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Personally, I'd like to see Sugar Alcohols get more widely used (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_alcohol http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_alcohol). Sugar
by mdasen 16y ago
Personally, I'd like to see Sugar Alcohols get more widely used (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_alcohol http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_alcohol). Sugar alcohols are not metabolized by oral bacteria so they're much better for dental health (and used in many chewing gums today such as Trident). They also have fewer calories and are metabolized slower by the body. That means there's less chance that they'll contribute to obesity (fewer calories) and they have a lower impact on the body's blood sugar levels (with a low glycemic index due to the way it's slowly metabolized).
I'm guessing the reason that they're not widely used would be cost and difficulty. Still, if we could figure out a way to produce sugar alcohols cheaply, we could keep our sweet food while having a meaningful and scientifically proven positive impact on our bodies.
- rbranson 16y agoSugar alcohols create a cooling sensation on the tongue, so they aren't appropriate for everything. They've also got somewhat of a stigma from causing digestive problems. Erythritol, which doesn't cause digestive problems, is starting to gain popularity though.