xylitol, erithritol, agave and stevia

amersmanders

Hi there,

I'm curious if there have been any long term studies about the affects of these "natural" sweeteners and whether they are in fact any better/healthier like they say. I am trying to avoid sugar cane, so have tried brown rice sugar, beet sugar and honey as substitutes. I get frustrated that brown rice sugar is really only prevalent in high carb foods like cereals which I am also trying to avoid. I have a mild food sensitivity to honey, and concerns about its production so I haven't used it as a replacement sweetener either. I desperately try to avoid aspartame and the other "diet soda sweeteners" because they taste terrible. HFCS is pure poison.

So, that leaves me with xylitol, erithritol, agave and stevia.

Agave is highly processed, so even though it's a "natural" sweetener, it loses a lot of its natural-ness by being processed.

I'd love to hear about any longitudinal studies if anyone knows about any of them. Preferably ones not completed by the company hoping to profit off of them.

trinityrdh

I attended a continuing education course in April about the differences between "sugars". The information presented was astonishing to say the least! I will have to go back and re-read the material for all the details. You sound like you are really up on research so, I can try to find a way to post the info for you to browse. But, the short story is if you want to know the "best for your body" sweetener with regards to long-term health and wellness, it appears to be stevia. From what I remember, that is because of the way it is digested.

Xylitol is great for the teeth but too much can wreak havoc on the digestive system (diarrhea). Agave and honey are only great options if pure, raw, unprocessed, etc. The hint with those two is to get the very darkest in color (less processed).

By the way, the course was sponsored by Philips Sonicare. No ties to the food/sweetener/etc. industry

WendyTerry420

Stevia actually helps regulate your blood sugars.

Most of the studies that have been done are out of Paraguay, since the FDA doesn't really allow testing on nature.

yarwell

The white sugar from cane and beet are 99%+ identical.

Xylitol has its issues like "anal leakage", so is used in gum or toothpaste or other low consumption materials. Erythritol I believe leaves the body in urine so avoids the bowel fermentation problems.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erythritol
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xylitol

wiki pages have references, more for Xylitol on account of its dental claims.

amersmanders

I attended a continuing education course in April about the differences between "sugars". The information presented was astonishing to say the least! I will have to go back and re-read the material for all the details. You sound like you are really up on research so, I can try to find a way to post the info for you to browse. But, the short story is if you want to know the "best for your body" sweetener with regards to long-term health and wellness, it appears to be stevia. From what I remember, that is because of the way it is digested.

Xylitol is great for the teeth but too much can wreak havoc on the digestive system (diarrhea). Agave and honey are only great options if pure, raw, unprocessed, etc. The hint with those two is to get the very darkest in color (less processed).

By the way, the course was sponsored by Philips Sonicare. No ties to the food/sweetener/etc. industry

that would be great! I'd really like to know as much as possible.

cookjl124

I have IBS and would like to know more about stevia... i cant use any of the artificial sweeteners... and im a die hard sweet tooth so ive been trying to learn more about stevia, good luck on your quest