What is the difference between “Sugar Free” and “Sugar Alcohols”? Are there better choices than food sweetened with sugar? (April 2009)

Sugar alcohols (also called polyols) such as sorbitol, polydextrose, isomalt, and hydrogenated starch hydrolysates are not technically sugar, but they provide sweetness in foods just as sugars do.

Sugar alcohols are only partially absorbed in the small intestine, so they supply only about half the calories as equal amounts of regular sugar while sometimes causing diarrhea, especially in children. On the other hand, sugar alcohols also do not raise blood glucose levels as much as equal amounts of sugar, and as a result they’re often used in foods advertised to people with diabetes.

However, in the amounts that are likely to be used in a serving of food, sugar alcohols may not make much of a difference and may offer little benefit over sugar in some foods. You must really read nutrition labels to find out. For example two sugar free Oreo cookies (also one serving) sweetened with sugar alcohol contain the same amount: 16 grams of carbohydrate and 107 calories.

As you can see, it is important to read nutrition labels and compare the carbohydrate and calorie content of foods sweetened with sugar alcohols with those of their counterparts that contain regular sugar. If you find there isn’t much of a difference, you may want to select the food based on your personal taste. Just don’t forget to compare the serving sizes.