sugar-free

while sugar-free food products usually mean that artificial sweeteners such as saccharin, aspartame and sucralose were used previously, increasingly sugar substitute called sugar alcohols such as sorbitol, maltitol and xylitol are added nowadays.

i know about sorbitol and xylitol because that is the sugar substitute commonly used in chewing gum. so is there a difference between the 2 groups of sugar substitutes?

definitely.

artificial sweeteners contains no carbohydrates and thus has no effect on blood sugar level. because it is 100 to 150 sweeter than sugar, the amount required contains neglible caloric content hence it was recommended for weigh-watchers as well as diabetics.

sugar alcohols on the other hand are hydrogenated carbohydrates meaning they will raise your blood sugar levels and contains calorie values ranging from 1.5 to 3.0 per gramme versus 4 calories per gramme of sugar. however, they do not contribute to tooth decay as they are not metabolised by oral bacteria.

interesting isn't it?

basically, what is sugar-free may still make your blood sugar level rise and if such calories are not expended through daily activities and/or exercise, eventually makes you fat! :P

credit: the new york times, wikipedia
photo credit: canonsnapper, flickr