The sweetener xylitol seems to be increasing in popularity amongst consumer demand for zero calorie sweeteners. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry supports the use of xylitol sweetener as therapeutic for oral health, and manufacturers label the sweetener as “all natural” and safe for diabetic consumption.
Before you jump on the xylitol bandwagon… is xylitol sweetener really a safe alternative to sugar?
It turns out the answer isn’t clear-cut. You may want to avoid xylitol intake or other otherwise limit your daily consumption depending on your own health circumstances.
What is Xylitol Sweetener?
A type of sugar alcohol, xylitol is in a category known as polyols. Other sweeteners you may have heard of including sorbitol, mannitol, lactiol, and maltiol are also in this category. These sugar alcohols are created via a process known as hydrogenation − an unnatural process you are probably already aware of due to its prevalence amongst many processed foods.
Although xylitol is naturally found in small amounts in foods such as berries, cauliflower, plums, corn, and birch bark − commercially it is produced by the hydrogenation of xylose. Compounds that make up xylose are chemically swapped for oxygen and hydrogen, resulting in this low glycemic sweetener. However, the hydrogenation process requires a catalyst, so typically nickel is used. Nickel is a toxin linked to cancer.
The fact that xylitol is found in nature and can be derived from a natural product allows government authorities to loosely regulate labeling requirements.
While low on the glycemic index, there are conflicting reports on how xylitol sweetener affects blood glucose levels. Xylitol is not fully digested and absorbed within the human gastrointestinal tract, and up to 20% of this compound is excreted in urine. Only 50% of xylitol is absorbed by the small intestine. This leads to the concern of whether or not this sweetener can accumulate in the liver. Some researchers fear this could cause long term toxic consequences.
How has xylitol gained so much attention even though we do not yet fully understand how the sweetener is broken down and utilized by the body?
Unfortunately the makers of xylitol sweetener are very aggressive about promoting only the benefits.
The Benefits of Xylitol
Oral Health Benefits: Oral hygiene products are some of the most popular products that contain xylitol. These include toothpastes, mouthwash, chewing gums, and mints. Most of the research available shows that xylitol has therapeutic benefits for oral health.
Antimicrobial: Xylitol has antimicrobial properties against infectious bacteria such as pneumococcus. Strains of this bacteria cause pneumonia and meningitis. It is best understood that xylitol prevents growth of harmful bacteria by causing a toxic effect within the encapsulated bacterium.
Anti-Carcinogenic: Acetaldehyde is classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a highly toxic class 1 carcinogen. In other words, acetaldehyde has been sufficiently evidenced to be stigmatized as a cancer causing agent in humans.
Acetaldehyde is a product of alcohol fermentation and metabolism. When saliva (and it’s harmful bacteria) is mixed with the ethanol found in alcohol, a reaction occurs to produce acetaldehyde. Considering that alcohol is actually a yeast by-product, you can see how excessive consumption can contribute to Candida bacteria overgrowth, creating considerable acetaldehyde.
Xylitol has been shown to reduce the ability of microbes to produce acetaldehyde from ethanol by Candida during the fermentation process. For some strains of bacteria, xylitol may even completely eliminate this carcinogenic activity.
How can you reap anti-carcinogenic benefits from xylitol? Chewing xylitol sweetened gum throughout the day should provide you with the same concentration of xylitol that was used in studies.
Lung Cancer Therapy: Recently, a new study analyzed the effects that xylitol has on the morphology and stability of cancer cells. Researchers found that xylitol may actually have therapeutic benefits for treating lung cancer. In several lung cancer studies, xylitol was shown to inhibit cell proliferation and stimulate the natural process of autophagy (cell destruction).
Warnings for Xylitol Consumption
If xylitol sounds too good to be true, maybe it is. Xylitol is not recommended in high doses or supported for use in all individuals alike. Long term studies are limited in the understanding of xylitol and its effects on health and some of the evidence is contradictory.
Potential for Metabolic Disturbance: As previously mentioned, xylitol is not fully absorbed by the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. It may be possible that xylitol builds up in the liver and can potentially have toxic consequences when used in large quantities. Over time, this could lead to metabolic disturbances.
