What Is Erythritol powder?
Erythritol, a type of carbohydrate called sugar alcohol, is one of the most common artificial sweeteners available. It’s popular in foods marketed for weight loss and diabetes. But research suggests that erythritol, and other artificial sweeteners, may have serious health risks—and may be worse for you than table sugar.
Erythritol is found naturally in some foods. It’s also made when things like wine, beer, and cheese ferment. Besides its natural form, erythritol has also been a man-made sweetener since 1990.
Calories in erythritol. Sugar has 4 calories per gram but erythritol has zero. That’s because your small intestine absorbs it quickly and gets it out of your body through urine within 24 hours. This means erythritol powder doesn’t have a chance to “metabolize”—turn into energy in your body.
Taste. Erythritol tastes sweet. It’s similar to table sugar.
Appearance. It’s in the form of white crystal granules or powder.
Our own bodies also make erythritol in response to high glucose levels, Susie Swithers, Ph.D., professor in the department of psychological sciences at Purdue University, tells TODAY.com. It usually stays inside your cells and helps to make energy, but some of it leaks out into your bloodstream, Hazen adds, and different people have different circulating levels of erythritol in their bodies.
Erythritol powder is also found in some foods naturally, like watermelon and some fermented foods, Hazen says. However, in those foods it’s present in much smaller amounts than you’d find in an artificially sweetened drink or dessert, he adds.
Benefits of Erythritol powder
Erythritol powder is a type of sugar alcohol commonly added to sugar-free products and used as a blood sugar-friendly alternative to table sugar in foods and drinks. Using erythritol as an alternative to table sugar and other sweeteners may have some health benefits, such as helping to control blood sugar levels and reduce calorie intake.
However, diets high in added sugar are linked to several health issues, including an increased risk of diabetes, heart disease, and obesity, which is why many people choose to use sugar alternatives like erythritol. Erythritol powder has a similar structure to sucrose, or table sugar, and stimulates sweet taste receptors in the body. It’s low in calories and doesn’t impact blood sugar or insulin levels
1.May Promote Healthy Blood Sugar Levels
2. Has a Very Low Glycemic Index
3. May Curb Sugar Consumption
4. May Help Reduce Calorie Intake
5. Could Protect Dental Health
6. Has Fewer Gastrointestinal Side Effects
Nutrition of Erythritol
There are many types of sugar alcohols, but erythritol is one of the most commonly consumed in the United States. Erythritol powder provides 0.2 calories per gram—3.8 calories less than table sugar—and is about 70% as sweet as sugar.
Sugar alcohols, also known as polyols, are sugar derivatives that naturally occur in some foods and are also commercially produced for use in the food industry.
Erythritol powder is naturally found in a number of foods, such as fruits and fermented foods, and is commercially produced by fermentation from a corn-derived sugar called dextrose.
How To Use Erythritol
Erythritol is found in a number of products, including sugar-free candy, drinks, and foods. It’s commonly added to low-carb and keto-friendly foods and beverages like cookies, sweets, and sugar-free sodas, as it provides a low-calorie, sweet taste without impacting blood sugar levels.
For use in cooking and baking, erythritol can be purchased in granulated, powdered, and liquid form.
Erythritol powder is commonly used in combination with other zero and low-calorie sweeteners like monk fruit and stevia to create sweetener blends that closely resemble the taste of sugar. It’s the main ingredient in the popular sweetener blend Truvia, which also contains stevia.
Erythritol powder can be used to sweeten drinks like coffee and tea and also works well in low-sugar recipes for baked goods like cakes and bread.
Erythritol Products
Erythritol powder is commonly added to sugar substitutes marketed as “natural” alternatives to sugar, including stevia and monk fruit sweeteners. That includes products like Truvia and Splenda Naturals Stevia. Sugar-free products that contain erythritol might not say on their nutrition labels whether they include erythritol or other sugar alcohols.
Erythritol powder is common in sugar-free varieties of ice cream, candy, gum, cookies, cakes, protein bars, and fruit spreads. You can find erythritol with other sugar substitutes in stores and online. It’s also sold in bulk to companies that use it to sweeten or thicken products like reduced-calorie and sugar-free foods and drinks.
How do you know if your food contains erythritol?
While food labels aren’t required to list erythritol as an ingredient, there are some hints it might be in your food. If the package has these words, it may mean your food contains erythritol:
- Contains sugar alcohol
- Keto-safe
- Diabetes-safe
- No sugar
- Low sugar
- Artificially sweetened
- Naturally sweetened
- Sweetened with natural compounds
- Low calorie
- No calories
Dosage
Erythritol is generally considered safe and isn’t associated with adverse short-term side effects, even in high doses.
Experts suggest that men and women keep their daily intake of erythritol under 0.66 and 0.80 grams (g) per kilogram (kg) per day, respectively. This equates to around 54 g, or about 13 teaspoons, of erythritol per day for a 150-pound woman or a 180-pound man.
Although higher doses have been reported to be well-tolerated, consuming quantities higher than the recommendations above increases the chances of experiencing digestive side effects, such as diarrhea, gas, and bloating.
Takeaways
- Erythritol is one of the most common artificial sweeteners available.
- Research shows erythritol may have serious health risks.
- Erythritol may be worse for you than table sugar.
- Erythritol is popular because it’s low in calories and tastes like table sugar.
- Food companies aren’t required to list erythritol on food labels.
- Erythritol is common in sugar-free varieties of ice cream, candy, gum, cookies, cakes, protein bars, and fruit spreads.
Conversation
Erythritol is a sugar alcohol that’s 70% as sweet as table sugar yet contains 95% fewer calories. Because it doesn’t impact blood sugar levels, erythritol is a popular choice amongst people following low-carb diets and those with diabetes.
Replacing sugar with erythritol may help reduce calorie intake, prevent blood sugar spikes, and protect dental health. Consuming more than the recommended amount of erythritol may cause side effects like bloating, gas, and stomach pain.
Some recent research has linked long-term erythritol consumption with an increased risk of heart-related conditions, such as heart attack and stroke. However, more studies are needed to fully understand its long-term effects.