Alcohol sugars in sugar free products?

Question

Do alcohol sugars raise blood sugars in diabetics when the product states they are sugar free?

Answer 1

lcohol

Alternative Names
ETOH

Definition
Alcohol is a class of chemical compounds containing hydroxyl, also called oxygen-hydrogen, groups.

What food source is the nutrient found in?
Alcohol is made by mixing yeasts with certain sugars. The source of the sugars gives alcohols their unique tastes and odors. For example, vodka is made from potatoes, and wine comes from grapes.

Alcohol is a calorie-dense food. There are 7 calories in every gram of alcohol. In fact, it contains almost twice as many calories as carbohydrates or protein. Here is an idea how many calories are in some different types of alcohol:
1 drink of beer (made from hops) = 12 ounces = 132 to 168 calories
1 drink of 80-proof Scotch whiskey (made from barley) = 1.5 ounces = 98 calories
1 drink of 100-proof whiskey = 1.5 ounces = 125 calories
1 drink of wine (made from grapes) = 5 ounces = 85 to 145 calories, depending on proof and sweetness of the grapes
1 drink of liqueur, also known as cordial = 1 ounce = 82 to 116 calories (depending on proof and any added sweeteners)
How does the nutrient affect the body?
Unlike fat, protein, and carbohydrate, alcohol is not something the body needs to be healthy. In fact, in large doses, alcohol causes malnutrition. This is because it prevents nutrients from being absorbed. People who binge drink can develop an early stage of liver disease called fatty liver. If a binge drinker continues to abuse alcohol, alcoholic liver disease may develop. Cirrhosis is the most common type of liver disease in these cases. It is a chronic disease that causes liver cells to be destroyed. It can also result in loss of liver function.

Alcohol affects the brain as well as the body. It acts as an anesthetic. This means it numbs the brain centers. First the emotion- and decision-governing centers are changed, then areas that govern muscle control. In the end, the centers that control breathing and heartbeat are affected.

Information
Each person's body tolerates alcohol in its own way. What is moderate intake for one person may be too much for someone else. So it is hard to give advice on how much alcohol is safe to drink. Each person needs to know how much alcohol he or she can tolerate. The US Department of Health and Human Services defines moderate drinking as:
no more than 2 drinks per day for an average healthy man
no more than 1 drink per day for an average healthy woman
In small doses, alcohol may have some benefits. Small amounts of wine may help protect against heart disease, especially coronary artery disease. Experts aren't sure why, although there are many theories. They believe that phytochemicals, which are plant chemicals in wine, may protect the heart and its blood vessels. Some studies have tested how well alcohol raises HDL cholesterol. HDL cholesterol is the so-called good cholesterol. Other studies have looked at the blood-thinning properties of alcohol.

Despite these benefits, alcohol has a more harmful effect when it comes to cancer. In fact, heavy drinking is linked with a number of cancers. In women, even moderate drinking is linked with a higher risk of breast cancer.

Women who are pregnant should always avoid alcohol. Drinking during pregnancy increases the chance that the baby will have a low birth weight and fetal alcohol syndrome, which is also known as FAS. FAS results in poor growth, delays in development, and altered facial structure.

People have enjoyed wine, beer, and other fermented drinks for more than 5,000 years. Many people like alcohol because it can improve mood, sensation, and behavior. And most people use alcohol in moderation. However, about 1 in 9 who drinks will abuse alcohol.


Author: Clare Armstrong, MS, RD
Date Written: 08/23/99
Reviewer: Kathleen A. MacNaughton, RN, BSN
Date Reviewed: 09/30/02
Potential conflict of interest information for reviewers available on request

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

Here you can find a very effective natural treatment for diabetes: http://diabete-cure.gelaf.info

Diabetes can be "reversed" or go into "remission". I believe that what that is is decreasing the need to take medications. A person who has diabetes will always have it... but there are cases where a type 2 can either reduce medications or even eliminate them... but will still need to watch diet, get plenty of exercise and keep their weight down. This is called management and control. However, that does not mean that there will never be one. Research has taken huge advances and the more scientists learn about it, the higher likelihood that a cure might come about someday.
While I did recently read an article that stated gastric lap band or gastric bypass MAY be a potential cure, more research is needed and even if this one day is a cure, it would only be effective on type 2s who are obese since neither of those procedures are performed on people who are of normal weight or body mass. Stem cell transplants are still highly controversial and most likely, have a long way to go before it is approved as a diabetes cure by the FDA. Since the vast majority of diabetics are type 2 (roughly 90%), those of us who are type 1 seem to get lost in the shuffle. EMT type 1 for more years than I care to remember, use a pump. Let me add that when I mean diabetes can be controlled and managed without medication but with diet, exercise and weight control, I'm referring to type 2. This is not an option for type 1s, who must take insulin, either by injections or a pump, to survive.

Answer 4

I'm not diabetic, but my 27 year brother has been for 20 years. These stories have been around for 10 years or so. Having grown up in the same house as my brother, we ate and drank everything he did - diet coke, sugar free gum etc etc etc. I maintain the same eating habits now and I do understand your concern. Yes, there are POSSIBLE side effects to aspartame. However, if it was this dangerous, it would have been banned - no matter what the commercial effects were, the PR would have been worse. Science is a scary thing - every time you open a newspaper you read that everything from burnt toast to green potatoes to breathing is going to kill you. I believe that as long as you consume everything in moderation, you will be fine. I have never had a single one of these side effects and I doubt I ever will - I think you'd have to live on a steady diet of the stuff to suffer from these.

Answer 5

They occur naturally in foods and come from plant products such as fruits and berries. As a sugar substitute, they provide fewer calories (about a half to one-third less calories) than regular sugar. This is because they are converted to glucose more slowly, require little or no insulin to be metabolized and don't cause sudden increases in blood sugar. This makes them popular among individuals with diabetes; however, their use is becoming more common by just about everyone. You may be consuming them and not even know it.

Answer 6

Look at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_alcohol