Gastrointestinal Upset: The majority of xylitol is passed into the colon and fermented by bacteria. The intestinal microflora use the sweetener to create fatty acids as well as hydrogen and methane gas.
Consequently, these gases are associated with flatulence, abdominal cramping, bloating, and diarrhea. Data suggest that more than ten grams of xylitol sweetener daily can cause these GI symptoms. This amount could be easily consumed unknowingly due to its vast usage, often without adequate labeling.
Individuals with gastrointestinal issues sensitive to fermentable sugars should limit − if not avoid − xylitol intake. People with irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn’s disease, and any dysfunction of the GI tract may experience an increase of GI disturbances exacerbated by xylitol.
Malabsorption: What foods you consume with xylitol and various nutritional components of foods containing xylitol may affect your ability to absorb each individual component. Ingesting sugar alcohols can limit the ability for nutrients such as fats and carbs to be metabolized adequately. Clinical trials have also shown that consumption of sweeteners such as xylitol can lead to appetite dysregulation resulting in a lack of satiety and ultimately the increase in fat consumption.
Drug Contraindications: Sugar alcohols as a group can interact with pharmaceutical drugs. Individuals with type-2 diabetes who take drugs prescribed for the management of weight should especially limit xylitol consumption.
Caution for Pet Owners: Many stories and occasions of dogs ingesting xylitol-containing foods have taught pet owners a harsh lesson − xylitol kills pets. A few cookies, a pack of gum, or even an English muffin can contain a high enough concentration of xylitol to cause life threatening hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and liver failure in your favorite furry companion.
Notes of Caution About Xylitol
If you want to receive the antimicrobial benefits of xylitol, it is recommended to consume products containing only pure xylitol without any other added sweeteners or in combination with foods containing sweetener. The presence of other sugars and sugar substitutes with xylitol inhibits its ability to degrade and prevent bacteria growth.
Of note too is that Xylitol is quite commonly produced from corn. This is usually GMO corn and/or corn from China, so you will want to be mindful about that. The alternative is xylitol produced from “North American hardwood” (birch trees), although this is generally more expensive.
Concerned about sugar and cancer? Xylitol sweetener may be a healthier alternative to health-damaging sugar and sweeteners such as aspartame, but exercise caution and, if appropriate for you, consume in small doses.
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Article Summary
The sweetener xylitol is increasing in popularity amongst consumer looking for zero calorie sweeteners. But is xylitol safe?
Unfortunately the answer isn’t clear-cut. You may want to avoid xylitol or other otherwise limit your daily consumption depending on your own health circumstances.
While xylitol is low on the glycemic index, there are conflicting reports on how xylitol sweetener affects blood glucose levels. There are also concerns that the sweetener may accumulate in the liver and cause long term toxic consequences.
On the pro side, Xylitol has been shown to have a number of benefits including: oral health, antimicrobial properties, and even anti-cancer abilities. In several lung cancer studies, xylitol was shown to inhibit cancer cell proliferation and stimulate the natural process of autophagy (cell destruction).
Some of the negative health consequences identified with xylitol include: potential for metabolic disturbance (flatulence, abdominal cramping, bloating, and diarrhea), interference with absorbing nutrients from foods, interaction with some medications. Xylitol can also be deadly for pets − particularly dogs.
Xylitol sweetener may be a healthier alternative to health-damaging sugar and sweeteners such as aspartame, but exercise caution and consume in small doses.
Has any team of Doctors from your staff approached St Jude Hospital to educated their Doctors on what has been proven by your team of Doctors so it can be added to St Jude Doctors for even a greater success rate.
Also the cancer treatment centers of America seem to have conventional team of Doctors except I believe they have a healthy diet plan for their patients, but they use chemo.
I don’t think St. Jude or any other “Cancer fighting,” organization wants to eradicate cancer or hear about how to eradicate cancer. It just goes against their entire infrastructure.
Thank you so much for this article! For a few years I have noticed in body response testing (kinesiology) that family, friends, clients and myself do not test well with xylitol. And for some of us it has affected blood sugar levels adversely. Glad to see some confirmation of this.
