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3/17/10 9:04 A

I was just chewing xylitol gum after meal and reading the package... and noticed there's a link to xylitol-page. Yes, it's commercial, that xylitol gum / pastils manufacturer, but there's some interesting information about xylitol. Mostly how it helps teeth, not so much about using it as sweetener. But anyway, I thought you might be interested, as I noticed there's also English pages as well as Finnish.

www.leaf.fi/xylitolnet-en

Edited by: TITIUU at: 3/17/2010 (09:05)

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3/7/10 12:07 P

Thanks a bunch

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3/7/10 12:10 A

Thanks for the info

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3/6/10 11:46 P

Thanks Titiuu

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3/6/10 10:46 A

There is possibility that corn based xylitol is made from GMO corn, that depends on manufacturer... I have feeling that it is not common, though. I googled a bit, and found this information, I don't know how official that site is, but interesting anyway:
www.gmo-compass.org/eng/database/e-numbers
/293.xylitol.html

Another link, though it seems to be shop and I don't mean to advert, but there's interesting information:
www.emeraldforestxylitol.com/guide_xylitol
.htm

So I guess in US market there are both GMO and non-GMO xylitol, as I read many links I found... Some sellers specially mention they are GMO-free, so it should be easy to find option that doesn't have GMO corn in it, only regular corn or xylitol made from birch.

In Finland xylitol is mostly made from birch or European grown corn, as far as I found information about that, so it's GMO free.

Hope that helps even a bit.

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3/5/10 10:33 P

Xylitol is in my toothpaste. Thanks for info Titiuu interesting.

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3/5/10 10:24 P

Good question. I don't know, have to look more closely.
Here's the ingredients in the Spearmint gum:
Xylitol, gum base, spearmint oil (natural flavor), vegetable glycerin (humectant), gum arabic (texturizer), non-GMO soy lecithin (emulsifier) & beeswax (glazing agent).

Posts: 2,227
3/5/10 9:11 P

DH and I chew Spry gum, which is made with xylitol.

Titiuu said it can be made from maize. Isn't that corn? Do we need to be worried about it being GMO? Just wondering...

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3/5/10 7:50 P

I like "Xclear" products esp the gum and peppermints. Here's a place on line where you can get them or at least look at the pictures if you are curious.
www.iherb.com/Xlear-Inc-Xclear

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3/5/10 5:02 P

for the info

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3/5/10 4:31 P

Cool! Thanks for the info, TITIUU!

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3/5/10 4:29 P

As Hawgwild said, xylitol is not artificial sweetener but all natural. Actually it was "invented" here in Finland, it's been called birch sugar, too, as it is derived from birch tree. It can be made from different natural sources but I think birch and maize are most common.

Xylitol has been widely researched in Finland. Here in kindergartens children get xylitol sweetend gum or pastille after food, as it's is very tooth friendly, as a matter of fact it has benefits, it helps prevent cavities in teeth. Some researches even tell that chewing xylitol gum for five minutes helps prevent children from getting ear infections! So my daughter has xylitol pastilles in her backpack at school to take after lunch, and there are plans to put a xylitol pastille machine at school where kids can get a xylitol pastille after lunch (for free, as school food also is free here in Finland). My pre-schooler has also xylitol pastilles, they collect small fee at pre-school and buy pastilles for all kids to take after lunch. Dentists here tell people to remember xylitol!

BUT there's one thing to remember: if one uses lots of xylitol, it can have laxative effect... Both researches and I can tell that, eating a bag of xylitol sweetened candies can help you a lot if you have constipation...

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3/5/10 11:57 A

Xylitol is a natural sweetener. It is actually GOOD for your teeth. It is derived from fruit sugars...
It is not calorie free, but is much lower in cals than sugar. If I recall it is about 2 cals per tsp (I could be wrong about that)
I cannot argue anything much about it, as I am not an expert, but I personally feel it is a good alternative to processed sweeteners. I would rather consume it than regular sugar.
But, like I said, I am no expert...

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3/5/10 11:24 A

I thought I had seen somewhere that it was no better than the other artificial sweeteners...But I can't remember where.

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3/5/10 11:19 A

This is what I found on Xylitol
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xylitol

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3/5/10 10:33 A

Is Xylitol natural and is it good to use?

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