Hi Marshall, The appended comprehensive Canadian study illustrates the research that shows the rapid oxidation and very low absorption rates of polyols in humans with a negligible, if any, increase in insulin. Setting this fact aside, my question was related to the interesting assertion that tasting sweetness increases insulin release. You also mention “ In humans, xylitol has little to no effect on plasma insulin or glucose”?
http://diabetes.ca/Files/SugarAlcohols--Wolever--CJDDecember2002.pdf Cheers Frank From: Marshall Sent: Thursday, February 03, 2011 11:39 AM To: silver-list@eskimo.com Subject: Re: CS>Question abou Xylito and dogs! At least in humans, insulin is released when tasting something sweet. That is why things like diet drinks can work against you, the drop in blood sugar makes you really hungry, so you end up eating the calories anyway. However further research has indicated that the insulin release in dogs is NOT from the sweet taste, and I assumed that was the case in dogs because it can be in humans. Also there appears to be kidney damage in dogs as well. http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/xylitol.asp Weird, I tried to copy the appropriate section to the clipboard, but it won't copy, tried on two different computers. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xylitol#Dogs Dogs that have ingested foods containing high levels of xylitol (greater than 100 milligrams of xylitol consumed per kilogram of bodyweight) have presented with low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), which can be life-threatening. The paper: ^ Dunayer, E.K (2004) Hypoglycemia following canine ingestion of xylitol-containing gum, Veterinary and Human Toxicology 46(2):87-88 http://www2.aspca.org/site/DocServer/vetm0207f_095-100_.pdf?docID=10462 http://www.gopetsamerica.com/dog-health/hypoglycemia.aspx Puppies and dogs can develop severe hypoglycemia after consuming sugar-free gum sweetened with the sugar-alcohol xylitol. In humans, xylitol has little to no effect on plasma insulin or glucose levels, but in dogs xylitol is a strong promoter of insulin release and can cause severe hypoglycemia with collapse and seizures. With the increased appearance of xylitol-sweetened products in the US, xylitol toxicosis in dogs may become more common. Sometimes, a dog will outgrow this condition. On 2/3/2011 10:53 AM, Frank wrote: Hi Marshall, I thought the release of insulin happens due to the presence of glucose and other similar carbohydrates. I didn’t know that insulin was released based on taste. Do you remember where you learned that? I am really curious about the news. That would mean that stevia, a sweet but non-glucose-releasing compound, triggers insulin? Cheers Frank From: Marshall Dudley Sent: Thursday, February 03, 2011 10:41 AM To: silver-list@eskimo.com Subject: Re: CS>Question abou Xylito and dogs! The mechanism is interesting. From what I understand when they taste the sweetness, the automatic nervous system immediately starts pumping insulin into their system to handle the sugar, but no sugar arrives, and their blood sugar plummetsm sometimes to the point of death. Marshall On 2/2/2011 11:46 PM, Lin wrote: In case this hasn't been brought up. Please know that xylitol can be deadly for dogs. They are attracted to the sweetness and seem to be able to sniff it out from places it's stored easily. ----- Original Message -----
