Use of fructose, sorbitol, or xylitol as a sweetener in diabetes mellitus.

Non-nutritive sweeteners have been utilized in the diet of diabetic patients as agents to replace glucose and sucrose. Since saccharin might be removed from the market place, the nutritive sweeteners, fructose, xylitol, and sorbitol, are being considered as possible atlernatives. This review considers the effects of these nutritive sweeteners on the main dietary concerns in the diabetic diet, i.e., control of blood glucose levels, obesity, and hyperlipidemia. The potential side effects of these agents are also reviewed.