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December 14, 2001

Meal Planning, Food and Diet

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Question from Flint, Michigan, USA:

I have found that most sugar-free foods have something called sugar alcohol. Is this a safe replacement? My pharmacist said that it was ok ay for a person with diabetes to consume as much sugar alcohol as she/he wanted, but I am still skeptical. Do you have any information regarding sugar alcohol?

Answer:

From: DTeam Staff

Great question. Sugar alcohols are lower in carbohydrate content than table sugar and other sweeteners but are broken down much slower in your body so watch the amount of alcohols you consume because overconsumption can keep you in the restroom much more often than you care to be (diarrhea). Sugar alcohols can be found in sugar free chocolates, candies, and ice cream products. Look for ingredients ending in -ol such as mannit-ol, sorbit-ol, xylit-ol, etc.

JMS