net
carbs" just subtracts all of the sugar alcohols. For some sugar alcohols, and for some people, that
may be true. I don't know that it is true for all, and especially for the most commonly used sugar
alcohols like maltitol.

I plan to do some blood sugar tests on myself with a low carb bar with lots of sugar alcohols, but I
haven't gotten around to that yet.

Sugar alcohols can have a laxative effect.

--
Guy T2, dx 5/95, 60yo metformin+actos+lisinopril+diet+exercise

Stuart,

I stay away from sugar alcohols. Once my BG went way up with sugar alcohol. I cannot remember which
one but since then I do not eat anything=

containing "----ol". It was worst than the plain sugar. Am I a special case? I do not know.

Fran=E7oise.

Stuart Pedazzo said:

I found a "carb-friendly" product at the store today that said it had 3 effective grams of carbs.
When I looked at the nutritional panel it stated :

Total carbs : 15g Sugar alcohols : 12g Effective carbs: 3g

Is sugar alcohol non-digestible like fiber? Any info would be appreciated.

Sincerely,

Stuart Pedazzo...but you can call me Stu!

Stuart Pedazzo said:

I found a "carb-friendly" product at the store today that said it had 3 effective grams of carbs.
When I looked at the nutritional panel it stated :

Total carbs : 15g Sugar alcohols : 12g Effective carbs: 3g

Is sugar alcohol non-digestible like fiber? Any info would be appreciated.

Sincerely, concatenated Stuart Pedazzo...but you can call me Stu!

Quoted message said:

Stuart Pedazzo <[email hidden]> wrote in
:"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

I found a "carb-friendly" product at the store today that said it had 3 effective grams of carbs.
When I looked at the nutritional panel it stated :

Total carbs : 15g Sugar alcohols : 12g Effective carbs: 3g

Is sugar alcohol non-digestible like fiber? Any info would be appreciated.

From: joslin.harvard.edusugar alcohols.shtmlOpen ↗

"The sugar alcohols commonly found in foods are sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, isomalt and
hydrogenated starch hydrolysates. Sugar alcohols come from plant products such as fruits and
berries. The carbohydrate in these plant products is altered through a chemical process. These
sugar substitutes provide somewhat fewer calories than table sugar (sucrose), mainly because they
are not well absorbed and may even have a small laxative effect.

Many so-called "dietetic" foods that are labeled "sugar free" or "no sugar added" in fact contain
sugar alcohols. People with diabetes MISTAKENLY think that foods labeled as "sugar free" or "no
sugar added" will have no effect on their blood sugars. Foods containing these sugar alcohols need
to have their calorie and carbohydrate contents accounted for in your overall meal plan, as it is
carbohydrate that raises blood sugar levels. Since many people typically overeat "sugar free" or "no
sugar added" foods, their blood sugar may be significantly elevated.

So the next time you pick up a dietetic food labeled "sugar free" be sure to check the label to see
if these sugar alcohols are listed. Most importantly, be sure to check what the total carbohydrate
content is per serving of any food, and incorporate that carbohydrate in your overall meal plan. If
the product contains any total carb grams, it may likely come from sugar alcohols."

Believe who you want. It is your health.

Sleepy

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COWBOY UP! Magic Number=6
========

Laxative,eh? And I thought being diabetic was already a pain in the
a..........well, you get the idea.

Quoted message said:

Sugar alcohol = laxative. Eat with great care! And check your BG. Some people find that these
products raise their BG just like sugar would.

Sincerely,

Stuart Pedazzo...but you can call me Stu!