Artificial Sweetener Xylitol May Decrease Risk of Ear Infections
in Children by Pamela Jones, MA Xylitol is an artificial
sweetener. It has the same benefit of other artificial
sweeteners - less calories/sugar without losing sweetness - with
some unique additional benefits. Xylitol has been found to
decrease tooth decay. It also slows the growth of certain
bacteria that live in the mouth. If a bacteria cannot multiply
then it cannot as easily progress to an infection. The bacteria
in the mouth may not only be responsible for infections in the
mouth but may also play a role in infections that develop in
throat and ears. Analysts from The Cochrane Database wanted to
know if xylitol could help decrease local bacterial infections
such as acute otitis media (ear infections) in children. The
study, published in Cochrane Databases, found that xylitol sugar
was in fact associated with decreased risk of ear infection.
About the Study The systematic review included three randomized
trials with 1,826 children aged 12 ye