Xylitol and sugar have significant differences in composition, calories, blood sugar effects, and dental health. Xylitol is a natural sweetener mainly extracted from plant materials such as birch, oak, corn cob, and sugarcane bagasse. Its chemical formula is C ₅ H ₁₂ O ₅, belonging to the five carbon sugar alcohol, with a sweetness of about 90% of sucrose, providing about 2.4 kcal of energy per gram. In contrast, sugar (such as sucrose) is a disaccharide composed of glucose and fructose, providing approximately 4 kcal of energy per gram. Ingesting it can cause a rapid increase in blood sugar levels.
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