Xylitol and Dental Health

Since I am a "newbie" to xylitol and its' benefits to our health, I thought it would be better to give you information from a nutritionist and expert on xylitol for dental health, Dimitris K.
I hope you find it useful. Mike Z

Xylitol and Dental Health
By Dimitris K

Xylitol is a natural, low-calorie sugar substitute that has been approved and used during the last few decades. Chemically, xylitol, is a pentitol (five carbon polyol) or as they are alternatively called a sugar alcohol. It is produced mainly from birch and beech wood and this is the reason that xylitol is alternatively called birch or wood sugar. Xylitol has the same organoleptic properties as sugar, meaning that it looks and tastes like sugar, however it has a number of advantages over sugar. One of the main advantages is that it inhibits the creation of dental caries.

The first evidence of xylitol's beneficial effects in preventing dental caries came from a study conducted in Finland that was published during the seventies. After the publication of that study, several clinical trials have been performed to evaluate the potential beneficial effects of xylitol in dental care. Today, we have enough evidence to say with confidence that the use of xylitol, and especially the substitution of sugar with xylitol has beneficial effects for dental health.

The mechanisms through which xylitol exerts these beneficial effects are both direct and indirect. First of all, xylitol is not fermentable by the bacteria that inhabit the oral cavity, in contrast with sugar. That means that by substituting sugar with xylitol the bacteria that are responsible for the creation of dental caries are deprived from one of their main sources of energy.

In addition to that, one of the main reasons that the consumption of sugars and carbohydrates cause dental problems is that they reduce the pH of the mouth causing enamel demineralization. The consumption of xylitol on the other hand has the exact opposite effect, it raises the pH of the mouth, protecting tooth enamel from demineralization. It should also be noted, that since the pH of the plaque is not reduced by the consumption of products sweetened with xylitol, remineralization is promoted.Another important attribute of xylitol is that it has bacteriostatic effects. That means that xylitol inhibits the growth of bacteria like mutans streptococci, that are the main culprits for the creation of plaque and dental caries. This effect of xylitol is attributed to the fact that when these bacteria take up xylitol it is converted to xylitol-5-phosphate which results in the formation of intracellular vacuoles and the degradation of their cell membranes.

Finally, a few recent studies have demonstrated that the habitual consumption of xylitol products and to be more precise habitual chewing of xylitol gum by the mother can have a preventive effect for their children dental health. This is attributed to the fact that xylitol consumption by the mother can reduce the mother to child transmission of bacteria that are responsible for dental problems.

All the above make xylitol a very attractive sugar substitute. Especially since it's natural and it doesn't have any known side effects. The most common way of consuming xylitol is by chewing xylitol sweetened gum. However, any xylitol sweetened product will have almost the same beneficial effects.

Dimitris K. is a nutritionist with an interest in natural sweeteners and especially xylitol.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dimitris_K

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Welcome to Xylitol For Health!

Xylitol Crystals

Welcome to Xylitol For Health. I am glad you found your way to this 'blog. In coming weeks I will be sharing some of the benefits I have seen in using this natural sweetener as a substitute for sugar. If you have not tried xylitol in your coffee or tea, baked cookies with it, or chewed xylitol-sweetened gum, you are in for a treat! Please return often, as I hope to give recipes, articles, and (of course) my opinions about xylitol, or "sugar alcohol."

I was first introduced to xylitol by my dental hygienist, who told me after a particularly gruelling cleaning that I should cut down on my sugar intake, and try chewing gum with xylitol between meals. She said that since xylitol is not used by bacteria in the mouth (the same bacteria that produce plaque and cause bad breath), the "bad bacteria" eventually die back, leaving the mouth healthier and having less gingivitis.

Since I had radiation to my face several years ago for a particularly nasty kind of cancer, it is very important that I not lose teeth or have them pulled. My dentist at the MD Anderson Cancer Center told me that I would have to use a strong flouride treatment on my teeth nightly for the rest of my life so that I would not get tooth loss. If I did need dental surgery, it would have to be done at MD Anderson, due to the changes that radiation has brought to my teeth and bones. Also, I should have my teeth cleaned more often than most folks so that I could reduce cavities and inflammation of the gums. Needless to say, anything that helps my teeth and gums is important to me! Not to mention having less painful teeth cleanings.

I tried the gum, liked it, and found it to taste sweet without the nasty aftertaste of aspartame or saccharin. I have been chewing the gum regularly ever since. Then, I reasoned, if it's good in gum, might it be good in coffee or tea? I was told it would be. But I couldn't find any "bulk" xylitol in any store in my area.

Thus began my quest and crusade to use xylitol for as much of my cooking and drinking needs as possible. Since it is a natural product, by which I mean it occurs in nature and can be purified to pharmaceutical grade, health concerns should be minimal. And, since it is metabolized outside of the insulin cycle (more about that later), xylitol is not turned to fat in the liver, nor does it excite the pancreas to produce insulin. As you probably know already, insulin spikes are believed to be the cause of "sugar highs" and lows. The only negative side effect I have been told about is bowel trouble if xylitol is used a lot as you first begin using it. I have seen no trouble in that area at all so far.

Well, I will stop here and get back to other things. Please visit again to see what recipes, articles and information I will be bringing you about xylitol. And if you're interested pick up some Trident chewing gum with xylitol and see if you like it. I bet you will!

Till next time,
Mike