Received this in my email this morning. Thought it might be of interest here as well. The link: http://atkins.com/Archive/2004/7/16-927112.html

The article:

Sugar Alcohols: A Low-Carb Consumer's Guideby Paul Bruns, Ph.D.
Not so long ago, anyone doing Atkins had to make a commitment to shun one of life’s little pleasures—sweets. To keep carb counts low and blood sugar in control, it was necessary to make a clean break from candy, cookies and ice cream. The good news is, those days are gone.

Advances in food science technology have made it easier and more enjoyable than ever to do Atkins. In fact, I can’t think of a category of traditionally high-carbohydrate foods for which there isn’t now a low-carb substitute. While this new class of food products has no doubt made it easier to enjoy a plate of pasta, blueberry muffin, chocolate bar or bowl of ice cream, to follow the Atkins Nutritional ApproachTM properly, these items should not replace healthful, whole foods. This is the foundation upon which Atkins is built, and it will never change, no matter how many new and improved low-carb products are developed.

And there’s no question: The array of low-carb products will continue to grow and get better. Thanks to constant evolutions in technology, you can count on the fact that substitutes for high-carb foods will become more and more like the things they imitate—in flavor and appearance.

In particular, food scientists have made great progress with a group of compounds known as polyols, or sugar alcohols. You’ve probably seen this term on low-carb product labels and read about it in The Atkins Essentials and The Atkins Shopping Guide as well as on atkins.com. Sugar alcohols are used to sweeten all kinds of low-carb candies, baked goods, sauces and syrups. They have nothing to do with alcohol, as we know it—ethanol (also known as ethyl alcohol) gets you tipsy; sugar alcohols don’t contain ethanol, but they happen to fall into the same chemical category. In fact, the way to tell if something is an alcohol is to look for the suffix “-ol.”

Sugar alcohols occur naturally in many foods, but they can also be manufactured from virtually any plant that contains carbohydrates. The process begins in much the same way that other sugars are manufactured. Because of its abundance, corn is the source of most sugars in the United States (think corn syrup), and fructose is the type of sugar extracted from corn. To make sugar alcohols, the process goes a step further, altering the fructose in a way that retains its sweetness but vastly reduces its impact on blood sugar. Sugar alcohols also have no more than half the calories of the carbohydrates they are replacing. A gram of carbohydrate typically has four calories, whereas a gram of sugar alcohol has two or less.

At Atkins, we primarily use three types of sugar alcohols in our products: maltitol, sorbitol and isomalt (isomalt is a mixture of sorbitol and mannitol). These particular sugar alcohols are about half to three-quarters as sweet tasting as table sugar (sucrose), and we use them in our confectionary products because in this context they behave most like sugar. They also tend to cause the fewest gastrointestinal (GI) side effects.

All foods containing sugar alcohols, however, should be consumed in moderation because of their potential for GI complaints, including gas, cramping and diarrhea. Sensitivity to these effects varies tremendously from person to person; some are very sensitive to even small amounts of sugar alcohols, while others seem impervious to the unpleasant symptoms. Also, over time, people seem to develop an increasing tolerance to sugar alcohols—in the same way that the body can become accustomed to eating beans without GI effects. A general rule of thumb, however, is to stick to no more than two to three servings, or no more than 25 grams of sugar alcohols, per day.

You may be wondering why we don’t simply use Splenda® (sucralose) or another replacement sweetener in our Atkins brand confections, especially in light of the potential for such side effects. Artificial sweeteners are 300 to 600 times sweeter than sugar. Most sugar alcohols, on the other hand, are significantly less sweet than sugar. However, if you’ve ever made candy at home, you know that sugar actually plays a more important role in the process than just making candy taste sweet. Sugar often helps make up the substance of a food. For example, a chocolate bar is basically composed of sugar, fat and flavoring. If you simply added a pinch of artificial sweetener to some oil and cocoa powder, you’d end up with a brown puddle! It’s the sugar that gives a chocolate bar its structure. Another example is hard candy, which is made almost entirely of sugar. Sugar alcohols act like sugar in that they, too, can give candy its structure.

When sugar alcohols are used in other foods, such as sauces and syrups, they provide what’s referred to in the food science world as “mouth feel.” In other words, if a syrup is made without sugar or sugar alcohols, it will be slimy and lacking in body. Sugar alcohols give such foods a more pleasing texture.

One final clarification about sugar alcohols: On product labels, you may have seen that glycerine is subtracted from the total carb count along with sugar alcohols to yield the grams of Net Carbs (the only carbs you need to count on Atkins). Glycerine has the same properties as sugar alcohols and is metabolized in the body in the same way, but it is not as sweet. Although it’s categorized as a sugar alcohol in some countries (and called glycerol), it is not considered one in the United States.

