Maltitol is a natural sweetener, technically a polyalcohol like erythritol, xylitol and various others. Sugar alcohols are considered carbohydrates but are not fully assimilated by the human body and therefore bring fewer calories and have a lower impact on blood sugar.
Let's immediately dispel a widespread belief: maltitol is not harmful to health. It is considered SAFE by all the food safety control bodies in the world (including those of the European EFSA). Like all other polyalcohols, however, it can have side effects if taken in large quantities (the quantity is subjective, the side effects are gas and stomach ache and depend on the fact that not being 100% absorbed, the remaining part ferments)
PRO
- Taste almost identical to sugar and the only polyalcohol with NO AFTERTASTE
- Sweetening power very similar to sugar
- About half the calories of sugar
- Glycemic index say about 35 (sugar 65-70)
AGAINST
- Unlike erythritol, it is partially assimilated and therefore has zero carbohydrates/calories
- Being partially assimilated, it has a glycemic index so there is a minimal impact on blood sugar (much lower than that of sugar anyway)
- Like all other sugar alcohols it can have laxative effects if used in large quantities (subjective quantities)
>> So to answer the question I get asked very often:
🔸 Can maltitol be used in a low car or ketogenic diet?
Just fit everything into your macros and don't overdo it. When you find maltitol as a sweetener to calculate net carbohydrates (those actually assimilable) you can count them at around 50% (e.g. total carbohydrates 50 of which 30 polyalcohols from maltitol = 50 - 15)
[my opinion] In any case, I consider maltitol much better than sugar, a good choice for certain greedy products that would be crap sweetened with erythritol. Just don't overdo it and choose well (for example white and milk chocolate with maltitol are much tastier, dark chocolate is also delicious with erythritol)
Some hints:
