One of the main negatives proponents against xylitol will quote is how xylitol will ‘rip apart your insides’ and ‘cause leaky gut’. (1) Digging into the research suggests that these claims are exaggerated. It’s true that if someone eats too much xylitol it will cause diarrhea, gas and bloating. But this isn’t from it ripping apart our digestive tracts. Xylitol is a prebiotic. A prebiotic is food for the bacterial colonies in our digestive systems. So, if a person consumes too much xylitol at once, this can result in an overgrowth of bacteria in the small and large intestine which results in the gas and bloating. This is why people who are looking to recover from leaky gut are warned to avoid eating xylitol. You see, xylitol is a sugar alcohol, also known as a polyol. Experts involved with FODMAPs, SIBO, the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, and GAPS diet, suggest anyone with compromised digestion avoid eating xylitol. A big component to healing this bacterial overgrowth is to not feed the resident bacteria in our bellies which result in a reduction of their populations. As we consider leaky gut to be extremely widespread and undiagnosed, anyone with a digestive challenge would be wise to avoid eating xylitol dental instruments. (As a side note, we should mention that xylitol can be toxic to dogs. Without going into the details of this, research suggests that unlike humans and many other mammals, dogs absorb xylitol extremely quickly and this can challenge the capacity of their livers to process the xylitol.) Benefits of using xylitol… We also see three distinct benefits to using xylitol in the mouth on a regular basis. Prebiotic Wait a second… How can the fact that xylitol is a prebiotic be both a risk AND a benefit? It’s precisely because xylitol IS a prebiotic that contributes most of the benefits which xylitol offers turbine air compressor. Like so many substances, dosage defines whether xylitol will support or undermine our health. Proponents of xylitol suggest 5 ‘exposures’ a day to promote improved oral health. Here’s our concern with this constant xylitol drip… Just because something seems good for us doesn’t mean that more of it will be better. The ‘sugar demon’ each of us has within us (provided you grew up on earth in the 20th or 21st century) constantly lures us to eat more sweet foods. So, even though xylitol doesn’t negatively impact insulin production like sugar, the more sweet foods we consume, the more sweet foods we crave. Sweet is sweet (yes, even if it’s stevia) vacuum forming machine dental. So, we liken eating xylitol to a ‘gateway drug’. Having regular xylitol (in your diet) will increase your cravings for sweet foods. So, a little xylitol gum here and there seems fine and offers the mouth support toward a healthier balance. Just be watchful for your sugar demon’s attempts to increase your sweet consumption as a result. The research very clearly shows that our systems function most efficiently with very, very little to no highly sweet foods.