The effects of xylitol on the secretion of insulin and gastric inhibitory polypeptide in man and rats.

Xylitol given by gavage to unadapted rats produced profound diarrhoea and no rise in plasma gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) concentration. In xylitol adapted rats it did not cause diarrhoea but still had no effect upon GIP release in contrast to glucose, which did. In healthy human subjects xylitol taken by mouth in solution as a single 30 g dose produced only a minimal rise in blood glucose and no rise in plasma GIP or insulin concentration. Glucose in similar doses, on the other hand, caused a large rise in all three.