Highlights:
- Xylitol is a type of carbohydrate called a sugar alcohol, or polyol.
- Xylitol occurs naturally in many fruits and vegetables. It is also commercially produced from birch bark and corn cob for use as a sweetener.
- Xylitol is a common ingredient in sugar-free chewing gum.
- Xylitol safety is confirmed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the World Health Organization.
- Xylitol is known to inhibit the growth of oral bacteria (mutans streptococci) in plaque and saliva.
Xylitol is found naturally in fruits and vegetables like strawberries, raspberries, mushrooms and cauliflower. It’s also found in other plants and agricultural materials like birch bark and corn husks, which are the sources of commercially made xylitol that are added to chewable multivitamins, gum drops, hard candies, sugar-free chewing gum and pharmaceuticals. It is also found in oral health products such as breath mints, throat lozenges and cough syrups.