Sugarless Candy (and sugar alcohols)

Here is this week's question I received from FOODPICKER.org:

Jeff W. asks:  My doctor recently diagnosed me with type 2 diabetes.  I know it is important to watch my sugar intake.  Is sugarless candy really sugarless?

Answer:  While sugarless candy will not contain sugar, be aware that it may contain other sources of carbohydrate. All carbohydrates will affect blood sugar, be it candy, potatoes or bread.  (Really, all food will affect blood sugar, but carbohydrates have the greatest effect.) In the past, people diagnosed with diabetes were told they were not allowed to eat sugar. This is no longer true. People with diabetes can eat any foods but must pay closer attention to portion sizes and combination of foods.

Candy sweetened with sugar is a source of concentrated carbohydrate. You may choose to substitute with sugarless candy, but be sure to read the label and note the amount of carbohydrate in each serving - and the serving size! I would also suggest reading the ingredients listing and noting which artificial sweetener is used in the product.

Sugarless candy is often sweetened with sugar alcohols. The names of sugar alcohols usually end in -ol; some common ones are sorbitol, maltitol, xylitol, mannitol and lactitol. Sugar alcohols are metabolized differently than sugar, so they will not raise you blood glucose quite as much as sugar and they have slightly fewer calories. However, ingestion of large amounts of sugar alcohols may cause diarrhea. This occurs because sugar alcohols are usually not fully digested. The presence of undigested carbohydrate in the intestine alters the osmotic pressure, thus causing water to be drawn into the intestine, resulting in diarrhea. This reaction to sugar alcohols varies from person to person, so keep this in mind when trying out sugarless candy made with sugar alcohols.

Everyone is different -  sugarless candy may affect your blood glucose differently than someone else with type 2 diabetes. As with incorporating any new food into your diet, the only way to know for sure is to try a small amount and test your blood glucose.