By Karen Kier
Pharmacist on behalf of the ONU HealthWise team
The idiom “sweet tooth” describes an individual who craves chocolate, candies, cake, cookies or sweet desserts. Healthcare professionals including dentists warn of the dangers of too much sugar. These include heart disease, obesity, diabetes and tooth decay. An option to reduce sugar intake is a sugar substitute.
In 1963, the FDA approved the sugar substitute xylitol as a food additive to help patients with diabetes. Xylitol has been approved in 35 countries as a replacement for sugar. Xylitol is a 5-carbon sugar alcohol found naturally in small quantities in fruits and vegetables. When xylitol is used to enhance the sweetness of food, the levels can be 1000-fold higher than those found in nature.
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