Finally, if you’ve ever been curious about the safety of these compounds, you can rest easy: All sugar alcohols commonly used in food have undergone extensive and rigorous safety testing, and data has been shared with the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which has granted sugar alcohols the legal status of substances that are “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS). What this means is that the FDA has no concerns about the safety of sugar alcohols.

Not everyone responds the same way to sugar alcohols. As stated in the forthcoming Atkins Diabetes Revolution, because of individual differences in response, people with Type 2 Diabetes should check their blood sugar 90 minutes after eating a food containing sugar alcohols. If an abnormal elevation results it is best to avoid sugar alcohols until the metabolism improves.

So remember, these tasty sweets made with sugar alcohols should be eaten sparingly and enjoyed as they were designed to be: as occasional treats. The majority of your daily meals should consist of nutrient-dense, whole foods—the same advice you’ve been hearing from Atkins for more than three decades.

Dr. Bruns, senior manager, scientific affairs, holds a B.S. in agriculture and an M.S. in animal physiology and dairy chemistry from the University of Vermont. He also holds a Ph.D. in food science and nutrition from Cornell University.

I received that yesterday also, and read it. It seems to contradict all I have learned about sugar alcohols. It really seems to me like a commercial for all the new atkins products coming out To tell us all that sugar alcohols are natural and safe for us to consume would sure sell alot of their products. And they didn't forget to tell us that they use the ones that cause the least GI problems. Unfortunately, for me, there is not one sugar alcohol that doesn't leave me quite uncomfortable. Oh well, makes the temptation much less!!

The message that needs to be emphasized is in the last part:
EATEN SPARINGLY.....OCCASIONAL TREATS

Even Atkins Corp is saying that these aren't foods to be eaten every day and maybe not every week. THat's what people have to understand.

Dr. Atkins was all about changing habits, not just substituting slightly better products for the high carbage.

Actually what the article says is "no more than two or three servings, or no more than 25 grams of sugar alcohols, a day." That's like a whole candy bar a day or more! Who can eat that and still lose weight?

What I'd really like to know is whether or not sugar alcohols are safe during pregnancy. A "GRAS" rating from the FDA is all well and good, but pregnancy is another story. I've been avoiding them for the most part until I can get a definitive answer, but pregnancy would sure be more enjoyable if I could eat LC ice cream, I tell ya.

My niece is pregnant and her doctor put her on a modified Atkins diet. She eats about 50 g of carbs a day...the obvious change that I can see is she can only use Splenda not any of the other artificial sweetners and she avoids sugar alcohols like they were a plague. Now she's not doing this to lose weight but to control her weight gain. She visited us recently and all she drank was water for her liquids except for one glass of decaff 4c sf ice tea I'd made (it has splenda in it). She avoided caffeine mostly except for one Coke. I had offered the bars to her but she refused them saying they had sugar alcohols in them...so she's being super careful. She's 36 and this is her first child, you see. I guess the simplest answer is if you have a doubt, then avoid it until you ask your doctor.

Notice this is not coming from Dr. Atkins, this is coming from the company which is trying to sell the Atkins products including the endulge line. If they were to publish an article stating "Sugar alcohol laden treats can stall some people and in most it shouldn't be an every day thing" then they would lose huge amounts of sells. Especially form those that don't read the book and are eating nothing but the candies, shakes and bars for food.

I need to hear their opinion about using Erythritol in place of Maltitol.

An article I found on Evil Sugar Alcohols...............


These sweeteners are neither sugars, nor alcohols, but they are carbohydrates nonetheless. They are sometimes called POLYOLS, to avoid confusion. At the present time, they have not been legally classified for product labelling purposes, as are sugars, starch and fiber. So, some manufacturers are choosing to omit them from the total carb count in the nutrient data panel of the label (they MUST however declare the amount of sugar alcohol in the ingredient list). Because they aren't actually SUGAR, products that contain them may use the term "sugar free" on the label. Some manufacturers and distributors (esp. in Canada and Europe) are choosing to declare the full carbs in the nutrient data panel, and some diabetes associations and consumer groups are pressuring for gov't legislation to make this a legal requirement.

