What is Erythritol?

Diabetes and obesity are common health problems in today's conditions. And the number of people dealing with these health problems is increasing day by day. One of the common problems of diabetes and obesity is sugar. People started to try different alternatives in the kitchen in order to solve the sugar problem. Honey, bananas, dates and much more. But what about packaged foods? Food manufacturers, just like people, have started to produce various products with different alternatives. In this article, let's talk about erythritol, one of the sugar alternatives for food manufacturers.

What does erythritol do?

As I mentioned above, it is a sweetener used as a sugar substitute. Just like maltitol, erythritol is a sugar alcohol. In fact, erythritol is a type of carbohydrate found naturally in many fruits and vegetables. It is also produced commercially.

It is 60% to 80% sweeter than table sugar. The most important feature of erythritol is its very low caloric value. It contains almost no calories. It has a caloric value of 0.24 calories per gram.

Uses of erythritol

Foods such as grapes, peaches, pears and watermelon naturally contain erythritol. It is also found in mushrooms and fermented foods such as beer, cheese, soy sauce and wine. In addition, it is commercially produced for use in baked goods, beverages, candies, chewing gum and chocolate. You can also get erythritol in granule or powder form as a natural calorie-free sweetener.

In addition to providing sweetness, erythritol also helps foods retain moisture. For this purpose, it can be used in baked goods.

Benefits of erythritol Use

The use of erythritol instead of sugar in foods is particularly beneficial in two ways. These benefits are related to blood sugar and dental health. First, let's talk about the effect of erythritol on blood sugar. Since its glycemic index value and caloric value are quite low, it does not raise blood sugar. This is very important for people with diabetes problems. Therefore, you can often see erythritol on the labels of diabetic products.

Another benefit of using erythritol is that it protects dental health. One of the harms of sugar is that it negatively affects our dental health and causes cavities. Because sugar feeds the bacteria in the mouth, allowing them to grow and multiply. This is not the case for erythritol. In other words, when erythritol is used instead of sugar, our oral health is positively affected by this change. A 3-year study was conducted on 485 school children. According to the results of the research, erythritol was found to be more protective against dental caries than sorbitol and xylitol.

In another study, 24 people with Type 2 diabetes were given 30 grams of erythritol for 36 days. As a result, it was found that people's blood vessels improved and erythritol reduced the potential risk of heart disease. However, research on this subject is not yet sufficient.

Is erythritol harmful?

Erythritol safety has been reviewed and approved by health authorities worldwide. Japan approved the use of erythritol in food in 1990. The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed the safety of erythritol in 1999. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also recognized erythritol as safe in 2001. However, like other sugar alcohols, excessive consumption of erythritol can cause digestive problems such as bloating and gas.

In addition, if you are concerned about consuming GMOs, you should pay attention to products containing erythritol. Because it can be obtained commercially from corn. The source of concerns about corn is GMO. At this point, you can turn to products sweetened with non-GMO erythritol.

One point is that erythritol is not as sweet as sugar. Therefore, it is often used together with artificial sweeteners in packaged foods. Artificial sweeteners have a number of negative health effects. In other words, foods containing erythritol may also contain other sweeteners. You can also pay attention to this issue when buying products.

Additionally, new research has revealed that high erythritol levels in the blood of individuals at risk for heart disease double the probability of blood clots, heart attacks, and strokes.