# What is Sugar Alcohol?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-sugar-alcohol/176496>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 21, 2003, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-sugar-alcohol/176496 "2003-05-21T03:56:42Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\
**Post date:** [May 21, 2003, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-sugar-alcohol/176496/1 "2003-05-21T03:56:42Z")

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I saw a sugar-free syrup with “suagr alcohol” listed on the label, under “carbohydrates” (but not specifically in the ingredients). Could someone tell me what exactly is sugar alcohol? Or, is this a fancy term for a more commonly known chemical, like ethyl alcohol? Any information would be greatly appreciated… - Jinx

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**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\
**Post date:** [May 21, 2003, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-sugar-alcohol/176496/2 "2003-05-21T04:32:48Z")

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The “sugar alcohols” are a class of polyols (i.e., chemicals having more than one alcohol group) that are the “straight chain” forms of sugars. Examples include mannitol, sorbitol, xylitol, etc. These polyols are sweet, but generally don’t cause tooth decay; however, unlike artificial sweeteners, they do contribute calories to the diet (roughly the same as sugar).

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**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\
**Post date:** [May 21, 2003, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-sugar-alcohol/176496/3 "2003-05-21T17:34:22Z")

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They also don’t cause a spike in insulin like regular sugar and I don’t think they’re absorbed as quickly into the bloodstream. That’s why diabetics can eat “sugar free candy” even though they may have 20g of sugar alcohol in them.

They also can cause stomach pains, bloating and diarrhea in most people and everyone seems to react differently to them. Me, they cause bloating and gas (Thanks for reading!)

[Here’s a link](http://www.lowcarbluxury.com/sugaralcohols.html) to a short article on sugar alcohols from a site directed towards a low-carb audience. We eat pretty much like diabetics do, anyway 🙂

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**Author:** ![istara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e79b87/32.png) [@istara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/istara)\
**Post date:** [May 21, 2003, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-sugar-alcohol/176496/4 "2003-05-21T18:26:21Z")

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How do they taste, compared to regular sugar?

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**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\
**Post date:** [May 21, 2003, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-sugar-alcohol/176496/5 "2003-05-21T19:56:25Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by istara \*  
> \*\*How do they taste, compared to regular sugar? \*\*

IMHO, they taste pretty good. Of course, once I started my “sugar-free” weight loss plan, I waited a week before I ate anything artificially sweetened. So, I’ve sort of forgotten what stuff sweetened with actual sugar tastes like. IOW, if you put two dishes of ice cream in front of me, one “no sugar added” (i.e. sweetened with sugar alcohol), and one with all the real sugar dumped into it, and I tasted both, I could most likely tell a difference. But, since it’s been so long since I’ve had the genuine article, the fake stuff tastes pretty darned good!