what is the scoop with sugar alcohols? are they bad for you? okay in small amounts?

Small amounts are ok. Just make sure you start with a little to gauge your tolerance.

Personally, they wreak havoc to my stomach and intestines. And remember that this stuff is an engineered product (and not real food), so use it sparingly, if you must at all ...

if you love sitting on the toilet feeling like your guts are coming out your bumhole by all means consume to your hearts content

I can't tolerate those different sugar alcohols personally.

Manufacturers that make "sugar free" products with sugar alcohols usually compensate by doubling the fat content. You eat a lot of fat - you won't lose weight, sugar or not. Everything in moderation.

I too can't tolerate them! Talk about an afternoon bathroom marathon. No thanks.

okay, but none of this says *why* they are bad. i have been buying and eating met-rx pure protein bars... 20 grams of protein, 2 grams of sugar. i cant tolerate the protein drinks. so i eat half in the morning, half in the afternoon. no ill effects i can see. but i notice the builder bars i also got have 20 grams of proteinand 20 grams of sugar and say "no sugar alcohols."

Sugar alcohols are chemically engineered laxatives = why

I never said they were bad per-se. Did I not say everything in moderation? Eating them is probably no different than taking a laxative with a high fat content. Should you eat them all the time? Definitely not.

Personally I would rather have a weensy bit of sugar over the sugar alcohols but that's because I'd rather not have the laxative effects.

The reason sugar alcohols can sometimes create intestinal problems is because some of them (ie, Xylitol, Malitol) are not absorbed by your body and go straight through you. Erythritol, however, does get absorbed and is filtered out by your kidneys. I like this one the best. I use it to make cookies and muffins. From the research that I have done the benefit of these are that they do not cause tooth decay and they do not create an insulin response like other artificial sweeteners.