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Health & Fitness

Sweet Tooth- Do They Always Give Cavities?

Xylitol can reverse decay- especially if it is small!! Xylitol has been around a long time. It is a 5 carbon sugar alcohol that is made from birch and hardwood trees. It is also found in fruit ( yellow plums, strawberries, raspberries, endive and mushrooms. )

Xylitol is produced in the human liver-therefore safe for humans to consume!

For decades it was used primarily for diabetic diets and in 1974 began to be produced in chewing gum.

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What does it do? Regular sugar in the mouth creates an acidic cavity promoting low pH. Xylitol does not create acid in the mouth- It actually helps to prevent cavities- It won’t replace cleanings and exams but it can really help people who are high risk for decay.

Sounds too good to be true? 1 of the drawbacks is it can upset your tummy- they don’t recommend more than 5 sticks of gum a day.

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What else can it do- It can reduce the amount of insulin required to maintain blood sugar levels. When uses as a nasal wash it helped prevent bacteria from sticking and thus reduced the risk of infections. It has been shown to help fight ear infections- it is even completely safe for expectant mothers. It has a glycemic index of 7 so it does not raise the blood sugar much and diabetics require no insulin due to the little change in the glucose.

Sounds perfect doesn’t it – great for our teeth, but it is deadly to Dogs so keep them away from 

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