Sugar Alcohol

I have heard Dr B on his internet radio show repeatedly talk about sugar alcohol in sugar free products as a big no no. in his diet. The only thing he gives leeway on is diet sodas. I know he is no fan of Splenda but stevia is ok.


Do these products with Splenda if you use them put you back on the carb addiction fast track?

Some products with Splenda dont do much at all to me. I am confused.

I think it is the bulking agents in powdered splenda that add carbs so i think it is the quantity you use. DaVinci sugar free syrups that Dr. B recommends are sweetend with liquid splenda and I use the unflavored liquid sweetner in my morning coffee since my BG is higher in the morn. anyone use these?? I don’t feel a carb addiction back.

I am curious about the sugar alcohol effects too?? I tried a chocolate that was sweetened with malitol and it seemed to raise my BG to 130’s ???

here is a link to syrups:
http://www.davincigourmet.com/products/sugar_free_flavored_syrups/

I use Splenda andd it doesn’t send me back to carb cravings. I also use a little Xylitol, one of the sugar alcohols. my veterinarian brother pointed out to me that xylitol is extremely toxic to dogs and that’s why he wouldn’t consider using it. We being not so different from dogs
Hana
PS I tried the daVinci syrups and found them horrible.

I don’t know if this is true or not, it is probably based on some rather iffy ‘studies’, but I’ve heard that sugar-free sweeteners can cause an insulin spike when consumed. This is clearly not going to be a problem for Type 1s since our insulin spikes are all done by hand, (or pump :P). But if this is true I’d think this would make sweeteners pretty bad for Type 2s. Then of course, as Dr. B points out in his book, some ‘sugar-free’ sweeteners are actually loaded with dextrose (it isn’t ‘sugar’ if it isn’t sucrose I guess), I don’t recall which off the top of my head though.

I don’t know about carb addiction, however I have noticed that since I got my nutrition cleaned up in general, my cravings for diet coke went away. It wasn’t something I planned on removing from my diet but I just found I didn’t have any desire for it any more. So it may be related.

Thanks Jeff. Yes I am a T-2 and it is different for sure than a T-1.

I notice that I can cover Splenda in moderation with my own insulin production far easier than I can than pasta, bread, or rice. If I eat those I would need a mealtime insulin to cover me as I shoot the moon for hours.

Dr is willing to give it to me but I would rather not do it and avoid the problem foods.

Ive heard Dr B talking about patients who have gone back into carbs and it doesnt take long to become addicted and out of control again for both T-1’s and T-2’s.

I use zero carb liquid Splenda (Fiberfit). I don’t use much & it hasn’t increased carb cravings for me. I also use zero carb powdered stevia. Some stevia prodcuts have bulking agents added.

Sugar alcohols send me high.Some people can metabolize sugar alcohols.

The only sugar alcohol that has no effect is erythritol. That stuff is great, but expensive.

http://www.phlaunt.com/lowcarb/19059967.php
article by Jenny R. discussing sugar alcohol.

I think Dr. B has a couple reasons for his position

  1. He believes people get carb and “sweet” addicted. Sugar alcohols don’t help
  2. Sugar alcohols are not “free,” they raise your blood sugar, some worse than others
  3. Often the artificial sweeteners are in packets that are “filled” with basically sugar. Call it what you will dextrose, maltodextrine or sugar.

I follow Dr.Bs logic AND I know how to recognise a chemical name for a sugar[4 years of University taught me something 40 years ago] However. I sometimes Choose th eat something on the “forbidden” list . Only ever in TINY portions and I know Bg will go up to near 5 [90]
Hana

Thank you Dawn for the interesting link from Jennys site. I hadnt been over there for awhile and am glad you pointed it out.

The inactive ingredients are metacresol, mannitol, glacial acetic acid, and sodium acetate trihydrate in water for injection. Often medication has added ingredients that help the medication stay in liquid, be stable, be resistant to temperature or light or other things. Mannitol is added as a tonicity-adjusting agent, meaning that it modifies the liquid to adjust whether the liquid can or cannot pass through a semipermeable membrane. Presumably, the mannitol adjusts the byetta medication so that it does not “leak out of the pen.”

See, aren’t you glad you asked?