Beware of the Sugar Alcohol Maltitol

Posted on by Ashley Bischoff

As food companies try to lower the sugar content of their foods, they’ll try just about anything. In addition to the usual white-flour-to-soy-flour conversion, sugar is often taken out and replaced with a sugar alcohol. The name is a bit misleading as it’s neither a sugar nor an alcohol; rather, its chemical structure is merely similar to sugars and alcohols.

And, food companies generally subtract food alcohols from the “carb count” on the back of the package as they reason that sugar alcohols have a negligible effect on blood sugar levels. But, is that really the case? To find out, I searched for the glycemic values for various sugar alcohols. For those not aware, the Glycemic Index is a measure of a food’s effect on blood sugar levels. The scale is set up so that sugar has a value of 100. But, that’s not to say that foods can’t exceed 100 — potatoes can reach into the 150s, for example.

While a glycemic value of zero would truly represent a food which has “no effect” on blood sugar levels, that’s not to say that any effect is bad. Really, it’s the spikes in blood sugar levels brought on by foods with high glycemic values which cause mischief. Getting back to the sugar alcohols, I discovered that many of them aren’t that low:

  • Maltitol syrup, intermediate: 53
  • Maltitol syrup, regular: 52
  • Maltitol syrup, high: 48
  • Polyglycitol / hydrogenated starch hydrolysate: 39
  • Maltitol syrup, high-polymer: 36
  • Maltitol: 36
  • Xylitol: 13
  • Isomalt: 9
  • Sorbitol: 9
  • Lactitol: 6
  • Erythritol: 0
  • Mannitol: 0
Obviously, maltitol and its variants stick out. But, how bad is it? For comparison, corn syrup (a sugar derived from corn) is around 85-92. Sure, maltitol is lower than that, but it’s not that far off. As a rule of thumb, a glycemic value in the 40s (or below) is considered low. But maltitol syrup (53) is almost at the level of new potatoes (57).

So, which sugar alcohols are used commonly? Speakingly only anecdotally — from my recollections of food labels at my local Target — maltitol seems to be the sugar alcohol of choice for many manufacturers. I think we’d all like to find some double chocolate chip cookies make with erythritol (with its zero glycemic value), but I’ve never actually seen erythritol on any ingredient label :-/.

It may initially seem confusing to have all these sugar alcohols and glycemic values to remember — especially since so many food manufacturers liken all of them to having a minimal effect. But, just keep in mind these two: maltitol (36-53, depending on variant) and polyglycitol (also called “hydrogenated starch hydrolysate”, at 39). If you steer clear of those, the rest shouldn’t be an issue — the next-highest sugar alcohol is xylitol and that only has a glycemic value of 13.

183 thoughts on “Beware of the Sugar Alcohol Maltitol”

  1. Very helpful information! Insightful and simple. Also worth mentioning that I feel really sick when I eat maltitol and I naturally have opted for other sugar alcohols (e.g. sucralose, mannitol) becuase they seem to have fewer negative effects. Thank you for posting the info!

  3. I don’t believe the glycemic value of Maltitol is the only, or most important, consideration when evaluating the effect on blood sugars. The absorbtion rate is equally important. Though maltitol glycemic value can be as high as 52 or 53 because of the size of the molecule, it is absorbed much more slowly. It is the polyol that behaves most like sugar when used in recipes and has a slower absorption rate than all the others. This slow absorbtion rate avoids the spikes you spoke of. Naturally, you must monitor your daily intake of any sugar alchohol or sugar but your warning is exaggerated.

  4. Carb slim products use Erythritol exclusively in its products and Erythritol doesn’t give you the farts like maltitol

  5. I found the glycemic value extremely important, especially being on the South Beach Diet. Being compared to equal amounts of white bread, Maltitol has an extreme effect on blood sugar levels, leading to a spike in insulin, and further cravings. The whole point of these sugar-substitutes is to satisfy cravings without raising blood sugars, not to continue the cycle. In fact, the large molecule size could actually be more problematic than helpful. If the molecule is of a size difficult for insulin to pick up, then the molecule stays in the blood longer, forcing the pancreas to release more insulin, and eventually inducing severe cravings to compensate the extra insulin floating around. These negative effects are usually first reflected in the GV, so thank you for posting this very helpful site!

