plyols?

[lionel]

What exactly are plyols? Those that you find in some sugar free sweets and pastries. They are listed under carbs but not as sugar. Any idea how these are metabolized. The products claim that plyols do nothing to raise insulin but do they still get stored as normal carbs do?

[ncsports]

??

are they sugar alcohols?

[ncsports]

i found this:

What are Polyols?
Polyols are sugar-free sweeteners. Polyols are carbohydrates but they are not sugars. Unlike high potency sweeteners like aspartame which is used in very small amount, polyols are used in the same quantity as sucrose. Chemically, polyols are considered polyhydric alcohols or sugar alcohols because part of their structure resembles sugar and part is similar to alcohols. However, these sugar-free sweeteners are neither sugars nor alcohols, as these words are commonly used.
They are derived from carbohydrates whose carbonyl group (aldehyde or ketone, reducing sugar) has been reduced to a primary or secondary hydroxyl group.
The most widely used polyols are sorbitol, mannitol, and maltitol. Sorbitol is derived from glucose, mannitol from fructose, and maltitol from high maltose corn syrup. There are a number of different polyols, please see our Polyols Comparison Chart (PDF format) to help in selecting a polyol or blend of polyols needed in a formulation.
What do Polyols do?

Polyols are derived from sugars, but they are not processed by the body like sugars. Polyols have many advantages such as reduced calories as compared to sugar, reduced insulin response, ability to be labeled "sugar-free" and "no sugar added", do not promote tooth decay, and do not brown in bakery applications (i.e. no Maillard reaction).
What are Polyols’ functionality?

Polyols are used mostly in confectionery, food, oral care, pharmaceutical, and industrial applications. Some characteristics of polyols are fewer calories, pleasant sweetness, ability to hold moisture, and improved processing. Polyols serve as humectants, bulking agents, and freeze point depressants. Polyols are versatile ingredients, used in a variety of applications to provide value-adding properties. For a few examples go to Applications.

[lionel]

Thanks dude! That cleared up some of the questions.. been having these kinda sweets to 'control' my cravings! So wondering if these sweets would contribute to my glycogen stores..

[GetnBigr]

good post!! I'm sure that answered a lot of questions regarding sugar alcohols