Xylitol, Visceral Fat and Metabolic Parameters
A new study, published in the Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Nutrition examined the effects of xylitol consumption on several metabolic parameters and visceral fat accumulation. Researchers used Sprague-Dawley rats and fed them a high fat diet for eight weeks. They divided the in three groups, the first one which was the control group wasn’t fed any xylitol while the two other groups were fed 1gr and 2gr of xylitol per 100Kcal respectively.
The results of the study were quite promising. The two intervention groups had statistically significant lower plasma lipid concentration as well as visceral fat mass and a number of other metabolic factors. Please note that this is a study using animals and obviously in a field that needs a lot more research in order to draw safe conclusions. Nonetheless, the researchers concluded that
xylitol may be beneficial in preventing the development of obesity and metabolic abnormalities in rats with diet-induced obesity.