Erythritol sugar is an alternative to natural sugar. Many people seek to live a healthy life free from diseases, and for this goal many have started resorting to healthy diets, which include replacing traditional table sugar (sucrose) with another type that is low or free of calories. One of these options that has become very popular in a short period is the sugar erythritol.
What is Erythritol Sugar?
Erythritol is considered semi-natural, as it is present in some types of fruits, and it can also be extracted industrially. Erythritol belongs to a family of widespread sweeteners known as alcoholic sweeteners, including erythritol, xylitol, sorbitol, as well as maltitol. But erythritol has many properties that make it distinct from other types. The calories in table sugar reach 4 calories per gram, while xylitol sugar contains 2.4 calories per gram. The sugar erythritol contains only 0.24 calories per gram. The calories you get from erythritol reach only 6%. From a similar amount of sugar. Erythritol is produced by a type of yeast fungus that ferments glucose in corn or wheat starch, producing a white substance in the form of powder or crystals. Is erythritol safe? In general, erythritol appears to be very safe. Numerous researches have been conducted on the effect of erythritol on animals and humans and on whether it has any toxicity to either, and it has been found that it is safe for consumption by both humans and animals alike. But there is a special basic caveat. With all kinds of alcoholic sugars, which causes stomach and digestive disorders. Because of the unique composition of sugar alcohols, the digestive system of humans cannot digest them, so these types of sugars pass through most of the digestive system without little change until they reach the colon. In the colon, colon bacteria By fermenting this type of sugar, gas is produced as a byproduct of this process. For this reason, eating a large amount of alcoholic sugars causes flatulence, filling it with gas, and causes various stomach disorders. However, erythritol is different from other sugar alcohols. Most of the erythritol sugar enters the bloodstream before it reaches the colon. Erythritol molecules circulate in the blood for a while before being excreted unchanged through the urine, where 90% of erythritol is excreted in this way. Erythritol is absorbed into the bloodstream before being excreted in the urine, but about 10% of it goes to the colon undigested.
What is the fate of this amount? Unlike other types of sugar alcohols, erythritol resists the fermentation process by colon bacteria. Research has found that eating an amount ranging from 0.7 to 1 gram per 1 kg of body weight does not cause any problems, and is completely accepted by Digestive system. While some other studies have shown that eating 50 grams of erythritol at one time increases the feeling of nausea, and also increases stomach upset and bloating. If you do not take a large amount of erythritol at one time, it does not represent any problem for you. The sensitivity of people to erythritol varies from person to person.
The glycemic index of erythritol: Humans do not have the enzymes that can break down erythritol, so it is absorbed as it is into the bloodstream and then excreted without digestion or conversion through the blood. In animal experiments, it was found to inhibit the increase in blood sugar as well as the hormone insulin. Those suffering from obesity or any other metabolic syndrome, can safely use erythritol as a substitute for sugar. Health benefits of erythritol
erythritol sugar
There is no doubt that reducing the number of daily calories has many benefits, which are:
1. Reducing the risk of heart disease Studies conducted on experimental rats show that erythritol has an antioxidant effect, and this would reduce the damage to blood vessels that may occur due to an increase in blood sugar. In another small-scale study, conducted on 24 adults with type 2 diabetes. These adults replaced table sugar with erythritol for an entire month, and took 36 grams of erythritol daily. After the month, the researchers found that these people’s blood vessel function had improved, which may also reduce The risk of heart disease. But other studies on a larger scale and more accurately are still required to confirm this.2. Promoting dental health One of the most common side effects of excessive sugar intake is weak teeth, as well as cavities and decay. Products containing xylitol, or erythritol, have found their way among dental-friendly products, because harmful oral bacteria that cause tooth decay cannot use them as a substitute. About glucose for energy. Both xylitol and erythritol directly inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria in the mouth. Several experiments were conducted to find out erythritol sugar on the teeth, but the experiments were somewhat conflicting, while the result of some of these research was that erythritol reduced tooth decay and caries, The results of other experiments came that it does not reduce caries or dental plaque. But in a study that lasted for three years on 485 school children, it was found that the effect of erythritol in protecting the teeth from caries and caries, as well as reducing plaque, was stronger than both sorbitol sugar, or xylitol sugar. A 2016 study from the same previous findings found that erythritol is more effective at protecting teeth from cavities than the sugar sorbitol or xylitol.
Erythritol and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Erythritol was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2001, and this sugar has become very popular since then. Products containing erythritol
Erythritol is one of the most popular sugar alcohols
Erythritol + monk fruit sugar
It is used alone or added with other different types of sugar such as stevia, as well as with monk fruit sugar to balance flavors and double the benefits.
Erythritol is added to many products, including:
Various types of sugar-free gum Sports drinks Sugar-free candy and chocolates Bakery products Is it possible to have an allergy to erythritol or other sugar alcohols? Food allergy is deadly, as it causes respiratory failure and stops working. We hear a lot about allergies to dairy and dairy products, strawberries, bananas, as well as peanuts and many others. Do sugar alcohols cause this type of hypersensitivity? From a scientific point of view, there is absolutely nothing to prevent an allergy to erythritol or other sugar alcohols, but until the date of writing this article, not a single case of sugar alcohol allergy has been recorded. Stomach upset with alcoholic sugars, and erythritol is the least of them in this regard. The bottom line is that when you notice strange symptoms such as shortness of breath, swelling and redness of the face, you should seek help immediately.
How to use erythritol and other sugar alcohols
Low-calorie sugars including erythritol and all types of sugar alcohols are used in everything table sugar is used in. You can use it with your favorite morning drink, and in the manufacture of all kinds of baked goods and desserts. You can simply replace it with table sugar completely. Erythritol is naturally present in some fruits as it is produced by the fermentation of glucose. It has also been manufactured by humans since the 1990s. But its use did not spread until recently, as other types were spreading at this time.Erythritol sugar substitutesThere are many alcoholic sugars as well as artificial sugars in the market, and you can choose the type you like according to its number of calories, its taste, its ease of obtaining it or the products that It contains it. Examples of these alternatives are xylitol sugar, maltitol sugar, monk fruit sugar, sorbitol sugar, stevia sugar and many others. But erythritol sugar still has many advantages over other types of alcoholic sugars. The manufacture of alternative sugars to traditional table sugar has become one of the industries that receive Attention from doctors, scientists, food product makers, as well as groups of people looking for a healthy alternative to sugar
Erythritol is one of the best alternatives to table sugar, and experiments and research confirm this every day.
Erythritol is extracted from available natural sources, which makes it available in the market, and obtaining it does not present any problem, unlike some other types.