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Xylitol is associated with cardiovascular risk
- 11001100 2y agoDamn! I consume it regularly. Not so much in one day, of course, because it does have a laxative effect. But every cake I've made has been baked with it.
- jajko 2y ago"widely used sugar substitutes in processed foods" - what could go wrong, right
- 0cf8612b2e1e 2y agoAs opposed to throwing corn syrup into everything possible. Any non raw food you acquire is probably loaded with some junk or another.
- jiveturkey 2y agoCan anyone summarize how much risk? I don't see that in the abstract. And how much amount of xylitol where it becomes a risk? (We all know, everything can kill you in the right volumes, even water, but there are also healthy volumes.) I go through a lot of chewing gum with xylitol.
- Bo0kerDeWitt 2y agoI'm almost certain I'm mildly intolerant to xylitol, maltitol, and sorbitol - so I avoid them all. There must be others like me, but I hardly every see this discussed. And there's no medical test I know of that can prove it, but I really wish there was.
- stbenjam 2y agoDo you get a laxative effect or other gastro symptoms? Sorbitol is the reason prune juice is an effective laxative. Xylitol is usually such a small amount that it doesn't have that effect although some people are more sensitive.
- alan-crowe 2y agoSabine Hossenfelder, a physics Youtuber, recently departed from her usual content to discuss sorbitol giving her digestive problems: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5v61YtDYo4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5v61YtDYo4
- gensym 2y agoI've seen it discussed in reviews of sugar-free Haribo gummy bears: https://www.amazon.com/review/R2JGNJ5ZPJT4YC https://www.amazon.com/review/R2JGNJ5ZPJT4YC
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- aussieguy1234 2y agoThese are FODMAPs, which many people with IBS find triggering. You might want to see a dietitian and find out which other FODMAPs you're sensitive to.
- Spastche 2y agoI want to say one of those was originally made to induce diarrhea. I can't eat them either.
- Ardon 2y agoI wonder how much this generalizes to other sugar alcohols, I've got some erythritol in the cupboard...
- benterix 2y agoErythritol consumption was already related to increased rate of cardiovascular events: https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/erythritol-cardiovascular-events https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/erythri...
- m_a_g 2y agoHow much Xylitol? We need resident researchers of HN to help us analyze the paper. Or basically I’m hoping someone can tell me whether the paper is trustworthy or not so I can continue taking mints in peace.
- Enginerrrd 2y agoJust read the paper. In the 2149 participants, detection in fasting plasma was associated with a hazard ratio of 1.57 It was also shown to enhance clotting at the levels detected in fasting plasma (in 10 people) which provides a potential mechanism to explain the effects observed in the larger group. As for how legit it is... The number of people is significant. My only complaint is they didn't measure xylitol directly, rather they tested for polyol or something.
- dev_tty01 2y agoThanks. That's a substantial ratio. Hazen's group is at the Cleveland clinic and has done a lot of good work so there is something there. Anything on how much Xylitol use is required to get to that risk level?
- zw7 2y agoI believe they confirmed it was xylitol with LC-MS to validate it: > Subsequent stable isotope dilution LC-MS/MS analyses (validation cohort) specific for xylitol (and not its structural isomers) confirmed its association with incident MACE
- kurtextrem 2y ago"xylitol-sweetened (30 g) water, an exposure comparable with a pint of numerous xylitol-sweetened ice creams, a xylitol-sweetened bakery good, or several pieces of xylitol-sweetened candy" (source: https://www.reddit.com/r/science/comments/1d9ql2u/comment/l7g9yup/ https://www.reddit.com/r/science/comments/1d9ql2u/comment/l7...)
- whalesalad 2y agoIt's also incredibly lethal to dogs so for that reason alone I keep it out of my house. https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/paws-xylitol-its-dangerous-dogs https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/paws-xylitol-...
- kobalsky 2y agoI still don't understand how some brands could put it on peanut butter. A few tablespoons can kill a small dog. It's commonly known that chocolate and onions are bad for dogs but this stuff is on another league.
- r00fus 2y agoHonestly, I simply don't understand any reason to add any ingredients to peanut butter than peanuts and salt (and the 2nd is optional).
- eurleif 2y agoI buy the stuff that's just peanuts and salt because it's tastier, but mixing it really is a chore. It's not hard to understand why the type with other ingredients exists.
- musicale 2y agoStoring jars sideways risks oil leakage, but makes their contents easier to mix. Also refrigeration seems to slow oil separation.
- Abekkus 2y agoI stir it when I first open the jar, then store it upside down in the fridge, which works great, I often just scrape what I need off of the lid, but I may try storing it sideways next, thanks.
- david-gpu 2y ago
- tengbretson 2y agoHopefully this means all of the sugar alcohols will get taken off the market. Nothing makes for a worse long road trip than accidentally buying a drink that contains that garbage at the beginning.
- SoftTalker 2y ago"Don't consume chemical sweeteners" is a pretty good rule of thumb. Almost all of them have been suspected of adverse effects of one sort or another. Of course sugar has its own issues as well. These days I use very little additional sweetening in any of my food. It's hard to avoid though, it's added to a lot of foods (check ingredients) and even fruit such as apples and oranges has been bred to be sweeter than it naturally was 100 years ago. Biggest difference-maker for most people is probably sweetened drinks. Avoid soft drinks (diet or regular), sweetened tea or coffee, sports drinks, and most packaged juices.