  6. I was wondering if anyone had any more information to offer about food that can satisfy my sweet tooth, without giving me the ‘sugar blues’. I’ve pretty much eliminated sugar from my diet. I tried Maltitol and I’m definately all set with that (I’m sure you know what I mean!). I am not familiar with the other substitutes spoken of, and would just like some product names or suggestions of other ingredients to look for. I’m thinking of just using non-sweetened sugar (grated over nuts and raisens), but I am not the biggest fan of chocolate. I usually just want cookies. Thanks.

  8. Try Stevia. It’s made by grinding up tea leaves and has been used by the natives of Paraguay (or possibly Uraguay, I forget) for centuries. It has no impact at all on blood sugar levels. If you use too much of it, it tastes somewhat bitter.

    In the 80’s the big US sugar companies an chemical companies who make dangerous sugar alternatives (like aspartame) lobbied the FDA to treat stevia like a drug and sieze it as it was imported for no reason whatsoever because they were afraid of the competition from a sweetener that has no ill side effects. It’s legal now though. I reccomend the ‘SweetLeaf’ brand. You can find stevia cookbooks at Amazon.com.

  9. Are there any other brands besides carb slim that don’t use any Maltitol or Xylitol. Why do these companies use Maltitol at all? Is it cheaper or something?

    Great advise and thanks for the info

  10. LowCarb Specialties manufactures sugar-free gourmet chocolate bars (milk and dark)that taste excellent and are sweetened with erythritol and oligofructose (inulin… a natural fiber)…. the 2 ounce bars have 2 or 3 grams of carbs and 16 grams of fiber due to the oligofructose. Free samples of the bars, which actually taste better than most chocolate bars made with sugar, are available by completing the guest book at:
    http://www.lowcarbspecialties.com
    Just request a free sample and the company will send one to you along with a copy of The Chocolate Lover’s Diet… a low carb, anti-candida eating plan with unlimited ChocoPerfection…. definitely the way to lose weight!

  13. As far as I know, xylitol and erythritol occur naturally in some fruits and fungi (mushrooms), so I suppose they could be said to be “natural”. Personally I try to avoid any of the other sugar alcohols. Unless you are diabetic, just eat the regular stuff, less of it, exercise more to sort out your insulin metabolism, and sugar cravings should go away. I try to eat meals that have all three food components in them: protein, carbohydrates and some fats. It works for me – no more desire for bars of chocolate or bowls of ice-cream!

    Stevia is wonderful stuff!!! The drug companies and those that manufacture the artificial sweeteners are putting out a lot of negative press about Stevia because they no doubt see it as a very real threat. It is an extract obtained from the leaves of the plant Stevia rebaudiana. If you were a real purist, you could put a chopped up leaf in your tea in place of a spoonful of sugar – it is that simple!!!

    Last thing: PLEASE avoid aspartame and sucralose – I have researched many horror stories about these. Saccharin seems OK, but as I said above, unless you are diabetic, you are better off eating regular stuff.

    Nicky

  14. I am a borderline diabetic and have opted for sugar substitutes, some with maltitol. Unfortunately, maltitol also gives me bad diarhea as well as gas. Also unfortunately, most sugar free products contain maltitol. I have currently tried to avoid it completely.

  15. I don’t understand why anyone would use malitol. The effects of it are very unpleasant. I am trying to stay sugar free, but I love chocolate. I like Estee Sugar Free Chocolate. It does not use malitol, but it is hard to find.

  16. Maltitol and some similar combinations, can tie your stomach in knots and make you wish you never ate it. I tryed it in chocolates and learned my lesson. Then someone gave me some sugar free Pecan pie from Wal-Mart. I did not know it had Maltitol in it, had two pieces, and suffered for two days. They should take it off the market.

  17. Can eating maltitol cause hair loss? I began a sugar free diet with products that mostly had maltitol as an ingredient. Less than a week later I find i’m suffering from rather extreme hair loss. Is there any relation between the two?

