
Your small intestine doesn't absorb sugar alcohols well, so fewer calories get into your body. And in spite of their name, sugar alcohols aren't alcoholic. You may see sugar alcohols as ingredients in many lower-calorie and sugar-free foods like energy bars, ice cream, pudding, frosting, cakes, cookies, candies, and jams. Sugar alcohols also create a cooling sensation when used in large amounts, which works well with mint flavors. If you're trying to lose weight, you might benefit from swapping sugar alcohols for sugar and other higher-calorie sweeteners.īesides being lower in calories, sugar alcohols don't cause cavities, which is why they're used in sugar-free gum and mouthwash. You might see these names on the ingredient list:įood companies often combine sugar alcohols with artificial sweeteners to make foods taste sweeter. Many foods labeled "sugar free" or "no sugar added" have sugar alcohols in them.


They occur naturally in certain fruits and vegetables, but some are man-made and are added to processed foods. Sugar alcohols are sweeteners that have about half the calories of regular sugar.
