Maltitol
My advice is to give up stevia, aspartame, sucralose, sugar alcohols like xylitol and maltitol, and all of the other heavily-used and marketed sweeteners unless you want to slow down your metabolism, gain weight, and become an addict - Mark Hyman
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Maltitol: What You Should Know About This Common Sweetener
A lot of people want to decrease their sugar intake, and with good reason; too much sugar can increase your chances of dementia, contribute to osteoporosis, and more. But are artificial sweeteners, such as maltitol, the way to go?
While this artificial sweetener does have some advantages over table sugar, such as a lower caloric value and glycemic index (maltitol has a glycemic index of 35, while table sugar has a high glycemic index), it is not completely safe to consume in large amounts. Consumption is associated with a variety of digestive disturbances.
Articles of Interest
Is Maltitol a Safe Alternative Sweetener?
If you consume slightly more maltitol, you may not gain a substantial benefit when you use it as a replacement for sugar. In fact, you're basically making maltitol a more expensive way to sweeten your food. For this reason, it may not be the best choice for those on keto diets as it isn't truly carbohydrate free and is often consumed in higher quantities to obtain the same level of sweetness, limiting the benefits as a sugar replacement.
Maltitol: All You Need to Know about this Artificial Sweetener
Is Maltitol Natural or Artificial? The simplest answer to this question is that maltitol is completely artificial. It is not a natural sugar substitute or a natural sweetener. It is true that maltitol is a type of carbohydrate or sugar alcohol (polyol) that does occur naturally in many fruits and vegetables. However, it is manufactured artificially from starches like corn, potatoes, and wheat that are rich in sugar maltose. This is done because maltitol is used as a low-calorie sweetener in processed foods and drinks. Using maltitol in bakery items and processed foods can prevent browning and add moisture. Its most widespread use is seen in chewing gums, candies, gelatin capsules, or gummies.
What Is Maltitol?
Maltitol is not found abundantly in nature. It is commercially produced from starch to help reduce calories from sugars in packaged foods. Of all the sugar alcohols, maltitol’s properties are the most similar to sucrose. Because of this, maltitol is commonly used in baked goods, chewing gum, sugar-free chocolates, chocolate coatings, hard candies and ice cream for the desired attributes of creamy texture, sweetness, high melting point and color retention at high temperatures.