  18. If you live in North Idaho, go to Rocky Mountain Low Carb Foods and Specialty Store. (Hayden, ID) They have products of all sorts. Some made with Malitol, but they also carry stuff with xylitol and erythritol. They also carry the bags of this stuff so that you can use it in recipes. It works great! The one thing that I can’t get enough of is the Chocoperfection bars that they have. They have milk or dark chocolate. They have 14 and 16 grams of fiber in them which is great for me. It dosen’t hurt me like the malitol. It works more like you ate enough ruffage. My son also gets constipated, so I give him about a half of a bar once in a while, and it works beautifully. Check it out!!!

  19. If you want some great sugar free chocolate, without the bad effects of malitol, try chocoperfection bars. They are delicious.

  21. Hi Jonie. There’re no known problems with Splenda, tagatose or stevia. Honey, on the other hand, is just about pure sugar — I’d avoid it.

  22. I am familiar with the process of oil hydrogenation and its negative effects.Can the same principle be applied to maltitol(being the hydrogenated form of maltol)?

  23. Having come thru chemo and cancer free for two years, I still don’t want to use sugar substitutes, so just picked up gum to get rid of garlic smell and it was ….(QUICK read label, ..oh, it was Wrigley’s eclipse. Looked it over quickly, DID NOT SEE that it was sugar free. ) I do not take sugar free products. ONE hour later I was sick as a dog from both ends, and in the middle of my 60 hour work week of real estate, while doing an open house. I looked at the back label of the gum after going to my car and saw it was maltitol. I have already had been effected by maltitol before and knew to stay away from it. Look for things with real sugar in gum etc. if I need a quick mouth freshener. Well sugar is bad for cancer survivors but didn’t think gum would make such a reaction. But sugarless never made a reaction UNTIL they put in MALTITOL. IF the label was clearer. The words SUGAR FREE did not stand out enough. …..there were no warnings. I had four pieces because of the garlic. WHAT IF I WERE A CHILD and chewed this. THIS STUFF IS DANGEROUS and NOT labeled correctly. SUGUAR FREE I thought always had to be a distinct label. WHY ARE THEY HIDING THE SUGAR FREE wording to match the color of the background?? Why not make it BLACK to stand out, so allergic people like myself could see it.

    Well I’m going to get my food products only from the health food store and made of stevia, if i ever use sugar again.

    I worry that there may be people that don’t think gum can cause such a reaction. Don’t count that as a food that could have caused a reaction.

    But the lingering in the mouth of gum, works more quickly than food to gets the maltitol into your body perhaps more quickly. Because it stays in the mouth.

    I remember when labeling was distinct and sugar and sugar free were visible. Why hide the sugar free label?? Some of us are highly allergic to sugar free products now that maltitol is part of it.

    Thanks for listening. But why isn’t the FDA protecting us??? Why ??

  24. I have had no problem with maltitol. What I see is that this research does not have much to back it up. There is always some “new” study coming out to ward you of something… and who knows who is really behind this one anyway. I see companines, like the one that manufactures the “Glucerna” shakes and products, specifically for people with diabetes who need (stress the word need) to lose weight and they use maltitol in their products. I am sure their testing is far more extensive than this “study”. Maltitol is listed on everything it is in, that is the law. If you have bad reactions to it, then don’t eat it. Enough with the self-serving covert junk science “studies”. Give me REAL proof, REAL experiements and REAL results.

  25. Thank you Justin, Nick and everybody else who re commended stevia. I tried maltitol thinking that it was a natural whole food sweetner with miminal processing, well I couldn’t have been more wrong! I read about stevia before and how it was a unprocessed natural sweetner and as I don’t want to die of cancer or an heart attack, its the only sweetner I’m having from now on.

  26. I use stevia but find that it adds a liquorish taste to hot beverages. I have tried two different brands and get the same flavour. I researched this and it seems that products which have this aftertaste are not ‘pure’ leaf extract. Does anyone have any suggestions as to which products out there is the genuine product?

  27. You have to weigh the costs with the benefits when it comes to sweeteners. I am prone to cavities so I stopped eating sugar products and white flour. That wasn’t enough so I had to start chewing Xylitol gum. I chew like 4-5 pieces a day and it helps remineralize my teeth. When I tried using it in tea, the side effects were more obvious. There was stomach upset, cracked skin on my lips, and an erruption of eczema on my hands.

