The best part of research is when you encounter a serendipitous finding. This is what happened to me as I was researching this great little product known as xylitol.

I thought it to be merely a safer sweetening substitute; an alternative for refined sugar and aspartame (this evil invention will be a later topic). The serendipitous part is this: xylitol detains and/or thwarts cavities!

Xylitol is a most interesting substance. It was discovered in 1891 by a German chemist named Emil Fischer and has been in use since the 1960s.

Xylitol is odorless, quick-dissolving and naturally found in many fruits and vegetables. It has a sweet taste similar to sucrose.

Frequent consumption of foods high in sugar and starches promotes tooth decay. The sugar alcohols in xylitol do not promote tooth decay. And, it has 33 percent fewer calories than the same amount of sugar. This product is making strides in gaining acceptance mainly for its role in reducing the development of cavities.

As well as naturally occurring in many fruits and veggies, xylitol is produced in our bodies during normal metabolism. The commercial processing of this wonder substance comes from birch and other hardwood trees and fibrous vegetations. It produces a cooling sensation in the mouth.

More than 35 countries have approved the use of xylitol, which is combined with pharmaceuticals, chewing gums, gum drops/hard candy, and oral-health products such as cough syrups, throat lozenges, children’s chewable multi-vitamins, toothpastes and mouthwashes.

Study findings

According to the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, the role of sugar substitutes such as xylitol in the prevention of cavities has been investigated in several studies that concluded the following:

* Extensive dentin caries (cavities) were totally re-hardened (re-mineralized) after use of xylitol gum.

* Xylitol is as effective as a dental sealant.

* Xylitol reduces plaque

* Children had 70 percent fewer cavities when their mothers chewed xylitol gum while pregnant, even though the children themselves did not chew the gum!

* Xylitol can reduce ear infections and can inhibit viruses and bacteria (unlike refined sugar!)

Cooking with xylitol