What are sugar alcohols.......

Hi Guys what are sugar alcohols ????????????? I am reading lables all the time now and have no clue what it is. Hugs Loretta

From Low Carb Energy Magazine: "This is a difficult question since the jury is still out as far as the FDA is concerned. ...tell you what I know about sugar alcohols. Some people can digest them, and some can't. If your system can't digest sugar alcohols(and therefore can't absorb their carbs)then they should not cause you any problems with weight loss or maintenance. However if you do digest sugar alcohols, chances are they will affect your weight loss and could even interfere with your efforts in the maintenance phase. "(She is talking about Atkins and other low carb diets). Sugar alcohols are the things like sorbitol that are used for sweetening. I would ask your dietician how they impact after weight loss surgery. I think the concern is overall sugar carbs and net carbs are something created to help market all the new low carb foods= Total carbs -fiber and sugar alcohols=net carbs. I know sorbitol is what causes severe stomach cramping and diarrhea for some people (not even WLS patients) when eating sweets containing them. Luann