Xylitol vs Osteoporosis

[Guest guest]

Xylitol, a sugar found in strawberries and other

natural sources, may help maintain and increase bone

density. Unfortunately the research data is limited to

rats, but within that venue the data looks good:

Metabolism 2002: " continuous moderate dietary xylitol

supplementation leads to improved bone biomechanical

properties in aged rats concerning both bone

structural and material strength properties. "

http://calorierestriction.org/pmid/?n=11782878

http://calorierestriction.org/pmid/?n=11721142

Calcif Tissue Int 1999: " dietary xylitol

supplementation in rats improves the biomechanical

properties of bone and increases the trabecular bone

volume dose dependently. "

http://calorierestriction.org/pmid/?n=10089228

Metabolism 1998: " dietary xylitol supplementation

protects against the weakening of bone biomechanical

properties in streptozotocin-diabetic rats. "

http://calorierestriction.org/pmid/?n=9591750

J Nutr 1996: " dietary xylitol, sorbitol and to a

lesser degree D-mannitol supplementations in rats

retard bone resorption. "

http://calorierestriction.org/pmid/?n=8683349

J Nutr 1994: " Xylitol-treated rats excreted more

calcium and magnesium in urine than did the other

rats, probably due to increased absorption of these

minerals from the gut. These results suggest that

dietary xylitol improves the bioavailability of

calcium salts. "

http://calorierestriction.org/pmid/?n=8207545

Miner Electrolyte Metab 1994: " These results suggest

that a short-term xylitol ingestion retards bone

resorption in the rat. "

http://calorierestriction.org/pmid/?n=7816005

Calcif Tissue Int 1993: " The results show that the

effect of xylitol on bone during dietary Ca

rehabilitation particularly concerns newly formed bone

mineral. "

http://calorierestriction.org/pmid/?n=8402322

According to [1] scientists investigating xylitol

suggest that an osteo-therapeutic dose for humans

would be 40 grams a day. According to [2] xylitol has

2.4 calories per gram, times 40 = 96 calories per day.

While that's 96 more calories than one should want, IF

it could protect one's CR lifestyle by preventing

CR-induced osteoporotic change, it might be a worthy

investment. Xylitol also has other health benefits

such as prevention of tooth decay and antibacterial

efficacy. The only adverse effect I've read about to

date is diarrhea.

[1] http://www.vrp.com/art/717.asp

[2] http://www.low-carbdiet.co.uk/Polyols.htm

http://iangoddard.net

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