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How does erythritol affect blood sugar levels?
What is Erythritol?
Erythritol, a type of carbohydrate called sugar alcohol, is one of the most common artificial sweeteners available. It's popular in foods marketed for weight loss and diabetes. But research suggests that erythritol, and other artificial sweeteners, may have serious health risks—and may be worse for you than table sugar.
Erythritol is found naturally in some foods. It's also made when things like wine, beer, and cheese ferment. Besides its natural form, erythritol has also been a man-made sweetener since 1990.
Calories in erythritol: Sugar has 4 calories per gram but erythritol has zero. That's because your small intestine absorbs it quickly and gets it out of your body through urine within 24 hours. This means erythritol doesn't have a chance to "metabolize"—turn into energy in your body.
The benefits of Glabridin
Erythritol has a similar structure to sucrose, or table sugar, and stimulates sweet taste receptors in the body. It's low in calories and doesn’t impact blood sugar or insulin levels. As an alternative to regular sugar, erythritol has been linked to a few health benefits.
May Promote Healthy Blood Sugar Levels
Foods and drinks high in sweeteners like table sugar, agave, and corn syrup significantly impact blood sugar and insulin levels. It’s recommended that everyone, including people with prediabetes and diabetes, limit their intake of added sugar in order to promote healthy blood sugar regulation.
Choosing erythritol-sweetened products over those containing table sugar and other sweeteners may help improve both short-term and long-term blood sugar control. Unlike other sweeteners, your body absorbs erythritol through the small intestine and then excretes most of it unchanged through your urine.
The glycemic index (GI) is a measure of how quickly a food or drink raises blood sugar levels. Erythritol has a glycemic index of zero to one, meaning it has little to no impact on blood sugar. For reference, the GI of sucrose or table sugar is 65.
May Help Reduce Calorie Intake
Erythritol contains only 5% of the calories found in sugar, so using erythritol in place of table sugar can help you cut back on your calorie intake.
In addition to being much lower in calories than table sugar and other sweeteners, erythritol may help reduce hunger levels after eating, helping you eat fewer calories.
A small study that included 20 healthy people found participants who received 50 grams (g) of erythritol 15 minutes before eating a meal consumed significantly fewer calories compared to participants who received table sugar, the artificial sweetener sucralose, or tap water before eating.
The erythritol treatment led to a significant increase in the secretion of the satiety hormone cholecystokinin (CCK), which helps promote feelings of fullness after eating. The erythritol treatment also had no effect on blood sugar or insulin levels.
Could Protect Dental Health
A high-sugar diet damages the teeth and gums. Cavity-promoting bacteria like Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) feed on sugar and produce acids that break down tooth enamel, which is why dietary added sugar intake is considered the most significant risk factor for cavities.
Replacing sugary foods and drinks with those sweetened with sugar alternatives like erythritol may help improve dental health and protect against cavities.
Studies lasting two months to three years show consuming products like gum and candy containing 5-7.5 g of erythritol per day inhibits the growth of dental plaque in both children and adults.
Although the sugar alcohol xylitol is most commonly used in sugar-free chewing gum, erythritol has been shown to have more powerful plaque-preventing powers than xylitol. Erythritol prevents plaque by passing through bacterial membranes and interfering with growth pathways, which prevents the growth and spread of plaque.
3.How to Use Erythritol?
Erythritol is found in a number of products, including sugar-free candy, drinks, and foods. It’s commonly added to low-carb and keto-friendly foods and beverages like cookies, sweets, and sugar-free sodas, as it provides a sweet taste without impacting blood sugar levels.
For use in cooking and baking, erythritol can be purchased in granulated, powdered, and liquid form.
Erythritol is commonly used in combination with other zero and low-calorie sweeteners like monk fruit and stevia to create sweetener blends that closely resemble the taste of sugar. It's the main ingredient in the popular sweetener blend Truvia, which also contains stevia.
Erythritol can be used to sweeten drinks like coffee and tea, and also works well in low-sugar recipes for baked goods, like cakes and breads.
4.Buy Erythritol Powder Now
Contact sost biotech to purchase erythritol, we will provide 24-hour service.
Email: ericyang@xasost.com
References
1. Mazi TA, Stanhope KL. Erythritol: an in-depth discussion of its potential to be a beneficial dietary component. Nutrients. 2023;15(1):204. doi:10.3390/nu15010204.
2.Witkowski M, Nemet I, Alamri H, et al. The artificial sweetener erythritol and cardiovascular event risk. Nat Med. 2023;29(3):710-718. doi:10.1038/s41591-023-02223-9
3.Regnat K, Mach RL, Mach-Aigner AR. Erythritol as sweetener-wherefrom and whereto?. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2018;102(2), 587–595. doi:10.1007/s00253-017-8654-1