how is xylitol so good for oral health ? Iβm having a hard time believing that such a delicious,sugar like substance is amazing for our teeth and gums π
In: Chemistry
[Just a heads-up that itβs recently been found that consumption of large amounts of Xylitol can cause blood-clotting issues.](https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/xylitol-may-affect-cardiovascular-health#:~:text=Results%20appeared%20in%20the%20European,platelets%20help%20blood%20to%20clot.)
Xylitol is a form of sugar that cannot be effectively broken down for energy.
When bacteria break down sugar, they need to spend 2 energy units called ATP to digest it. Normally, bacteria gets 4 ATP back. So overall you get 2 ATP as profit.
But this is for normal glucose. Xylitol is chemically similar enough to sugar that cells treat it like glucose, but it doesn’t break down like glucose. Instead, a bacteria is spending 2 ATP to break down the sugar molecule, and getting less than 2 ATP back. It’s basically scamming the bacteria into paying more than it gets in return, and over time the bacteria uses up all its energy and starves to death.
Bacteria excrete a goo that protects them from their environment called biofilm. Xylitol melts biofilm leaving then exposed and easier to pick off.
It’s not. It kills bacteria and alters the microbiome of the mouth.
Arguably it’s damages the cardiovascular system by inhibiting the synthesis of nitric oxide in the mouth by bacteria when we chew food, which is critical for the vascular systems elasticity short term and health of the endothelial lining if the vascular system long term.
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Just to warn you, it’s not like there are no drawbacks. You can and sometimes will get diarrhea if you eat a whole bunch.
Also PSA- VERY POISONOUS TO DOGS & CATS (and likely other animals too)
I thought it also creates a slippery coating on the surface that the bacteria canβt traverse on
I think the framing, here is wrong. Xylitol is not good for oral health, per se. It is simply better for your health than sugar. Xylitol doesn’t improve your teeth in any way, like say, fluoride can.
Everything you need to know explained by Dr. Ellie Phillips on You Tube.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PL4EC_z1rNc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PL4EC_z1rNc)
Xylitol is good at killing bacteria by essentially mimicking glucose. So it’s good at lower bacteria population in the mouth, however this will not effectively kill the species that live deeper in the gum pockets which cause bone loss.
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