Now that I've been shopping for clean foods for a couple of weeks, I've noticed something on the nutrition labels that I don't understand. A product will say "Sugar Free" and then it will list 0g sugar and then 12g of sugar alcohols. What are these sugar alcohols and how do they effect blood sugar and insulin levels? Are these considered refined carbs or complex carbs or should they even be counted? :confused:

Thanks for your help.

Good question. I've been wondering the same thing lately. I searched the internet and came up with this.

"Sugar alcohol is also called mannitol, is made commercially by hydrogenation of glucose and is absorbed very slowly into the bloodstream.

It is thought not to require insulin for its metabolism and has the same calorie value as glucose, and nearly the same sweetening effect as well.

Mannitol can be obtained by hydrogenation of mannose which occurs in pineapples, olives as well as carrots."

Anyone else know more info on this??? :confused:

Its pretty much a 0 carb sweetener. It's in almost all protein bars these days, especially the low carb bars. That's why, on like an some low carbs, it'll say on the nutrition panel that a bar contains 20 grams of carbs, yet on the front, it'll say it has 2 net carbs. It means that your body will only process 2 carbs from the whole bar, the other 18 are sugar alcholols and fiber and will just pass through your body without being processed for the most part.

Pass through your body is a pretty literal phrase. Eat too many sugar alcohols and you'll see what I mean.

Sugar alcohols and fiber give you 2 calories of energy instead of 4 calories.