Polyols

[Finzi]

What IS the deal with polypols? Every source I read seems to say a different thing. For example Dr Bernstein and bloodsugar101 both say avoid them completely because they metabolise just the same as sugar. But surely if that was true they wouldn't be allowed to sell them as having zero net carbs? I have a large stock of really nice sugar free sweets that have been a life saver with the new diet. I don't think I can really find out by testing, because I don't eat anything like enough of them to be able to trace a rise in blood sugar from them alone. But I'd really like to know whether I can eat them "freely" or whether they're something I need to account for (generally I probably have about five or six small sweets a day, spread across the day).

They don't have any digestive effects on me which was one of the things worrying me because I think in blood sugar 101 she was saying that some people can't digest polypols, which means they can eat them freely, but those people are the ones who get diarrhea. As I don't I was wondering if I should cut them out. But they've been so helpful to me, I've not had a single dessert in the month since starting, and nor have I wanted one, thanks to these sweets.


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

 

[smidge]

Re: Polypols

Hey Finzi!

Polyols don't have any effect on my digestive system at all, but they spike my BGs badly. Maltitol, Xylitol - I've tried several - all pretty much as bad as sucrose for me. I love the Thorntons diabetic chocolate and the Atkins bounty bars, but as they affect me almost identically to Dairy Milk and real Bounty, it is pretty pointless. Two squares of the thorntons puts my BG up by 2. - 3.5 mmol. Others seem to tolerate them better - I'm LADA, but maybe they work for Type 2s? I don't know, but I wish they would stop claiming they don't spike BGs - they do for me! Eating and testing is the only way you'll find out.

Smidge

 

[SamJB]

Re: Polypols

When I bake I use half splenda and half xylitol, which is a polyol, and I haven't had any problems - "digestive" or BG.

 

[phoenix]

Re: Polypols

They metabolise the same as sugar but only the 'bit' that gets into your body. Most polyols are only partly absorbed from your intestine into the bloodstream. Because they aren't digested properly then then tend to cause fermentation, gas and diarrhoea if you eat them in large quantities.
Apparently there is one exception to this ; erythritol is absorbed through the intestine but excreted out in the urine in almost unchanged form (didn't know that until today) Because it doesn't hang around in the intestine like the others, it is less likely to cause gastric 'disturbance'.

There are several different types and some have more of effect on the blood glucose than others so it's effect going to depend on type, how much you eat and your own susceptibility

In the US these substances can be labelled zero carbs but not in the EU. If labelled (and confectionery doesn't have to have a label), they should be labelled as containing carbs . I have a packet of mints here,(French label but EU law is the same)
Carbs 97g, of which sugars 0g, polyol 97g. . Because they are partly ingested they also have calories. It depends on they type but the EU uses a standard 2.4 calories a gram (as opposed to the normal 4 cal) So my mint pack says it has 235 cal per 100g ... but there are only 50g in the packet, a whole packet would be far too many for me to eat comfortably.

 

[Finzi]

Yes, that's similar to the sort of thing it says on my packet of sweets. And they also have calories, about 3 calories each. I suppose I'm rationalizing that three calories worth of carbs can't be too bad! (Presumably as there's four calories in 1g carbs, then if the sweets are three calories each that would suggest maybe they have 0.75g carbs each?). Would that make sense? If that were true that would be ok, I could live with that, I only have five per day.


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App