Are polyols (in sugar free products) counted as carbs

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AMRROL
AMRROL Posts: 168 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I don't know whether or not to count them as carbs.

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  • HellYeahItsKriss
    HellYeahItsKriss Posts: 906 Member
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    They do not count as carbs but they do give calories in the form of fatty acids
  • CyberTone
    CyberTone Posts: 7,337 Member
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    "Sugar alcohols are neither sugars nor alcohols. They are carbohydrates with a chemical structure that partially resembles sugar and partially resembles alcohol, but they don’t contain ethanol as alcoholic beverages do. They are incompletely absorbed and metabolized by the body, and consequently contribute fewer calories than most sugars. The commonly used sugar alcohols include sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, maltitol, maltitol syrup, lactitol, erythritol, isomalt and hydrogenated starch hydrolysates. Their calorie content ranges from zero to three calories per gram compared to four calories per gram for sucrose or other sugars. Most sugar alcohols are less sweet than sucrose; maltitol and xylitol are about as sweet as sucrose."

    "Much like dietary fiber, even though sugar alcohols are technically carbohydrates, they have a lower energy density (calories per gram), because of their incomplete absorption and therefore, shouldn’t be counted as part of total carbohydrates. This rationale is being debated in the scientific community."

    References:

    http://www.foodinsight.org/articles/sugar-alcohols-fact-sheet

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_alcohol
  • CyberTone
    CyberTone Posts: 7,337 Member
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    HellYeahItsKriss wrote: »
    They do not count as carbs but they do give calories in the form of fatty acids

    Sugar alcohols can be used as precursors to create fatty acid esters, which can be used as low-calorie emulsifiers in foods, such as low-cal ice cream (Halo Top for example). Not all sugar alcohols used as food additives are in the form of sugar esters though.

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