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printer-friendly version| Sugar Alcohols - What You Need to Know by Jenel Day, RD, MS - March 2007 Sugar alcohols, also known on food labels as ?other carbohydrates? or ?net carbohydrates,? offer the sweetness of sugar without all the calories. They are much sweeter than regular sugar, so it only takes a small amount to sweeten foods and beverages. Sugar alcohols occur naturally in fruits and other plant foods. They do not contain ethanol, which is found in alcoholic beverages; rather, they were given this name because their chemical structure is similar to those of both sugar and alcohol. Sugar alcohols are also used as bulking agents. Your body converts them into glucose much more slowly than sugar, thus avoiding a sudden (and potentially catastrophic) rise in blood glucose level. The sugar alcohols replicate the texture or thickness of sugar that artificial sweeteners cannot create; they are often combined with artificial sweeteners to eliminate aftertaste. You may have consumed them without even knowing it! The main difference between sugar alcohols and artificial sweeteners is that artificial sweeteners have zero calories (Sweet & Low®, Equal®, Nutrasweet®), while sugar alcohols have an average of two calories per gram. Some common sugar alcohols are mannitol, sorbitol, xylitol, lactitol, isomalt, maltitol and hydrogenated starch hydrolysates (HSH). Foods labeled ?sugar-free??including candy, cookies, chewing gums, soft drinks, fruit spreads, ice cream, baked goods, protein bars, cough syrups and even throat lozenges?often contain sugar alcohols. You might ask, ?Are sugar alcohols beneficial? Should I even try them?? Sugar alcohols are beneficial because they allow surgical weight loss patients to enjoy foods that are low in calories and also low in sugar, which helps prevent dumping syndrome. Sugar alcohols have little effect on blood sugar in small amounts (less than 10 grams per serving). The American Diabetes Association states that sugar alcohols are acceptable but should not be eaten in excess. If eaten in large amounts, sugar alcohols can have a laxative effect and produce bloating, gas and diarrhea, since they are incompletely digestible substances. When trying a food with sugar alcohols for the first time, try just a small amount to check for tolerance; experienced bariatric surgery patients know that when you try something new, it is a good idea to try it on the weekend and at home. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines specify that sugar alcohols must be listed on the Nutrition Facts Panel when the product makes a claim about containing no sugar or being sugar-free. Look at the Nutrition Facts Panel on one of your protein bars. You will see that sugar alcohols are listed under Total Carbohydrates along with dietary fiber and sugar. Key words for products containing sugar alcohols are ?sugar-free,? ?low-sugar,? ?lowcarbohydrate,? ?net carbs,? and ?no sugar added.? To determine the sugar equivalent of a food sweetened with sugar alcohol, take the number of grams of sugar alcohol on the food label and divide it by two. For example, if a protein bar has 22 grams of sugar alcohol, it contains the equivalent of 11 grams of sugar. Generally, patients who have undergone Roux-en-Y gastric bypass are encouraged to choose foods that have no more than 5-20 grams of sugar per serving. Limiting sugar alcohols to less than 30 grams per meal will help you stay within these guidelines. Remember to consult your program?s dietician if you have questions. When the Nutrition Facts Panel does not list the amount of sugar alcohol, you may need to calculate it yourself using four simple steps.* Let?s look at the Carb Solutions® protein bar as an example: Step 1: What do you need to know? Calories (250), carbohydrates (2 grams), protein (25 grams) and fat (10 grams). Step 2: Compute the number of calories from carbohydrates. (Hint: Both carbs and protein contain four calories per gram.) Multiplying 2 grams of carbs x 4 cal/g = 8 calories. Do the same for protein: 25 grams protein x 4 cal/g = 100 calories. Now repeat for fat. (Hint: Fat contains nine calories per gram.) Multiplying 10 grams of fat x 9 cal/g = 90 calories. Step 3: Time to add the calories up! You should get 198 calories. The label shows the total number of calories as 250, so where are the missing 52 calories? You got it?they are in the sugar alcohols! Step 4: Sugar alcohols contain two calories per gram. Divide the 52 missing calories by 2, and you get 26 grams of sugar alcohol. Understanding the fine points of your new nutritional life will help you stay on track toward improved health, regular physical activity, and a lifetime of sound nutritional choices. Complex carbohydrates such as fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy and whole grains will always be the healthiest choice. However, sugar substitutes such as the sugar alcohols can enable you to enjoy more varied foods and be more creative in your meal preparation. Bon appétit! *From ?Sugar Alcohol Sweeteners and the Low-Carb Lifestyle? by Bollman et al.  Jenel Day, RD, MS, graduated from Colorado State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nutrition and Food Science in 2001. Her graduate education was at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. Jenel was granted her Master of Science in Family and Consumer Science in 2003. Since graduating, Jenel has been the Program Dietitian for the Bridges Centre for Surgical Weight Loss at St. Luke?s Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona. |
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uwe0306 · 2 replies · 133 views
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