Glossary

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Sugar Substitutes

Substances used in place of sugar that contain less calories and are suitable for diabetics

Sugar substitutes taste like sugar and are approximately as sweet. However, they contain less calories than normal sugar (saccharose). Sugar substitues are much less of a problem for tooth decay than conventional sugar.

Sugar substitutes are broken down in the body without affecting levels of blood sugar or insulin, thus being suitable for diabetics. Sugar substitutes are:

• The sugar alcohols: mannitol (E421), sorbitol (E420), isomalt (E953), maltitol (E965), lactitol (E966), xylitol (E967). These are approved as food additives.
• Fructose, a building block of saccharose

Sugar substitutes are used in many low-calorie products, oftentimes combined with sweeteners.