Here you'll find the answers to a wealth of health and wellness questions posed by Healthy Talk fans. Listen in because what you know helps ensure healthy choices you can live with. Today on Healthy Talk, you wanted to know:
Is xylitol safe?
Xylitol is a sugar alcohol found in fruits and vegetables. However, we don't really know if it's safe or not. It's probably fine in small amounts (as is any food), but the problem society has is overdoing on portion or serving sizes. Researchers are working on determining the safety of large quantities.
My mom and older sister developed Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Our family doctor is concerned because he says there's a genetic link. What can I do to protect myself?
MS is a neurological disease that directly affects the central nervous system and limits your ability to control your own body.
Vitamin D is very important for your nerve health. In fact, in a study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, those with the lowest vitamin D levels were 62 percent more likely to develop MS and have worsening symptoms of MS.
Dr. Mike suggests having your vitamin D levels tested. Depending on what your test results are, you should talk to your doctor about the benefits vitamin D has on MS. You might even want to suggest to your mom and sister about getting their vitamin D levels tested as well. According to a study published in the Annuals of Neurology, for each four nanogram per mil increase in vitamin D levels, the risk of MS relapse was reduced by 12 percent.
If you have a health question or concern, Dr. Mike encourages you to write him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
or call in, toll-free, to the LIVE radio show (1.877.711.5211) so he can provide you with support and helpful advice.
Selected Podcast
Ask Dr. Mike: Preventing Multiple Sclerosis with Vitamin D & Is Xylitol Safe?
Transcription:
RadioMD Presents: Healthy Talk | Original Air Date: February 18, 2015
Host: Dr. Michael Smith
It’s time for you to be a part of the show. Email or call with questions for Dr. Mike now. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call: 877-711-5211. What are you waiting for? The doctor is in.
So, you know you can email me questions right now. Live. And, I can answer your questions live here. You can just email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or, you can call 877-711-5211.
Alright. I’m going to go first for a quick question and then I’m going to get into the MS question. The first question is, “Is Xylitol safe?”
Is Xylitol safe? Xylitol is a sugar alcohol that is more and more being used as a sweetener. It’s not technically an artificial sweetener because it is found in nature. It’s natural in fruits and veggies. So, technically speaking, it’s not artificial. So, you have two basic types of sweeteners. You’ve got real ones and fake ones, I guess. The real ones would be, obviously, anything from fruits and vegetables specifically pectin in the fruits and vegetables. And then you have the fake ones which is the stuff we definitely want to avoid, right? No fake sweeteners. All those. I mean, they’re just made in chemical labs and they’re hundreds of thousands of times sweeter than sugar and they’re just not good. Brain issues, nerve issues. No. No, no, no. So, we definitely want to avoid those.
So, Xylitol falls into the real ones because it comes from, you know, fruits and vegetables and it’s classified as a sugar alcohol. So, bottom line is, is it safe? We don’t really know yet. In a little bit. In small amounts, probably perfectly fine. But, here’s the problem in our food culture today. We don’t do anything in little amounts. I mean, in little amounts. Your body is so resilient, it’s amazing. So, almost anything in little amounts is probably fine, but we aren’t like that. We don’t do anything in small, little ways. We do everything big. Big, big, big, big. Right? So, that’s the real question.
So, is Xylitol safe? In small amounts, yes. As a matter of fact, in gum, for instance, it’s been shown to prevent cavities. Right? But, we still don’t have ultimate answers when it comes to the larger quantities which you’re starting to see in some of the sodas and sports drinks and energy drinks and stuff like that. So, that still remains to be found. I did find that there was, in the 1970’s, a study concluded—and I’m sorry. I didn’t write the reference here. A study concluded no ill-effects in humans after subjects consumed large quantities for one month. Now, I don’t have the number there but, overall, I think it’s safe to say that in small amounts, fine. Large amounts, we just don’t know about these sugar alcohols like Xylitol.
Okay. Let’s go to the main question here for this segment. “My mom and my older sister both developed MS—multiple sclerosis. Our family doctor is concerned because he says there is a genetic link. What can I do to protect myself?”
Now, that’s a really good question. I did some background research. I do know of one in particular vitamin that I’m going to talk mostly about because I just wrote an article on this for Life Extension and it had to do with Vitamin D.
Vitamin D is very important for nerve health. As a matter of fact, in this one study, people with lower Vitamin D levels had worsening MS symptoms. So, a study published in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association found that, compared to those with the highest blood levels, those with the lowest blood levels were 62% more likely to develop MS and have worsening MS. Sixty-two percent more likely to develop MS and have worsening MS for people with low Vitamin D levels.