- HumblyTossed 2y agoSugar alcohols have other benefits like not dramatically raising blood sugar levels. also: > Xylitol is a sugar alcohol that is found in small amounts in fruit and vegetables, and the human body also produces it.
- stbenjam 2y ago> "Don't consume chemical sweeteners" is a pretty good rule of thumb. I assume you mean non-caloric sweeteners, since all sweeteners are chemicals including table sugar (sucrose). While suspected, few have any proven negative impacts. AceK and aspartame are probably the most well studied and the evidence is equivocal. It's probably in the end net neutral. Some even have benefits, including most sugar alcohols being good for oral health. Erythritol has antioxidant effects in animal models as well.
- gensym 2y agoThis 5+ hour podcast on Aspartame is as fascinating as a podcast on the topic could be: https://www.strongerbyscience.com/podcast-episode-116/ https://www.strongerbyscience.com/podcast-episode-116/
- neonsunset 2y agoFor a very small but non-negligible amount of population aspartame is a severe migraine trigger.
- notjoemama 2y agoHere's the correct principle to live by: If it didn't occur in nature where evolution honed both its existence and human's tolerance to it, then don't consume/use it. After so many years, I simply can't count how many times "science" has brought us some new food, ingredient, or chemical, which passed all security measures, only to find later it causes or contributes noticeably to some horrible outcome. And I'm perfectly fine not attributing malice. My experience tells me we're quite good at doing the wrong thing while thinking we're doing the right thing. Although, given the current economic climate, malice is probably just as valid.
- stbenjam 2y agoXylitol exists in nature.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- kyleee 2y agoAs usual the dose makes the poison
- klodolph 2y agohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xylitol https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xylitol > Xylitol occurs naturally in small amounts in plums, strawberries, cauliflower, and pumpkin; humans and many other animals make trace amounts during metabolism of carbohydrates.
- HumblyTossed 2y ago> Xylitol is a sugar alcohol that is found in small amounts in fruit and vegetables, and the human body also produces it.
- hollerith 2y ago"Xylitol is found naturally in fruits and vegetables like strawberries, raspberries, mushrooms and cauliflower" https://foodinsight.org/what-is-xylitol/#:~:text=Xylitol%20is%20found%20naturally%20in,%2C%20raspberries%2C%20mushrooms%20and%20cauliflower https://foodinsight.org/what-is-xylitol/#:~:text=Xylitol%20i....
- superposeur 2y agoI started reading the different sections of the paper and —- wait, no, this is still the Abstract!
- coding123 2y agoIt kills a lot of animals very quickly with a low dose... I stay away from the stuff
- throwawa14223 2y agoXylitol gum stopped chronic ear pain for me. It'd be hard to give up, but I do like having a heart.
- distances 2y agoMillions upon millions of people chew xylitol gum every day. If you're actually observing direct benefits yourself, I'm sure those greatly outweigh any potential downsides.
- skmurphy 2y agoThis is one study, if you are seeing a benefit I would continue to use it but remain alert to new research.
- OutOfHere 2y agoApparently your ear pain is referred from an oral infection which xylitol helps with. You can consider xylitol mouthwash instead that is spit out. Pure table salt (without additives) also makes a decent antimicrobial mouthwash.
- 0cf8612b2e1e 2y agoThat sounds horrible. How much salt are we talking taking and for how long? If I only had iodized salt, is that going to make a difference? Chemically, it makes sense, but I doubt my mouth loves being exposed to a salt bath either.
- OutOfHere 2y agoIf it sounds horrible, it's because your interpretation of it is horrible, also horribly wrong. Iodine doesn't matter, but such salt is almost always coupled with numerous other additives that can be quite harmful to the teeth, e.g. starches, sugars, etc. It is best to get pure salt. If not having an active infection, it needs to be done only at night before bed. It is not a big deal if you don't eat or drink anything after it. Do not swallow it while you rinse it. The moment you drink something after it, that's when it becomes horrible. If having an infection, it is better to do it at least three times a day while you're waiting for professional treatment, e.g. antibiotics and/or a root canal.
- AlbertCory 2y agoInterestingly, the NeilMed sinus rinse I use has a "xylitol added" version. But you can also buy the regular saline-bicarb powder on Amazon, thank God. Xylitol! Who TF wants that up their nose?
- 542458 2y agoXylitol in nasal spray helps pull liquid into the nasal passages which helps if you have dry nasal passages and reduces your risk of contracting airborne infections. The amount of Xylitol is also tiny compared to what you get from even natural sources (which, granted, is different than inhaling it).
- skmurphy 2y agoXylitol kills strep bacteria and breaks down biofilms. It's a useful addition to toothpaste and sinus rinse to help breakdown plaque and prevent ear infections or throat infections by strep bacteria. It's also used in wound care formulations as a paste applied to a wound to help inhibit biofilm formation that slows healing.
- AlbertCory 2y agoWell, that might be. However, the Precautionary Principle applies here for me: saline and bicarb just mimic the chemistry inside your nose. Xylitol isn't necessary, so why introduce it? Who knows what side effects it might have? YMMV.
- skmurphy 2y agoReasonable men may differ.
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- dev_tty01 2y agoHow much risk? How much Xylitol? Disappointed those numbers aren't mentioned in the results section. Without seeing more, leaving that out leads me to suspect that the risk is low and the level of Xylitol is quite high. The links to get access to the article weren't working for me. Anyone have another link?
- 11001100 2y agohttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36849732/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36849732/ from 2023