    I scaled back to just gum. If you have a real medical reason (diabetes or tooth decay) to take Xylitol or Maltitol then you’ll manage the negative side effects, because your illness is more damaging to your body. These sweeteners should be judged like chemo or antibiotics, which make you sick as well. If you aren’t sick and are just trying to lose 20 pounds rather than 200, don’t take these products!!

  29. I am every health conscious and have been eating a low carb soy bar daily for several months. It has caused extreme gas in me and I just found out that it has maltitol in it. When I called the company and told them of my problem, they said that several other people had called in to say it had the same effect on them. The woman I talked to said that maltitol often causes this. Needless to say, I have stopped eating this low carb soy bar and have switched to the regular one with real sugar in it. This bar also has splenda in it…another artificial sweetener.

  30. I just got my shipment of the chocoperfection bars they are the BEST!!. I’ve had gastric bypass surgery 3 years ago. I can eat this chocolate and I don’t give the sugar rush that would make me sick to my stomach. I also got the sweet perfection which is in the same catagory as Stevia and it works great. Im not having the high or low blood sugar using these products, which is great since Im hypoglycemic.I enjoyed reading all the posts gave me a lot of info on the other sweetners and the gas problem was thinking is was me and the bypass surgery.
    thanks again for all the useful info

  31. Like Adi over here, i to want to know if Maltitol can be used in a anti candida diet..?
    I Have this chocolatebar here that i’m just dying to eat, but don’t want to destroy the hole diet…….

  32. will someone answer….IS MALTITOL OK ON THE ANTI CANDIDA DIET??
    i am reeaally wanting to know if i should stop eating the low carb bars i have. am i continuing to feed the yeast by consuming the maltitol that is in the bars??
    thank u to anyone who responds. lots a love

  33. I’m quite fond of Shugr (erythritol, tagatose, and stuff)

    Xylitol isn’t as sweet. I’m hoping there’s a sweetener less costly than gold powder than contains erythritol, tagatose, and xylitol.

    is there?

  34. A thought for AJ. Do you think the US government funded studies are real research? If so, then how do you account for so many drugs being recalled from the market and law suits against drug companies. I’m sorry I don’t trust any government research because the bottom line it is about big business, the almighty dollar and not about your health. They don’t care that people die of cancer when they make billions of dollars every year on chemotherapy drugs. What makes you think that the research done on this blog that was posted by Alex has less credence then research funded by the FDA?
    Alex I read that the glycemic index of xylitol is seven. I guess it depends on where you get your information. I also have read that xyletol has many health benefits such as strenghtening bones and teeth. I vote for xylitol or Stevia. Stay away from Aspartame as the government has used the American public as Guinea pigs and we now have found that Aspartame crosses the blood brain barrier and causes brain damage.

  36. Hi all, We’ve just been thrown into the no sugar, no white flour world as my boyfriend has been diagnosed as dibetic, and has been very diligent about losing weight and not consuming sugar.
    We were all excited about all of these “no sugar added” chocolate/snack bars in the local health food stores only to be truly surprised that the advice in the diabetic course was AGAINST consumption of ANY sweetener ending in “itol”, period.
    What a shock, as I so often directly link doctors with drugs, and manufactured substitutes etc.
    I have read extensively about stevia, and from all the information I can find, the ONLY reason it is not in sugar free food is money and market control. The companies making these other substitutes do not have control of stevia, and until they do, they will continue to do everything in their power to keep it out of the market place as a viable alternative.
    From what I have found with a little reading, is, that the FDA was even pressured so far as to almost force one company to BURN their literature on stevia (so I have read here on the great information highway).
    You have to ask yourself: If maltitol, lactitol, anything”itol” is so great, why would our doctor tell us not to eat it?
    Everything I can find on stevia has indicated that not only is it not harmful to the body, it has MANY beneficial side effects as well.
    Go figure, a natural product, unaltered by a massive conglomerate that’s good for you.
    If anyone out there has more info or could direct us to further information that would contradict the information I have talked about here, I would truly appreciate it, as I said this is new territory for us, and it feels like there are many roadblocks on the road to the truth….

  38. My husband has brought his Diabetes under control(HBA1C was 10.8).This was mainly done by Food controls,Absent from Alcohols,& ON TOP PRANAYAM.
    Pranayam is a breathing technik which not only gaurantee control on diabetes,but also has cure for it.