I have high blood sugar A1c 6.7, high cholesterol 320 total and high blood pressure. I tried low-fat diet and low carb-high fat (raw nuts, avocado, organic coconut oil). These diets helped me lose weight but did nothing for my health. I’m glad I was able to see the Truth about cancer videos and they encouraged me to try again to improve my health.
I’m Still waiting on the link for episode 6!!!!!!! Today Sunday April, 17 @ 9:08PM???????
Hi Maxine, Here is the link to episode 6: http://bit.ly/AGQEpisode6 Enjoy!
I wanted to know the same thing!
Dr. Jockers,
Forty years of use has not found a benefit in cancer reduction among the Finns, nor any liver problems. At xylitol dot org we appreciate your reporting and wish that future studies would confirm the benefits you describe. But you left out what it does for diabetes as well as its use nasally in reducing upper respiratory problems.
I had thought the same thing!!! However if they were to go too unconventional, the FDA would be all over them. They would still have to use chemo drugs, just like Cancer Centers of America. CCofA, still uses conventional chemo, but have the nutrition component. It seems apparent to me if you’re receiving conventional chemo, which affects all of the cells/organs of the body, the nutrition they are giving you would probably be null & void. I would think, that the chemo would cause problems with digesting & absorption of nutrients you were ingesting/or through IV therapy. (?) The targeted chemo that uses 90% less chemo directed at the CA cells, is the more effective, healthier, affordable way to go, with much better outcomes-short & long-term. There is a more individualized CA therapy that I believe is more techno-related,but its VERY expensive. My friend’s husband was almost going to go there; but this is the 2nd time his rare, aggressive CA came back, & they were going to do the conventional route, which consisted of throwing the conventional chemo “book” at them. Couple in their 30s with children. I started researching bc I had a horrible feeling about it, & came across TTAC website, & the sign-up for the videos that would be provided via PC. I watched; told my friend she should, just to make a more knowledgeable decision. At that point she was getting pretty anxious about the conv. tx, they were about to do. She finally watched, which changed her mind. She just had to convince her husband, bc he didn’t want anything to do with it. He first decided on CCofA; which I did not think was the best way to go; bc why would they be able to have several centers & advertise on TV–bc they still do conventional chemo–so the feds/big pharma with their big pharma dollars, are happy. They found a place, out of state, & is directed chemo to CA cells (I think it was talked about in TTAC videos–can’t remember) with other treatments that rid the CA cells, only using about 10% of chemo of the usual 100% that conventional medicine uses.
In this article, I wonder if I have CA & don’t know it??? I was diagnosed with an allergy to Ni (nickel) last Sept. Had horrible symptoms related to it. Went to a dermatologist, whom recommended a patch skin test; went to an allergist/immunologist- yeah, right :/ They mentioned nothing about CA, liver toxicity, nothing. The other thing was, my allergist/immunologist suggested trying Zolair, that they had recently been approved by the “FDA” for use with urticaria. Costs $10K/mo, unless you make under a certain amount (I figured they were still gathering info for long-term studies, that I didn’t want to be apart of) Upon researching it, there is a possible link to CA. That made up my mind! I was already high-risk with autoimmune “disease”, and other toxic junk. I was eating healthier, before the Ni allergy, for about 2 yrs–making breads, seasonings, sauces, etc., from scratch, (not the TRUE healthy way, even though it wouldn’t have mattered as much at that point, bc my liver was over-toxed and needed to detox, & basically start over again. The Ni & toxins over my lifetime (had skin probs since a kid–using various topicals, cortisones, had industrial cleaning job as a kid, never used gloves, as we didn’t know much back then; and, i didn’t use gloves to clean my home for my lifetime- esp when I became allergic to latex, there wasn’t an alternative glove-material out there yet). The Ni was building up in my system, bc Ni is in all natural foods of various degrees, depending on soil content. What to do? Went to a naturopath and I am starting my detox today, in fact. Maybe I have liver CA & don’t even know it yet???? . I eventually decided to try to wean off of my meds, under direction of my doctor–VERY important, no matter what– although, I weaned longer than directed by my doctor, bc the info I found about weaning off of an SSRI, can be pretty awful. I was already at max dose of Cymbalta for 5 yrs. I tend to be more sensitive to medicines, etc., so figured I’d better take it easy. It went pretty well for me. Some of you may know of the “brain zaps” people have when on an SSRI, miss a dose or wean off. Some people get terrible headaches, that they don’t feel they can wean off–from what I read. I did not have pain, they gradually went away, but not completely, I get one or a few every so often–not sure why–could be a muscle memory-brain -kind-of thing???
