Sugar alcohols - which ones spike your blood sugar

[Art Of Flowers]

I bought a Grenade low sugar protein bar which uses polyols as a sweetener. I discovered that they do spike my blood sugar.
Looking at the ingredients I see it uses Maltitol as a sweetener. It turns out that it has a glycemic index (52) not much lower than table sugar (62).

See …

 

[ianf0ster]

While I have used some Stevia in the past, these days I avoid all artificial sweeteners. One thing that was not mentioned in that video is that Xylitol (his favourite), poisons and can kill people's pets (dogs).

 

[Hopeful34]

Maltitol spikes my blood sugar more than normal sugar, and I don't like the taste of it, so avoid it now.

 

[May Mic]

I avoid artificial sweeteners. The sugar alchohols wreak havoc on my delicate insides, lol.
As well, it only continues to set up the expectations of something sweet in my system, I need to get rid of sweet cravings which is hard enough on its own.

I've not measured any effect on my bs because I don't use them. I wonder if it's an individual bodily response or a general one?

 

[Hopeful34]

From what I've read it affects people differently, like most things.

 

[Rachox]

I wonder if it's an individual bodily response or a general one?

I think it is, I love Grenade bars and they have zilch effect on my BS. Strangely the one sweetener that raises mine is saccharin.

 

[HSSS]

Another one who spikes on maltitol here. Worse than sugar. And when I over did it it also upset my digestive system quite spectacularly. And it’s by far the most common in low carb or keto products, presumably the cheapest.

Erythritol and xylitol I’m fine with. And as far as I know it’s xylitol that’s toxic to dogs not maltitol.

Inulin massively upsets my stomach too even in small amounts, shame as it otherwise seems a decent option Bgl wise.

For the record sugar alcohols are not artificial sweeteners (that’s the aspartame, saccharin, Ace K etc lot). They are still plant based. They each have their own taste profiles too as well as glucose responses so shouldnt be considered all the same.

Then there’s the stevia and monk fruit ones considered most natural, but again with their own taste.

And all that is before you consider the effects of the gut microbiome and the cephalic response of insulin release at the taste of sweetness even without the glucose spike. Phew. It’s a minefield of personal decisions and testing

 

[Melgar]

Artificial sweeteners give me IBS so I don’t know it my blood sugars rise consuming any of them. I am revisiting Stevia though, as I had some the other day with no issues.