WHAT IS XYLITOL? Xylitol is a natural five carbon sugar that looks and taste like sugar.

Xylitol is found in fibrous vegetables and fruit, as well as in corn and various hardwood trees like birch. The body itself produces up to 15 grams daily from other foods during normal metabolism. Pure pharmaceutical-grade Xylitol is a white, crystalline carbohydrate that is classified according to some chemical encyclopedias, as a sugar. Xylitol tastes and looks exactly like sugar but that is where the similarities end. Xylitol is sugars mirror image, where sugar creates havoc and bacterial growth within the body. Xylitol heals and repairs. Xylitol is a natural antimicrobial which means, it prevents growth of bacteria. Xylitol leaves no after taste and can be replaced for sugar 1 to 1. Xylitol is the only form of sugar that does not promote and feed dangerous bacteria and fungi. Approved by USFDA and World Health Organization.

NUTRITIONAL FACTS Though Xylitol looks and taste like sugar, it has 40% less calories then sugar and a remarkable 70% less carbs. low glycemic index 7 little effect on blook sugar and insulin levels steady release of energy lowers serum free fatty acid levels reduces carbohydrate cravings and binge eating inhibits yeast improves dental health alkaline enhancing

XYLITOL: OUR SWEET SALVATION?

(section reprinted from Nexus New TImes, Jan-Feb 2003) by Sherill Sellman 2002 Sherill Sellman

XYLITOL TO THE RESCUE! During World War II, Finland was suffering from an acute sugar shortage. With no domestic supply of sugar, the Finns searched for an alternative. It was then that the Finnish scientists rediscovered xylitol, a low-calorie sugar made from birch bark. It had, in fact, been known to the world of organic chemistry since it was first manufactured in 1891 by a German chemist.
Jeff D. Wahlen * Yoli Independent Distributor * www.19.goyoli.com * 407.658.6677

By 1930, xylitol had been purified, but it wasn't until World War II that the sugar shortages forced researchers to look at alternative sweeteners. It was only when xylitol was stabilized that it became a viable sweetener in foods. It was also during this time that researchers discovered xylitol's insulin-independent nature. (metabolization without using insulin.) By the 1960s, xylitol was being used in Germany, Switzerland, the Soviet Union, and Japan as a preferred sweetener in diabetic diets and as an energy source for infusion therapy in patients with impaired glucose tolerance and insulin resistance. Since then, many other countries, including Italy and China, have been producing xylitol for use in their domestic markets-and with remarkable health benefits. It has been relatively unknown in the U.S.A. and Australia, primarily because cheap supplies of cane sugar made the more expensive xylitol less economically viable. Xylitol is a natural substance found in fibrous vegetables and fruit, as well as in corn cobs and various hardwood trees like birch. It is a natural, intermediate product which regularly occurs in the glucose metabolism of man and other animals, as well as in the metabolism of several plants and micro-organisms. Xylitol is produced naturally in our bodies; in fact, we make up to 15 grams daily during normal metabolism. Although xylitol tastes and looks exactly like sugar, that is where the similarities end. Xylitol is really sugar's mirror image. While sugar wreaks havoc on the body, xylitol heals and repairs. It also builds immunity, protects against chronic degenerative disease, and has anti-aging benefits. Xylitol is considered a five-carbon sugar, which means it is an antimicrobial, preventing the growth of bacteria. While sugar is acid-forming, xylitol is alkaline enhancing. All other forms of sugar, including sorbitol, another popular alternative sweetener, are sixcarbon sugars, which feed dangerous bacteria and fungi. Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1963, xylitol has no known toxic levels. The only discomfort that some sensitive people may notice initially when taking large amounts is mild diarrhea or slight cramping. Since the body makes xylitol daily, as well as the enzymes to break it down, any discomfort usually disappears within a few days as the body's enzymatic activity adjusts to a higher intake. Xylitol has 40% fewer calories and 75% fewer carbohydrates than sugar and is slowly absorbed and metabolised, resulting in very negligible changes in insulin. About one-third of the xylitol that is consumed is absorbed in the liver. The other two-thirds travels to the intestinal tract, where it is broken down by gut bacteria into short-chain fatty acids. Xylitol looks, feels, and tastes exactly like sugar, and leaves no unpleasant aftertaste. It is available in many forms. In its crystalline form, it can replace sugar in cooking, baking, or as a sweetener for beverages. It is also included as an ingredient in chewing gum, mints, and nasal spray.

Jeff D. Wahlen * Yoli Independent Distributor * www.19.goyoli.com * 407.658.6677

What is Xylitol?

A Xylitol is a naturally occurring substance found in fruits like plums; berries, such as raspberries and strawberries; vegetables, as in lettuce and corncobs; and hard woods, such as birch and beech trees. Additionally, its produced in our own bodies during the normal metabolism of glucose. A five-carbon sugar alcohol or polyol, it is as sweet as sucrose but is noncariogenic. Xylitol is nutritive because it contains calories, unlike artificial sweeteners, eg, saccharin. (See Table 1). Xylitol is a white crystalline substance that looks very similar to sugar. It can be purchased in bulk form and used as a sugar replacement at an approximate 1-to-1 ratio. However, Xylitol, like the other polyols sorbitol and mannitol, produces a cooling sensation in the mouth, which is why it is often associated with a mint flavor.

