Why does too much maltitol result in diarrhea? Does all sugar alcohols give you diarrhea? Are all kinds of sugar substitutes added to food healthy?
Today we’re going to talk about it. What exactly is sugar alcohol? Sugar alcohols are polyols that are generally made from a wide range of corresponding sugars. For example, the xylose reduction is the familiar xylitol.In addition, the sugar alcohols currently under development are as follows:Glucose → sorbitol fructose → mannitol lactose → Lactitol glucose → erythritol sucrose → isomaltolSorbitol Sugar alcohol is now one of the more typical “functional food additives”. Why is it added to food? Because it has a lot of advantages.
First of all, the stability of sugar alcohols to acid heat is good, and the Maillard reaction is not so easy to occur in heat, so it generally does not cause the loss of nutrients and the generation and accumulation of carcinogens. Secondly, sugar alcohols are not used by microorganisms in our mouth, which reduces the pH value in the mouth, so it does not corrode teeth;
In addition, sugar alcohols will not increase the blood sugar value of the human body, but also provide a certain amount of calories, so it can be used as a nutritional sweetener for diabetic people.
There are many kinds of xylitol snacks and desserts on the market. So you can see why sugar alcohols are a classic “functional food additive”? After all, it has low sweetness, high nutritional safety, does not cause dental caries, does not affect blood sugar value, and high acid heat stability.
Of course, sugar alcohols are good, but don’t be greedy – most sugar alcohols are usually laxative when taken in large doses
Maltitol eat more diarrhea, what principle? Before explaining the principle, let’s first look at the purging effects of several common (commonly used) sugar alcohols.
Sugar alcohol
Sweetness(sucrose =100)
Diarrhea effect
Xylitol
90-100
++
Sorbitol
50-60
++
Mannitol
50-60
+++
Maltitol
80-90
++
Lactitol
30-40
+
Information Source: Salminen and Hallikainen (2001). Sweeteners, Food Additives.Ⅱnd Edition.
When you eat sugar alcohols, they are not broken down by pepsin, but go directly to the intestines. Most sugar alcohols are absorbed very slowly in the intestine, which creates high osmotic pressure, which causes the osmotic pressure of the intestinal contents to rise, and then the mucosal water in the intestinal wall gets into the intestinal cavity, and then you’re in a mess.
At the same time, after sugar alcohol enters the large intestine, it will be fermented by intestinal bacteria to produce gas, so the stomach will also flatulence. However, not all sugar alcohols produce diarrhea and gas.
For example, erythritol, the only zero-calorie sugar alcohol, has a small molecular weight and is easy to absorb, and only a small amount of it enters the large intestine to be fermented by microorganisms. The human body is also relatively high tolerance of erythritol, 80% of erythritol into the human blood, is not catabolized by enzymes, does not provide energy for the body, does not participate in sugar metabolism, can only be excreted through the urine, so it usually does not cause diarrhea and flatness.
The human body has a high tolerance for isomaltol, and 50g daily intake will not cause gastrointestinal discomfort. In addition, isomaltol is also an excellent bifidobacterium proliferation factor, which can promote the growth and reproduction of bifidobacterium, maintain the microecological balance of intestinal tract, and is conducive to health.
To sum up, the main causes of diarrhea and flatulence caused by sugar alcohol are: first, it is not metabolized by human enzymes but is used by intestinal flora; The other is the body’s low tolerance to it.
If you choose erythritol and isomaltol in food, or improve the formula to increase the body’s tolerance to sugar alcohol, you can greatly reduce the side effects of sugar alcohol.
What else is sugar substitute? Is it really safe?
Many people love to eat sweet, but sweetness brings us happiness at the same time, it also brings obesity, tooth decay and cardiovascular disease. So in order to meet the dual needs of taste and health, sugar substitute was born.
Sugar substitutes are a group of compounds that make foods sweet and are low in calories. In addition to sugar alcohols, there are other types of sugar substitutes, such as licorice, stevia, monkfruit glycoside, soma sweet and other natural sugar substitutes; And saccharin, acesulfameae, aspartame, sucralose, cyclamate and other synthetic sugar substitutes. Many beverages on the market are labeled “no sugar, zero sugar”, many actually mean “no sucrose, no fructose”, and usually add sweeteners (sugar substitutes) to ensure sweetness. For example, one brand of soda contains erythritol and sucralose.
Some time ago, the concept of “no sugar” and “zero sugar” caused widespread discussion on the Internet, and many people questioned its safety.
How to put it? The relationship between sugar substitutes and health is complex. First of all, natural sugar substitutes have a positive impact on human health. At present, the main difficulties lie in their production costs and the availability of natural resources.
Momordica contains natural sugar “Momordica glucoside”. Studies have shown that momoside can improve glucose and fat utilization, increase insulin sensitivity, which is expected to improve diabetes. Unfortunately, these mechanisms of action are still unclear. Other scientific studies have shown that zero-calorie synthetic sugar substitutes can reduce the number of beneficial bacteria in the gut and lead to intestinal flora disorders, increasing the risk of glucose intolerance. On the other hand, certain sugar substitutes (mainly low-calorie synthetic substitutes), such as isomaltol and lactitol, can play a positive role by increasing the number and diversity of gut flora.
In addition, xylitol has an inhibitory effect on digestive enzymes such as alpha-glucosidase. Neohesperidin has some antioxidant properties. A mixture of saccharin and neohesperidin improves and increases beneficial bacteria. Stevioside has the function of promoting insulin, lowering blood sugar and maintaining glucose homeostasis. In general, most of the foods we see with added sugar, since they can be approved for market, there is no need to worry too much about their safety.Just look at the ingredients list when you buy these products and eat them in moderation.
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