Sweetners for Diabetics and Dieters

Here are two main sweeteners many recommend for diabetics they are XYLITOL and STEVIA.

Xylitol

Xylitol was first derived from Birch trees in Finland in the 20th century and was first popularised in Europe as a safe sweetener for people with diabetes that would not impact insulin levels.

One teaspoon (5 mL) of xylitol contains 9.6 calories, as compared to one teaspoon of sugar, which has 15 calories.

Xylitol has virtually no aftertaste, and is advertised as "safe for diabetics and individuals with hyperglycaemia". This is because sugar-alcohols have less impact on a person's blood sugar than regular sugars.

Other benefits attributed to Xylitol are:

It is tooth friendly having a plaque reducing effect.
For diabetics it contains approximately 40% less food energy, than normal sugar. Absorbed more slowly than sugar, it does not contribute to high blood sugar levels and the resulting hyperglycaemia caused by insufficient insulin response.
Osteoporosis, it appears to have potential as a treatment for osteoporosis. Researchers have found that dietary xylitol prevents weakening of bones in laboratory rats, and actually improves bone density.
Ear and upper respiratory infections, it can help prevent ear infections when used in chewing gum.
Fighting bacteria, it has been found to increase the activity of neutrophils, the white blood cells involved in fighting many bacteria. This effect seems to be quite broad, acting even in cases such as general sepsis.
Candida yeast, a report suggests that consumption of xylitol may help control oral infections of Candida yeast; in contrast, glucose, and sucrose may increase proliferation.

Xylitol has no known toxicity, except that like most sugar alcohols, it has a laxative effect because sugar alcohols are not fully broken down during digestion; albeit ten times weaker than sorbitol.

STEVIA

Stevia consists of species of plants native to South / Central America, where it has been traditionally used as a sweetener since the leaves of the stevia plant have 30-45 times the sweetness of ordinary sugar.

It is widely used in Japan accounting for 40% of the sweetener market
It has been used for medicinal use, by the Guaraní tribes of Paraguay and Brazil, they bused it, as a sweetener in yerba mate and medicinal teas for treating heartburn and other ailments. More recent medical research has shown promise in treating obesity, high blood pressure, and hypertension. Stevia has a negligible effect on blood glucose, even enhancing glucose tolerance, therefore, it is attractive as a natural sweetener to diabetics and others on carbohydrate-controlled diets.

It is generally recognized as safe in most countries but is currently banned for use in food in the European Union, Singapore and Hong Kong.

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