TABLE 1. Sweeteners
NATURAL SUGARS
Sucrose Glucose Frucose Lactose

Nutritive Carbohydrate (calories/gram)

Nonnutritive (no caloric value)

Cariogenic

"Sugar-free" label (noncariogenic)

Sweetness*

4 4 4 4

Yes Yes Yes Yes

No No No No

1 0.7 1.5 0.2

SUGAR SUBSTITUTES Sugar Alcohols/Polyols

Xylitol 2.4 No Yes 1

Jeff D. Wahlen * Yoli Independent Distributor * www.19.goyoli.com * 407.658.6677

Sorbitol Mannitol Maltitol

2.6 1.6 2.1

No No No

Yes Yes Yes

0.6 0.5 0.9

Artificial Sweeteners
Aspartame (NutriSweet, Equal)** Saccharin (Sweet 'N Low) Sucralose (SPLENDA) Acesulfame Potassium (Sunett) No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes 180 300 600 200

*Sucrose (table sugar) is the standard value of 1 that the other sweeteners are compared with to determine their level sweetness. ** Aspartame is technically a nutritive sweetener. Because of its intense sweetness however, it is used in such small amounts that its nutritive value is negligible.

Q A

How does Xylitol work in caries prevention?

Xylitol is noncariogenic because it does not ferment (produce acids in the oral cavity). As a five-

carbon sugar alcohol, Xylitol cannot be digested by bacteria, as opposed to natural sugars or other sugar alcohols that are six-carbon molecules and fermentable. Other sugar alcohols ferment very slowly and, therefore, are considered noncariogenic. The thinking behind Xylitols inability to ferment is that Xylitol interferes with the metabolism of Streptococcus mutans when it is transported into the cell, where it probably stays bound to the transport protein. This bond is unbreakable by the usual enzymes so the transport protein is essentially tied up. The transport protein cant go back out to get more glucose to provide the cell with energy. The reduced number of functioning transport proteins is the process thought to reduce acid production in S. mutans.1 An additional hypothesis about Xylitols mechanism of action is that it helps reduce the number of S. mutans in plaque and, ultimately, in the oral cavity. The theory is that the bacteria are not as able to produce the sticky extracellular polysaccharides that bind bacteria together and, as a result, they cant adhere as readily to the tooth surface.1

Q A

Does Xylitol have other health benefits besides its anti-cariogenic effect?

Xylitol has 40% fewer calories than sucrose and is often used as a sugar substitute in diabetic

diets because of its decreased caloric value. Sucrose has 4 calories per gram and Xylitol has about 2.4 calories per gram (Table 1, page 18). Xylitol is digested slowly, slowing the rise of blood glucose levels. Xylitol has a glycemic index of seven versus glucose, which is 100. Xylitol has 75% fewer carbohydrates than sucrose because only about a quarter of the Xylitol consumed is converted into glucose. Xylitol has been shown to help reduce middle ear infections.2 The main culprit in the middle ear infection is a bacterial relative of S. mutans. Probably the same logic about bacterial adherence applies to middle ear infections, however, more research is necessary.
Jeff D. Wahlen * Yoli Independent Distributor * www.19.goyoli.com * 407.658.6677

Q A

In order to gain the benefits of Xylitol, it must be ingested frequently, correct?

Yes, we recently completed a study to establish the minimal effective dose of Xylitol needed per

day, delivered via chewing gum, to reduce S. mutans. No effects were found with 3 g per day but noticeable changes did occur at 6 g and 10 g per day. There was a statistically significant reduction of S. mutans in plaque and saliva over 6 months in the groups with these higher levels of Xylitol per day.3 We have also looked at the effect of the frequency of Xylitol gum use per day, holding the dose constant at the level of 10 g per day. It appears that the effect increases with frequency of intake (these results have not yet been published). For caries prevention, I would recommend 6 g to 10 g of Xylitol per day via chewing gum, as we know this is an effective delivery vehicle. To achieve the maximum effect, break that dose up into three or four administrations per day. Xylitol gum needs to be chewed for 5 minutes to get all of the Xylitol out of the gum and into the mouth.

Marilynn Rothen, RDH, BS, is clinical manager of the University of Washingtons Regional Clinical Dental Research Center in Seattle. She oversees the day-to-day coordination of the clinical facility, staff, equipment, and approved research projects. Rothen also works in the universitys Dental Fears Research Clinic. She has published and lectured on the use of Xylitol.

The Magic Sweetener? Dental researchers have known something most of us dont know that the natural sweetener xylitol can prevent cavities. It may be about as good as fluoride. Dr. Peter Milgrom, who teaches, researches and practices dentistry at the University of Washington, has become a big fan of xylitol. I reported on his latest study, showing a benefit to babies.
Birch trees in Finland (Flickr photo by Slider5)

Here are some additional xylitol facts from Dr. Milgrom: The shortcomings of xylitol: It has cool taste, similar to mint, so works best in cold foods or mint flavors. And its a little more expensive than other sweeteners. Most studies so far have shown you need to get at least two, often three, doses of xylitol per day to get a benefit. And if its in a gum or toothpaste, for example, it needs to be the number one ingredient, not diluted with other sweeteners. But, if you get too much xylitol (admittedly rare), you might get stomach upset and diarrhea. There were some suggestive studies from Finland, using very small samples, saying xylitol also might prevent ear infections. Weird, and not verified. Milgrom has applied for funding to investigate that. Finland, by the way, is like the World Capitol for xylitol. The Finns have been building up a xylitol industry, presumably because they can grow big crops of birch trees, which are the main source of the substance. Milgroms research is mostly government funded, but he does get free xylitol for his experiments from a Danish company called Danisco. If youre intrigued, he says Danisco runs a credible website for basic facts about xylitol. (What does xylitol do? Basically, it blocks the bacteria that form dental plaques, interfering with their ability to feed and to stick to teeth.)
Jeff D. Wahlen * Yoli Independent Distributor * www.19.goyoli.com * 407.658.6677