I searched the internet on this, for I've eaten "sugar-free" candy almost daily for more than a month, and completely stalled. Glycemic index/calories of each listed below. It looks like we should stay away from malitol and polyglycitol, though the others may be OK in moderation.

glucose 100, 100
sucrose 65, 43
erythritol 0, 2
xylitol 13, 11
sorbitol 9, 11
mannitol 0, 0
malitol 35, 27
isomalt 9, 6
lactitol 6, 4
polyglycitol 39, 23

(source: Livesey, G. Nutrition Research Reviews, December 2003, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 163-191(29) )

OK, and this from the ADA: "An American Dietetic Association publication recommends that persons with diabetes managing their blood sugars using the carbohydrate counting method “count half of the grams of sugar alcohol as carbohydrates since half of the sugar alcohol on average is digested"."
(Source: http://www.ific.org/publications/fa...aralcoholfs.cfm)