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  39. Wow! Nodoby has anything good to say about Maltitol. I don’t know anything about the molecules and the what-nots but I am glad for Maltitol.

    I have been a diabetic for 22 years and have had to do without a lot of the things I really love. One in particular is chocolate. Maltitol has had side effects on me (poops and poots) but that seemed to be only when I first started eating stuff sweetend with it and now only when I over-do it.

    I recently have been eating Russel Stover Sugar-free Chocolates. They have peanutbutter cups, carmel-filled, mint… I love em. If I eat the whole dam bag – yep it’ll stir up a poop-storm but I can eat 3 or 4 individual wrapped candies while at work and they will have no effect on me. It may be that my body has adjusted somewhat but I ok with that many.

    Another suger-free candy that is pretty new is the Sugar-free Mentos. And yes, the first day I saw them I ate two boxes and it caused a riot in my stomache. But after a day or so I bought some more and just had a few and was oK. I love those sugar-free Mentos but you gotta just work your way into them.

    I have a bag of Nestle Sugar-free Turtles I am eating right now. They don’t taste as good as the Russel Stover but I’ve three turtles and no side effects yet. I also just bought a bag of Sweet’N Low Coconut Clusters that I haven’t tried yet. I typically only like Sweet’N low in drinks.
    Lifesavers has a few different flavors of sugar-free candies also: Mint, wintergreen, toffee, fruit… I’ve had the fruit and the toffee and they both see ok. I have up to ten of those pieces with no effects. They are small pieces just like regular LifeSavers.

    Jelly Belly makes some sugar free jelly beans that are really good also. The first time I ate those, I ate too many it flipped my stomache. So the next time around I ate half as many and I was ok.

    All the gas and diarrhea may be caused by eating too much too soon. If your not a diabetic you should just stay away from it. If you are a diabetic, try it again and slowly work into it.

  40. Hi everyone! Im not diabetic, but I am Insulin resistant, so during my treatment of Metformin, I eat like a Diabetic. anything that has even looked at sugar gives me the worst headaches…but I just wanted to let all the gum chewers know that Dentyne Ice (the soft kind) uses mannitol, and it hasnt had an effect on me yet!

    Betty

  41. A horrid experience that’s not over yet!
    Last week I bought a pretty glass container of Aloe Vera sugar-free chewing gum from an Asian grocery. Xylitol was on the front label but then I also noticed it contained Maltitol on the ingredients list. I wondered about that for a moment but… not for too long since I never had too much of it to have a bad reaction. The taste was very pleasant and I just kept chewing, probably 40 pieces out of 60 within two days, getting sicker & sicker and blaming it on everything else I ate the day before. Just couldn’t make a connection. Stomach pain & diarrhea worth of a hospital stay. On day three when I had “nothing left to loose” I felt somewhat better but after taking another piece of gum the whole process was set in motion again. Then I did make a connection. Today is Monday and I had that last piece on Saturday, yet I’m still feeling out of sorts and my stomach is still not back to normal.
    Does anyone know how long it takes for this vile stuff to leave your system?

  42. I have been trying the South Beach diet. I had no clue about maltitol and boy am I sorry!! I had a couple pieces of Russell Stover toffee squares today and I feel horrible. How long does it take most of you to get over the effects of this?

  43. I agree about the stevia, it is the only sweetener I trust, and the one that has been around the longest. I grow a stevia plant and love eating a leaf when I have a sweet craving. Doctors in South America use the stevia leaf to balance glucose levels in Diabetics so it must be doing something right. As for the artificial and extremely processed fake sugars, no way, not in my body! It seems most cravings are due to addictions and once you understand why you crave something you can do something about it.
    SweetLeaf stevia is by far my favorite, I love the added fiber in the steviaplus, and the fact that they do not add glycerine or an alcohol in their liquid stevias like a lot of the other stevia companies do. Oh for all you candida diets steviaplus’s FOS inulin fiber ia amazing for helping your “good bacteria” Bifoda bactertia, in the body to over grow the BAD bacteria, to take control of your candida over growth.
    There is always a natural remedy it just takes some searching to find what is right for your body!”Let your food be your medicine and let your medicine be your food”….they really knew what they were talking about way back then:)

  44. I have been eating low carb for over 3 years now. About 6 months into it I discovered products made with sugar alcohols. I thought I was in heaven! The thing is, that during the first 6 months my sweet tooth was all but gone…but after snacking on low-carb sweets, it came back but good. That was not the worst of it. I seem to be allergic to it.