Signs & symptoms I had were (major stress for a few decades- I was diagnosed & tx’d for fibromyalgia. Taking meds as a result of that–more toxicity): sensitivity to sunlight and any heat– stopped exercising and walking with friends bc that would raise my heart rate causing urticaria (hives, swelling, ITCHING severely–UGH!!!!–which got pretty close to anaphalaxtic S & S–this kept me from working anymore); cracks in my skin near folds/edges of ears, nose, edges of my mouth, eyes at one time when it was REALLY bad; scaley skin that I picked off of my face with tweezers, daily, bc I didn’t want to go out looking like I did–swollen, sometimes like I was beat up–those days I didn’t go anywhere, with very obvious, nasty patches of scales. So tried a diet from an RD, that was hit or miss due to levels of Ni in food, that you have no way of knowing. Fully realizing that MOST conventional medicine is a band aid; I tried a nuturopathic doctor (D.O.)
SO, that’s where it stands at this point…
just wanted to share if any other people were plagued with this dilemma.
Jennifer, kudos to you lady. I’ve not benefited yet from this info Ty and his team put together. But I gladly contribute to the cause. I never watched the videos when running for free. As soon as they were available, I’d pay and watched them at my pace.
The reason?
I understand how most doctors don’t know nothing about health.
Yes. In my opinion they are in business simply because most of us are too ignorant about the issue.
2009 I lost ability to stand erect. I couldn’t walk. Spent seven months either lying on the floor, on my four, or hanging from an inversion table.
No doctor knows how to help except to cut pieces off. In my case it would have been pieced of the herniated disks on the low back.
I rejected their offer even though I knew nothing about back healing. Had I known I wouldn’t encounter the problem. Right?
One surgeon in Stanford University Hospital told me: “if you don’t have surgery, you’ll never heal.”
In Spanish we use a quote, “for he who knows not God, any donkey will do.”
I wish I’d recorded the doctor. Only a few months later someone told me about a book written by a man who had been severely wounded in Viet-Nam.
I’m not nowhere near what I used to. But definitely I’m better then I used to. I live a normal life. Unless I tell people about my problem, nobody knows about it. I can work, lift heavy stuff and am not afraid of hurting my back.
All this to say this: the info in this series is of great value for anyone who wants to learn how to prevent and treat cancer. More than three quarters of the info I already knew and still gladly paid for it because I believe Ty and team deserve my support. If just one more person can learn to not be afraid of cancer, it would have been worth all the time and effort they invested on the job.
If that person were only you, you’re blessed.
Congratulations!!!
Ruth, I am so very sorry to see anyone involved in “body response testing (kenesiology).” This is pure witchcraft, really. I have been an optometrist for 30 years and have had many patients who want to handle the medicine I prescribe to see if their body will accept it. Then they try this “body testing (kenesiology)” thing to find out. I was very suspicious of this and so I started an experiment. I silently prayed that God would send the devil away while they were doing this testing. In every one of these incidents there was no kenesiology force after my prayer. I learned this when I was first married and was introduced to water witching. The water witching wires went completely limp as a result of my prayer to God that if this were from the devil He would send him away because I didn’t want anything to do with the devil. There were 9 people watching me when I did this and they all let out a collective gasp when the wires suddenly went limp. They had all played with the witching wires and it worked for them all. Some use a stick, but prayer works the same way with the stick too. They all watched the wires work for everyone else. I was the last to try it, and I uncovered the source of the mysterious force — the devil. When I told my wife, she immediately went back and tried to make the device work again, but after prayer it would not work. Years later, my son was watching our two neighbors water witching and was able to stop their sticks by praying, though he was sitting on a log praying silently over 20 feet away, and they became very frustrated. I had a friend from Sweden who water witched over there and the stick would bounce the number of meters you had to go down to reach water. When he came to the USA his stick bounced in feet instead of meters. Some people use toothpicks on a thread over a MAP! There is a weird intelligence here, and you can know the source of that intelligence yourself. All you need to do is pray that if this is the devil, God will send him away now. I have done this with water witching, melon witching, and kenesiology and the source of power is the same. Notice that in all of these the devil pretends to be helping people. In all, the force is mysterious, and not natural. But all of these respond to earnest prayer. This is deception of the darkest kind and very few detect it, but it is so easy to test for yourself. You will become a believer in an instant when you see this. Unfortunately, a lot of cancer remedies rely on the same force, including many that Ty Boliger described in his series, which includes such areas as “energy medicine” and “vibrational energy” and “magnetic energy” and “energy fields.” Who would have thought it, but it is true. Nothing proves God’s power like watching the devil run!