There are some claims that sugar alcohols don't have carbs, and therefore don't count; that they can be completely subtracted if listed on the label. This statement is not entirely "false" but it is misleading. Sugar alcohols do have carbs, and approx. 1/2 to 3/4 the calories of regular sugar. They are more slowly and incompletely absorbed from the small intestine than sugar, thus producing a much smaller and slower rise in blood sugar ... and consequently insulin. But this is a YMMV thing. Some Type 1 diabetics have reported that they sense an immediate "sugar rush" from eating even a small amount. Others notice no change, and absolutely no effect on ketosis.

Sugar alcohols do have carb calories, and the body will use these as fuel, or store as fat, whether or not insulin is involved. You need to look at the total CALORIES for one serving of the product. Subtract from this total the number of calories from any protein in the product (prot = 4 cal. per gm), then subtract the calories from any FAT in the product (fat = 9 cal. per gm). What's left is the calories from carbohydrate ... divide this remainder by 4 (carbs = 4 cal. per gm). If the number you get is bigger than the number of carbs declared on the label, the product has hidden carbs, and it's most likely the polyol. Calories do not just disappear into thin air!

The "laxative effect" happens for two reasons. First, because the sugar alcohols are not completely absorbed, they hold on to a lot of water in the bowel. This causes diarrhea. Another consequence is that when undigested carbs reach the colon, the normal bacteria present there go WILD --- resulting in unpleasant gas, and bloating. Sorbitol and mannitol are the worst offenders in this department, maltitol less so. The effect is dose-related -- you would be wise to pay attention to the serving size listed on the product label. This amount would be considered "safe" for the average adult -- make note of this before giving to a smaller child! Nothing like watching your kid doubled over with cramps and diarrhea because they ate too many "sugar free" sweets. To the best of my knowledge, sugar alcohols ARE safe for children, and pregnant/nursing mothers ... just keep an eye on the dose.

There are some newer sugar alcohols slowly making their way on the market, which have less laxative effect, and even less blood sugar and insulin consequence. Erythritol, isomalt and inulin are a few to watch for. There's another called HSH (hydrolyzed starch hydrolysate) also called maltitol syrup. The thing is, the different sugar alcohols have different properties, and can't be used for all things. Sorbitol is used in hard candies ... it produces a nice, clear candy that doesn't crystalize, and stays hard and dry in a humid environment. Because it doesn't crystalize, sorbitol is used in ice cream to help it stay creamy. Mannitol also can absorb a lot of moisture before it gets damp and sticky, therefore it's used to "dust" sticks of gum, to keep them dry. Maltitol and erythritol provide smooth bulk, and are ideal for chocolates and soft candies to give a creamy "melt in the mouth" quality.

Sugar alcohols are not acted upon by bacteria in the mouth, and therefore do NOT cause tooth decay. In fact, xylitol actually INHIBITS oral bacteria, and is often used in sugarless mints and chewing gum for this reason.

BOTTOM LINE

We are all individuals, and our bodies will react differently to these products. Depending on other factors, such as what else we've consumed along with it or on an empty stomach, we may even find ourselves having totally different reactions each time we eat it. So proceed with caution.

Be aware that there is potential to cause a rise in blood sugar and insulin ... although slower. Also the possibility to knock you out of ketosis, if you're following a ketogenic program such as Atkins. Pay attention to the serving SIZE. A 45-gram (1-1/2 oz) chocolate bar may state on the label that one serving is 15 grams (1/2 oz). That's only 1/3 of the bar, so keep that in mind when you're about to chow down.

If you are following Induction level low carb eating, it would be wise to avoid these products until at LEAST the 2 weeks are up, and your body's metabolism is settled well into ketosis and fat-burning mode. Same for other low carb programs, which may not be ketogenic, but do have strong effects on the metabolism (eg. Protein Power, Carb Addicts). Give your body the chance to adjust to the new WOE first, then cautiously add these products.

KEYWORD moderation. Most low carbers find they can indulge very occasionally in a polyol-sweetened treat without consequence to their weight loss effort, and perhaps a mild laxative effect or some gas. It's a trade-off, but helps to stave off cravings for high-sugar goodies. A problem could develop though, for someone with carb-addiction .... these candies just become a substitute addiction. Also, the sweet taste can trigger EMOTIONS (for an addict) that will result in a "rush" of hormones and enzymes in the body, ultimately leading to an insulin spike ... and fat STORAGE. And remember that candy is NOT a meal substitute. There's little or no protein, vitamins or essential fatty acids.

RESOURCES

"Reduced Calorie Sweeteners: Polyols" from the Calorie Control Council

"Letter to Health Minister Allan Rock from CSPI Canada" Sept/00, urging accurate labelling of food products containing sugar alcohols, health warnings of the Gastrointestinal effects, and recommendations for control of dose per serving.