    If I eat much, I break out in hives, or what I think are hives. It will start with a feeling that a bug is biting me, a sting, then I will scratch, and the itching gets unbearable from that point on, swelling into multiple bumps if it is a bad case.

    For the first year or more I did not put it all together. I thought it was soap, then laundry detergent, then peanut butter…maybe stress…but what I finally determined was that it is the low carb foods containing the sugar alcohols. It has only been the last 6 months that I knew for sure. I am still determining if the different types, maltitol, sorbitol or xylitol make me react any differently.

    Now I will occassionally splurge a little and have something because I love sweets, but I pay the price.

  45. I just recently bought some Stevia and would love a good cookie recipe to use it in. Does anyone have one, pretty please???
    Thanks!
    Barb :-)

  46. I have been diagnosed with diabetes and I am still learning what I can and cannot eat. I have been eating the “sugar free” chocolates because it is very hard for me to leave the chocolate behind. My doctor has been monitoring my blood tests closely because I cannot get my triglycerides to come down. Does anyone know if the “sugar alcolhol” can cause a persons triglyceride level to spike? Thank you, Sheila

  47. Just an added note on the product Stevia. I started looking into it about 12 years ago and have found a company out of Eugene, Oregon, that markets the best tasting stevia so far, called NuStevia. It comes in bulk or small purse-size packets so you can have it on hand at all times. This NuStevia has the lowest aftertaste of all the stevia products I’ve tried, can be sprinkled directly on foods, added in hot or cold drinks, and used in various recipes. The phone number for ordering this product is 1-800-753-4372 and their website is: http://www.nunaturals.com.

    Personally, I have found that a combination of three different sugar substitutes, NuStevia, xylitol and maltitol works best for us. This way you can avoid tasting any aftertaste from the stevia (which is almost none from NuStevia), can be free from any negative side effects from the maltitol, and it also cuts down on the cost of using xylitol, which is very expensive to use by itself.

    And at all costs, avoid using Splenda. It’s processed with chlorine (poinsonous gas) and can have some very negative side effects. Time magazine did an article on it a while back, and it’s not an option!

    For more information about health and nutrition, feel free to visit our website:

    http://www.NewCreationHealthUnlimited.com

  48. I am prediabetic and do long distance walking. I wanted something that was high in protein and low in suger for energy. I tried Trim Protein bars. However I noticed they have Maltitol in them. I have a lot of energy for my walks but started noticing, problems with my colan, ulcers in my mouth, heartburn, and inflamation in other areas. I went off the bars and all my symptoms went away after a week. I even saw a Gastrointerologist my symptoms were so severe. I use Stevia all the time anyway. It is a wonderful sweetener. I cannot find anything that taste as good as the protein bars but had to give them up.Many people will not even think that Maltitol would be causing their symptoms. I am glad I recognized it. It also caused me to have a yeast flareup.

  49. Hi there! It has been more than a year since i started committing myself to a eating-better-low-carb lifestyle. Eating low-carb is easy if only for the sweet tooth … I am still searching for the ultimate ‘best’ sweetener. It would have to have the least negative effects possible on our system, short and long term. I believe that Stevia is the best there is right now, because it is naturally derived and has been used for years around the world with no known effects on human. And with the whole controversy against this product, i think the sugar industry really fears Stevia. There are many artificial sweeteners out there, and one affects each individual differently. I have found this webpage to be extremely helpful. I hope it will be helpful to all of you as well.

    http://www.sugarlessshop.com/2000/sweetenerinfo.htm

  50. I ate about a half a cup of sugar free gummy bears made with maltitol syrup last night and have been ill since then. (It’s 1:20 the next afternoon.) I have had diarrhea and severe gas all night. I will never eat that stuff again! I have no problems with Splenda or Xylitol. I never got this sick from an additive before….

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