Do you know what “sugar alcohols” are? More and more food manufacturers are using it in their 
products to “hide” the sugars used in their products.
If you’re trying to lose fat, or just improve your overall health in general, it’s important that you understand that these are and how they may affect your progress.
A member of our program just submitted the question, “what are sugar alcohols,” to our expert panel, and pasted below is Laura Spanbaurer’s reply.
Laura is one of our registered dietitians on staff that helps me answer all
our members questions, and I thought you might find her reply interesting
and helpful. It’s pasted below, I think you’ll find it enlightening.
What exactly is “sugar alcohol?” I found it in the Met-Rx Protein Plus
bar. It says the bar has 32 g protein, 0 g trans fat, 4g net carbs. The
TOTAL carbohydrate is 32 g, broken down as: 2g fiber, 2g sugar, and
18g sugar alcohol (but that doesn’t equal 32?). Also, what are “net carbs”?
Sugar alcohol is a very common “sugar replacer” and is more likely
known as sorbitol, maltitol, xylitol, mannitol, isomalt and lactital. It is
a derivative of sugar, but does not contain the same calories from sugars
such as sucrose; only about half provide calories.
These ’sugar alcohols’ are absorbed more slowly than other sugars and
are metabolized differently by evoking a low glycemic response (raise in
blood glucose).
The Food Labels do not have to break down ALL available carbohydrates
in a food product. They can list them as major groups (sugars, fiber, sugar
alcohols, and “other”).
Based on your example of the Met-Rx bar: of the 32 grams, the 10 grams
that are not identified are most likely “complex carbohydrates” (grains,
cereals, flours, etc).
Net Carbs refers to the carbohydrates that have an impact on blood sugar
levels. I must tell you, this is misleading at best because there are some
sugar alcohols that do raise blood glucose quickly (however as a group
they are noted as having a slow impact).
Since there is no official definition for ‘net carbohydrates’ or its
relatives, exactly what these terms mean may differ from product to
product. But in general, they’re defined as total carbohydrates minus the
carbohydrates used in the product that don’t affect blood sugar, such as
fiber or sugar alcohols. These terms were coined as a way to distinguish
carbohydrate-containing foods that have less impact on blood sugars.
After we eat carbohydrates like starch or sugar, blood sugar (glucose)
rises as insulin is released to move the glucose into the cell (a necessary
process to produce energy to run the body).
But when starch and/or sugar are replaced with fiber, sugar alcohols,
glycerine, or sugar substitutes, the product contains fewer carbohydrates
that affect blood sugar.
So, to get the net carbohydrate value, manufacturers subtract the grams
of fiber, sugar alcohols and glycerine from the product’s grams of total
carbohydrates.
Another Example: Here’s how a popular “low carb candy bar” (marketed
as a “protein bar” or “nutrition bar”) figures its net carbohydrates: 25 g
total carbohydrate – 11 g fiber – 3 g sugar alcohol – 9 g glycerine = 2 net
carbs.
Keep in mind, however, that just because something is lower in
carbohydrates, doesn’t mean it’s necessarily lower in calories. Often times
carbohydrates are replaced with fat, which may actually increase the calorie
content (fat has 9 calories per gram, whereas carbs only have 4 calories per
gram) . The “low carb candy bar” above contains 220 calories – only 10
calories less than a similar, “regular” (and much better-tasting, in my
opinion) candy bar!
I hope this helps to answer some your questions. Bottom line: be aware
(and leery) of food products that have a lot of sugar alcohols; it’s likely
just a way for supplement manufactures to market their products as
healthy or effective for fat loss (“low carb”) … when in actuality, it’s
no better for you than a Snickers bar.