All the devil can do is copy God. So when you see counterfeit, try asking God what the devil is copying. That way we find God’s surprising provision for his people. Quantum physicists know that all life consists of frequency and vibration, and the devil sure didn’t create that, so how does God want us to understand and use it? Get hold of the book, The Physics of Heaven, for greater enlightenment.
Thank you for this fine article on xylitol! My takeaway summary is that we just don’t yet know and ought to be cautious with it. Go light! I’ve used about two pounds a year (from non-GMO USA birch bark) but will cut way back. My favorite use is just a little xylitol breath mint to prevent decay when I can’t brush my teeth.
Good one, Mr. Pellow. Thanks for your post.
Yep!! And don’t forget to mention that it is hard to find Xylitol that DOES NOT come from CHINA now!! That is NOT a good thing.
We have used Xylitol for all of our canning and sugar needs for at least 12 years. Since I have a family orchard with some 25 apple, pear, plum, and cherry trees, we used a lot of Xylitol and canned a lot. We always got ours from U.S. Birch trees. I don’t know if it helped or not but my wife Nancy struggled with breast cancer for fifteen years. It was metastasized to her lymph glands when it was first found. We primarily used IPT, which is not really natural but is a big advantage over regular chemo. She died almost 15 years after she was first diagnosed. She died at home on January 28, 2017. She barely knew that the new year had come. I tried almost supernaturally hard to beat her cancer but I could not do it. I asked for a cancer tutor for the Cellect/Budwig protocol but it took them over a month to find anyone. I started her on the Budwig protocol but her appetite was already down and she couldn’t do two full Budwigs a day as recommended. When she added the Cellect shake, she could only get part of one Budwig down and maybe half the recommended Cellect shake. Her appetite continued to go down until we discovered marijuana. (We lived in Washington, a legal marijuana state.) That was a big help in increasing her appetite and combating her nausea, but it wasn’t enough. The counselor for the Cellect/Budwig told us that marijuana was good for pain, but that the oil of the marijuana worked against the Budwig. We finally took her off of the Cellect/Budwig protocol because she could eat hardly any of it. We gave her as much marijuana as Rick Simpson says should cure it, but she died anyway. The advise that I would give any cancer patient who has a cancer remission is, don’t believe it. While you are still feeling well, start taking things like B17 and apricot seeds. My wife was “cancer free” for nine years and we simply rejoiced. If we had done that simple thing, just had a shake every day with some apricot seeds and then take the B17 pills, I bet she would not have had her cancer return. We had a nine year window. But all of this is hind sight. I miss her so much! I am left trying to find another wife and hating that task.
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are actually amazing for people experience, well, keep up the nice work fellows.
I use 3 tsps Birch Xylitol in my Budwig Muesili . I use 2 tsps in my 1 cup of daily organic coffee. I have breast cancer, stage 4. Your article says not to use much – go lightly – can you please translate? How much is “little”, “light”? I hate the taste of stevia & that’s why I use it, but if it is FEEDING CANCER CELLS like sugar does, then it should be stopped 100%. RIGHT???
Are you sure you have PHD? Seems you dont if you claim GMO to be harmful to human health. Also xylitol is not extracted directly from corn, but is produced from industrial fermentation.
If you dont understabd how GMO food and Roundup dessicated croos are harmful and tge science check out Dr. Stephanie Seneff. This brillian scientist will help you understand.