So, this sounds like this is perfect for you, right? So, your doctor is concerned about the genetic link with MS, okay? And he should be and you should be, too. So, first thing I would do is I would get tested. Where is your baseline Vitamin D? Now, here’s where it gets a little tricky. I’m assuming this doctor who’s concerned, you know, you say he or she is a family doctor. So, I’m assuming allopathic conventional. Just like me--medical doctor. You know, the Vitamin D blood level that they’re going to focus on is way too low. Most conventional doctors think that an optimal Vitamin D blood level is somewhere around 30-40 and I think it’s nanograms per mil. So, if you get your Vitamin D blood level tested, you’ll get this number. They’re going to look for 30 to 40.
I don’t know. I actually find that to be way too low. Most of the research shows that the benefit of Vitamin D really starts when your blood level is around 50 to 80 nanograms per mil. So, first thing I would do is, I would have you tested. Since you don’t have it yet and we want to prevent it in you and it looks like, based on this one study from The Journal of the American Medical Association, that treating you with Vitamin D or using Vitamin D prophylactically would be the best way to prevent MS. So, get tested and you’re going to want to shoot for a blood level at least in that 50-80 range. Not the 30-40. But then, based on this study, keep in mind it also showed that people with MS that had low Vitamin D, did worse. So, let’s see, your mom and older sister should be tested as well and they should be on Vitamin D.
A recent study has quantified the impact of Vitamin D blood levels on the risk of MS relapse, so look at this. This is interesting. This is a different study. This is really speaking to your mom and older sister now. For each four points—for each four nanogram per mil increase—for each four point increase in Vitamin D blood level, the risk for MS relapse is reduced by 12%. That’s from the Annals of Neurology, August, 2010. I’m going to repeat that. That’s important for your mom and your older sister. So, for you, we’ve got to get you on Vitamin D, right? Because we want to prevent it. Shoot for that 50-80 nanograms per mil. For your mom and older sister, we want to get them on Vitamin D as well because that original study in The Journal of the American Medical Association found that people with the lowest Vitamin D level, not only are you at risk for MS, but if you have it, you’re going to have worse MS. But, here’s a study from the Annals of Neurology, August, 2010, showing that if I simply increase your mom’s Vitamin D blood level and your older sister’s Vitamin D blood level by just four points--four nanograms per mil. That’s about, say, 500 units of Vitamin D will do that. One thousand units of Vitamin D will do that easily. If I simply do that—four points. I can decrease the risk of relapse of MS by 12%. I mean, come on. I mean, that’s awesome information and what gets me is this from 2010. And listen, I don’t know your family doctor, but he’s concerned but yet, he didn’t know about Vitamin D.
You guys, it took me just a couple of minutes on PubMed to find this stuff. You know, when I was writing the article for Life Extension about MS and Vitamin D, I mean, it wasn’t that hard to find this information. So, maybe for you, this is your opportunity to educate your doctor, you know? If he or she is open to that, you take this kind of information. Go to PubMed. Search in the search box, “Vitamin D and MS” and you’ll see a lot of stuff pop up. But, specifically look for the study in The Journal of the American Medical Association and the one in the Annals of Neurology, 2010. August 2010. Pretty impressive. Vitamin D. Very important for MS.
This is Healthy Talk on RadioMD. I’m Dr. Mike. Stay well.
RadioMD Presents: Healthy Talk | Original Air Date: February 18, 2015
Host: Dr. Michael Smith
It’s time for you to be a part of the show. Email or call with questions for Dr. Mike now. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call: 877-711-5211. What are you waiting for? The doctor is in.
So, you know you can email me questions right now. Live. And, I can answer your questions live here. You can just email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or, you can call 877-711-5211.
Alright. I’m going to go first for a quick question and then I’m going to get into the MS question. The first question is, “Is Xylitol safe?”
Is Xylitol safe? Xylitol is a sugar alcohol that is more and more being used as a sweetener. It’s not technically an artificial sweetener because it is found in nature. It’s natural in fruits and veggies. So, technically speaking, it’s not artificial. So, you have two basic types of sweeteners. You’ve got real ones and fake ones, I guess. The real ones would be, obviously, anything from fruits and vegetables specifically pectin in the fruits and vegetables. And then you have the fake ones which is the stuff we definitely want to avoid, right? No fake sweeteners. All those. I mean, they’re just made in chemical labs and they’re hundreds of thousands of times sweeter than sugar and they’re just not good. Brain issues, nerve issues. No. No, no, no. So, we definitely want to avoid those.
So, Xylitol falls into the real ones because it comes from, you know, fruits and vegetables and it’s classified as a sugar alcohol. So, bottom line is, is it safe? We don’t really know yet. In a little bit. In small amounts, probably perfectly fine. But, here’s the problem in our food culture today. We don’t do anything in little amounts. I mean, in little amounts. Your body is so resilient, it’s amazing. So, almost anything in little amounts is probably fine, but we aren’t like that. We don’t do anything in small, little ways. We do everything big. Big, big, big, big. Right? So, that’s the real question.
