Sugar Alcohols and Digestive Stress

As we try to limit sugar in the diet and the keto diet becomes more popular, there has been a surge of products made with sugar alcohols. Sugar alcohols, also known as polyols, are low digestive carbohydrates used as sugar substitutes. Using them allows less carbohydrates and calories in products. They are not considered artificial sweeteners, since they originate from a carbohydrate source but do not impact blood sugar the same way regular sugar does. The most common types of sugar alcohols are erythritol, xylitol, mannitol and sorbitol.

The benefits of sugar alcohols are they are lower in calories, low in carbohydrates and are better for your teeth. However, they are very often hard to digest and cause a lot of GI issues, such as nausea, diarrhea, stomach pain, bloating and gas. Additionally, sugar alcohols are often made from GMOs (genetically modified organisms).