4 ms·

What about xylitol?

zikzak 4y ago
I keep seeing things indicating this is good for your teeth (e.g. chewing gum with xylitol) but can't tell if it is astro-turfing or not (on my list of things to research when I retire).
- himinlomax 4y ago
  Iirc it disrupts the metabolism of microbes involves in tooth decay. It seems to also protect against throat infections. From personal experience, after eating/drinking xylitol, my mouth feels fresh as if I had just brushed.
- themodelplumber 4y ago
  I've asked three different dentists about it and they all said it actively prevents tooth decay, in so many words. Two of them also mentioned hydration being really good during the same conversation fwiw.
- darkerside 4y ago
  Personal experience, it really helps. I credit it to having good dentist visits despite mediocre dental hygiene.
cmrdporcupine 4y ago
Great sweetener, maybe my only complaint is ... slight minty taste, but be damn careful with it if you or anybody you know has a dog. Even very small quantities are lethal to them.
- darkerside 4y ago
  Yikes, didn't know this. Thanks. Cats?
  - zamerick 4y ago
    Also lethal to them. The big issue for dogs is that xylitol is used in several brands of peanut butter (or it was) and that's a common treat or medicine aid for dog owners
    - YeahNO 4y ago
      Is it lethal to cats though? https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29430681/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29430681/ I mean, better to be safe than sorry, but it doesn't seem to affect them in this study. Other non-scientific sources are all over the map on the question.
- kristjansson 4y ago
  1000x this. The most worried I've even been for my dog was when she got into a pack of gum sweetened with xylitol. She's fine, thankfully. Fun fact: the ASPCA poison control line has a database of products containing xylitol (and presumably tons of other stuff) and the concentration in each. Strongly recommend a call if your dog or cat gets into something dangerous (while you're driving to the vet).
stefanka 4y ago
(German) wikipedia mentions it is a relatively expensive sugar replacement. Maybe that's why it is less popular. Interesting is that it is pretty common in multiple plants (it sounds more natural at least)
foobiekr 4y ago
poisonous to dogs more profound cooling effect than erythritol (which has some) more expensive really, really does not caramelize and cooks very differently gastrointestinal effects causes an insulin spike
- dmix 4y ago
  > gastrointestinal effects Yeah Xylitol always caused me problems when I was younger and suffering more from ulcerative colitis. No problem with the other substitutes that I remember.

What about xylitol?

I keep seeing things indicating this is good for your teeth (e.g. chewing gum with xylitol) but can't tell if it is astro-turfing or not (on my list of things to research when I retire).

himinlomax 4y ago
Iirc it disrupts the metabolism of microbes involves in tooth decay. It seems to also protect against throat infections. From personal experience, after eating/drinking xylitol, my mouth feels fresh as if I had just brushed.
themodelplumber 4y ago
I've asked three different dentists about it and they all said it actively prevents tooth decay, in so many words. Two of them also mentioned hydration being really good during the same conversation fwiw.
darkerside 4y ago
Personal experience, it really helps. I credit it to having good dentist visits despite mediocre dental hygiene.

cmrdporcupine 4y ago

Great sweetener, maybe my only complaint is ... slight minty taste, but be damn careful with it if you or anybody you know has a dog. Even very small quantities are lethal to them.

darkerside 4y ago
Yikes, didn't know this. Thanks. Cats?
- zamerick 4y ago
  Also lethal to them. The big issue for dogs is that xylitol is used in several brands of peanut butter (or it was) and that's a common treat or medicine aid for dog owners
  - YeahNO 4y ago
    Is it lethal to cats though? https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29430681/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29430681/ I mean, better to be safe than sorry, but it doesn't seem to affect them in this study. Other non-scientific sources are all over the map on the question.
kristjansson 4y ago
1000x this. The most worried I've even been for my dog was when she got into a pack of gum sweetened with xylitol. She's fine, thankfully. Fun fact: the ASPCA poison control line has a database of products containing xylitol (and presumably tons of other stuff) and the concentration in each. Strongly recommend a call if your dog or cat gets into something dangerous (while you're driving to the vet).

stefanka 4y ago

(German) wikipedia mentions it is a relatively expensive sugar replacement. Maybe that's why it is less popular. Interesting is that it is pretty common in multiple plants (it sounds more natural at least)

foobiekr 4y ago

poisonous to dogs more profound cooling effect than erythritol (which has some) more expensive really, really does not caramelize and cooks very differently gastrointestinal effects causes an insulin spike

dmix 4y ago
> gastrointestinal effects Yeah Xylitol always caused me problems when I was younger and suffering more from ulcerative colitis. No problem with the other substitutes that I remember.