4 ms·

Xylitol is prothrombotic and associated with cardiovascular risk

44 points by manmal 2y ago

gnabgib 2y ago
Discussion [0] (43 points, yesterday, 55 comments) [0]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40596089 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40596089
MithrilTuxedo 2y ago
It's still pretty great for toothpaste (I use Squiggle) and chewing gum that cleans your teeth (I chew Mentos).
Spastche 2y ago
it makes me poop funny
Salgat 2y ago
I already try my best to avoid it since it's extremely toxic to dogs. Why aren't other sweeteners just used instead?
- ncr100 2y ago
  Yes. Beware, it's in MOST Benadryl too. My dog did not get any xylitol BUT it was close -- he got stung by a bee, and was having difficulty breathing. And we received bad advice from a clinic to give him Benadryl. Which would have been good advice but for the fact Benadryl is VERY often sweetened with Xylitol. We got a 2nd opinion and better treatment from another emergency vet, by luck.
  - epukaza 2y ago
    > VERY often sweetened with Xylitol Where did you see Benadryl with Xylitol? They don't list it in any of their product ingredients, nor do they list it in their ingredient transparency page[1]. [1] https://www.benadryl.com/benadryl-difference/ingredients-transparency https://www.benadryl.com/benadryl-difference/ingredients-tra...
    - Salgat 2y ago
      Seems to be a common myth https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/benadryl-xylitol-dogs/ https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/benadryl-xylitol-dogs/
- manmal 2y ago
  I mean you could say the same about chocolate. Erythritol has the same issue btw, and let’s see what they find out about the others.
  - Salgat 2y ago
    Lethal doses of Xylitol for dogs is 0.5g per kg of pet weight, while for chocolate it 5g per kg for pure baking chocolate all the way to not being lethal at all for white chocolate. We're talking a magnitude of difference is lethal even for the most potent form of chocolate, and for dark chocolate it's 15g/kg versus 0.5g/kg for xylitol. To give an example, a typical hershey's milk chocolate bar is nearly impossible to kill your dog with, even if it's a small dog.
    - manmal 2y ago
      Most sweets are not 100% sugar or xylitol either. You‘d need to compare cocoa powder to xylitol instead, not the diluted form (baking chocolate).
    - jimbobthrowawy 2y ago
      How much xylitol is there in things that a dog might eat? When I imagine any kind of artificial sweetener, I assume it's hundreds or thousands of times sweeter than sugar and the quantities present are correspondingly lower.
      - manmal 2y ago
        Xylitol is roughly as sweet as sugar, unlike others.
khaki54 2y ago
Ugh I use xylitol impregnated floss as it has huge cavity prevention abilities. I guess there is no free lunch
- unaindz 2y ago
  I use gum for the same reason. I wonder what amount they used for the study. Afaik the amount you ingest with floss and gums is not very high. I've not been thorough but I couldn't find it in the study.
marginatum 2y ago
It is also highly toxic for dogs.

44 points by manmal 2y ago

Discussion [0] (43 points, yesterday, 55 comments) [0]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40596089 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40596089

MithrilTuxedo 2y ago

It's still pretty great for toothpaste (I use Squiggle) and chewing gum that cleans your teeth (I chew Mentos).

Spastche 2y ago

it makes me poop funny

Salgat 2y ago

I already try my best to avoid it since it's extremely toxic to dogs. Why aren't other sweeteners just used instead?

ncr100 2y ago
Yes. Beware, it's in MOST Benadryl too. My dog did not get any xylitol BUT it was close -- he got stung by a bee, and was having difficulty breathing. And we received bad advice from a clinic to give him Benadryl. Which would have been good advice but for the fact Benadryl is VERY often sweetened with Xylitol. We got a 2nd opinion and better treatment from another emergency vet, by luck.
- epukaza 2y ago
  > VERY often sweetened with Xylitol Where did you see Benadryl with Xylitol? They don't list it in any of their product ingredients, nor do they list it in their ingredient transparency page[1]. [1] https://www.benadryl.com/benadryl-difference/ingredients-transparency https://www.benadryl.com/benadryl-difference/ingredients-tra...
  - Salgat 2y ago
    Seems to be a common myth https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/benadryl-xylitol-dogs/ https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/benadryl-xylitol-dogs/
manmal 2y ago
I mean you could say the same about chocolate. Erythritol has the same issue btw, and let’s see what they find out about the others.
- Salgat 2y ago
  Lethal doses of Xylitol for dogs is 0.5g per kg of pet weight, while for chocolate it 5g per kg for pure baking chocolate all the way to not being lethal at all for white chocolate. We're talking a magnitude of difference is lethal even for the most potent form of chocolate, and for dark chocolate it's 15g/kg versus 0.5g/kg for xylitol. To give an example, a typical hershey's milk chocolate bar is nearly impossible to kill your dog with, even if it's a small dog.
  - manmal 2y ago
    Most sweets are not 100% sugar or xylitol either. You‘d need to compare cocoa powder to xylitol instead, not the diluted form (baking chocolate).
  - jimbobthrowawy 2y ago
    How much xylitol is there in things that a dog might eat? When I imagine any kind of artificial sweetener, I assume it's hundreds or thousands of times sweeter than sugar and the quantities present are correspondingly lower.
    - manmal 2y ago
      Xylitol is roughly as sweet as sugar, unlike others.

khaki54 2y ago

Ugh I use xylitol impregnated floss as it has huge cavity prevention abilities. I guess there is no free lunch

unaindz 2y ago
I use gum for the same reason. I wonder what amount they used for the study. Afaik the amount you ingest with floss and gums is not very high. I've not been thorough but I couldn't find it in the study.

marginatum 2y ago

It is also highly toxic for dogs.