So, is Xylitol safe? In small amounts, yes. As a matter of fact, in gum, for instance, it’s been shown to prevent cavities. Right? But, we still don’t have ultimate answers when it comes to the larger quantities which you’re starting to see in some of the sodas and sports drinks and energy drinks and stuff like that. So, that still remains to be found. I did find that there was, in the 1970’s, a study concluded—and I’m sorry. I didn’t write the reference here. A study concluded no ill-effects in humans after subjects consumed large quantities for one month. Now, I don’t have the number there but, overall, I think it’s safe to say that in small amounts, fine. Large amounts, we just don’t know about these sugar alcohols like Xylitol.
Okay. Let’s go to the main question here for this segment. “My mom and my older sister both developed MS—multiple sclerosis. Our family doctor is concerned because he says there is a genetic link. What can I do to protect myself?”
Now, that’s a really good question. I did some background research. I do know of one in particular vitamin that I’m going to talk mostly about because I just wrote an article on this for Life Extension and it had to do with Vitamin D.
Vitamin D is very important for nerve health. As a matter of fact, in this one study, people with lower Vitamin D levels had worsening MS symptoms. So, a study published in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association found that, compared to those with the highest blood levels, those with the lowest blood levels were 62% more likely to develop MS and have worsening MS. Sixty-two percent more likely to develop MS and have worsening MS for people with low Vitamin D levels.
So, this sounds like this is perfect for you, right? So, your doctor is concerned about the genetic link with MS, okay? And he should be and you should be, too. So, first thing I would do is I would get tested. Where is your baseline Vitamin D? Now, here’s where it gets a little tricky. I’m assuming this doctor who’s concerned, you know, you say he or she is a family doctor. So, I’m assuming allopathic conventional. Just like me--medical doctor. You know, the Vitamin D blood level that they’re going to focus on is way too low. Most conventional doctors think that an optimal Vitamin D blood level is somewhere around 30-40 and I think it’s nanograms per mil. So, if you get your Vitamin D blood level tested, you’ll get this number. They’re going to look for 30 to 40.
I don’t know. I actually find that to be way too low. Most of the research shows that the benefit of Vitamin D really starts when your blood level is around 50 to 80 nanograms per mil. So, first thing I would do is, I would have you tested. Since you don’t have it yet and we want to prevent it in you and it looks like, based on this one study from The Journal of the American Medical Association, that treating you with Vitamin D or using Vitamin D prophylactically would be the best way to prevent MS. So, get tested and you’re going to want to shoot for a blood level at least in that 50-80 range. Not the 30-40. But then, based on this study, keep in mind it also showed that people with MS that had low Vitamin D, did worse. So, let’s see, your mom and older sister should be tested as well and they should be on Vitamin D.
A recent study has quantified the impact of Vitamin D blood levels on the risk of MS relapse, so look at this. This is interesting. This is a different study. This is really speaking to your mom and older sister now. For each four points—for each four nanogram per mil increase—for each four point increase in Vitamin D blood level, the risk for MS relapse is reduced by 12%. That’s from the Annals of Neurology, August, 2010. I’m going to repeat that. That’s important for your mom and your older sister. So, for you, we’ve got to get you on Vitamin D, right? Because we want to prevent it. Shoot for that 50-80 nanograms per mil. For your mom and older sister, we want to get them on Vitamin D as well because that original study in The Journal of the American Medical Association found that people with the lowest Vitamin D level, not only are you at risk for MS, but if you have it, you’re going to have worse MS. But, here’s a study from the Annals of Neurology, August, 2010, showing that if I simply increase your mom’s Vitamin D blood level and your older sister’s Vitamin D blood level by just four points--four nanograms per mil. That’s about, say, 500 units of Vitamin D will do that. One thousand units of Vitamin D will do that easily. If I simply do that—four points. I can decrease the risk of relapse of MS by 12%. I mean, come on. I mean, that’s awesome information and what gets me is this from 2010. And listen, I don’t know your family doctor, but he’s concerned but yet, he didn’t know about Vitamin D.
You guys, it took me just a couple of minutes on PubMed to find this stuff. You know, when I was writing the article for Life Extension about MS and Vitamin D, I mean, it wasn’t that hard to find this information. So, maybe for you, this is your opportunity to educate your doctor, you know? If he or she is open to that, you take this kind of information. Go to PubMed. Search in the search box, “Vitamin D and MS” and you’ll see a lot of stuff pop up. But, specifically look for the study in The Journal of the American Medical Association and the one in the Annals of Neurology, 2010. August 2010. Pretty impressive. Vitamin D. Very important for MS.
This is Healthy Talk on RadioMD. I’m Dr. Mike. Stay well.