Health Care

By:John Hay

Understanding how Xylitol works to prevent cavities and plaque build-up to improve the overall health of your mouth.

What is Xylitol?
Xylitol is a noncariogenic five-carbon sugar alcohol found in nature and the human body. Sources include fruits, berries, mushrooms, lettuce, hardwoods and corn on the cob. Our bodies produce up to 15 grams of Xylitol from other food sources using established energy pathways. In practice, Xylitol is manufactured by extracting the xylan from a source -- such as a hardwood or corn cob -- and reacting it with water to produce the wood sugar xylose. Xylose is then hydrogenated to produce Xylitol which is a polyol, or sugar alcohol.

How is Xylitol Different from Other Sweeteners?
Xylitol differs chemically from other sweeteners such as sorbitol, fructose and glucose because the Xylitol molecule has only five, rather than six, carbon atoms. Six carbon molecules are easily used by oral bacteria, but a five carbon molecule is not. Xylitol interferes with the metabolism of S. mutans, creating a condition where the bacteria cannot live. As a result, Xylitol has been shown to have an anticariogenic effect on teeth.

How Does Xylitol Work?
1) Xylitol interferes with the metabolism of S. mutans
When S. mutans is transported into a cell, Xylitol causes it to become bound to proteins. This bound is unbreakable and the transport protein is unable to go out of the cell and bring more glucose into the cell. Since the bacteria are bound, they are unable to produce the sticky extracellular polysaccharides that bind bacteria together. As a result, there is less plaque buildup, and the decay-causing bacteria cannot stick to the enamel. This process reduces the number of S. mutans in plaque and therefore reduces acid production.

2) Xylitol raises oral pH to be more alkaline
When S. mutans bacteria are fed by sugar, they produce acids which lower the pH level below 7 and slowly weaken the protective tooth enamel. After sugar consumption, it takes over half an hour before the pH of plaque is restored to the normal level of around 7. If sugar is eaten several times a day, acid attacks occur -- salts dissolve off the enamel more and more deeply until eventually enamel becomes porous. Once pockets of the enamel are gone, cavities begin to form. When you ingest Xylitol, the acid attack that would normally last for over half an hour is stopped. Because the bacteria in the mouth causing caries are unable to ferment Xylitol in their metabolism, their growth is reduced (the number of lactobacilli and S. mutans may fall as much as 90%). As a result of the decrease in bacteria, the oral pH of saliva is above 7. Calcium and phosphate salts in the saliva start to precipitate into parts of the enamel where slight demineralization has occurred. Thus, soft calcium-deficient sites begin to harden again. This is how Xylitol helps remineralize tooth enamel.
3) Xylitol stimulates saliva flow
Saliva is the mouth’s natural defense against invaders such as sugar. But, when sugar is ingested too often, the saliva is unable to defend the teeth because of the acid pH resulting from sugar usage. Increased salivary flow offers protection to both the oral soft tissues and the teeth.

Is Xylitol Safe? Xylitol has a long history of safety as a therapeutic sweetener. The Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), a scientific advisory group to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have both approved Xylitol’s safety for human consumption.

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source:users.search-o-rama.com