Xylitol Benefits

There are several potential benefits of xylitol, including preventing dental cavities, treating dry mouth, and preventing ear infections in children. It is also useful as a sugar substitute for people with diabetes and may be beneficial as a reduced-calorie and carbohydrate-free sweetener for people trying to lose weight. While there are some established claims, not all products contain enough xylitol to provide these benefits.

Xylitol Sweetener Information

What Are the Benefits of Xylitol?

Xylitol is a naturally occurring sugar substitute. It is not an artificial sweetener, nor is it a calorie-free sweetener. There are some clearly established benefits with xylitol, although not all products contain enough xylitol to provide these benefits. There are also some claims that are not yet clearly established.

Potential xylitol benefits include:

Preventing dental cavities (known medically as caries) when used in gums, candies, foods, or toothpastes
Preventing ear infections in children when used in gums, lozenges, or syrups
Treating dry mouth when used in gums, lozenges, mouthwashes, or toothpastes.

Xylitol is also useful as a sugar substitute for people with diabetes, since it does not have a large impact on blood sugar or insulin. It is also used in certain situations in mixtures for IV nutrition (feedings given intravenously).

This product may also be beneficial as a reduced-calorie and carbohydrate-free sweetener for people trying to lose weight, especially with low-carbohydrate diets.

There is some evidence that xylitol may be beneficial for these uses, although some uses have more scientific evidence in their favor than others (see Does Xylitol Work? for more information).

(Xylitol Benefits Continued: Page 2)