Posted this earlier:
<<<<<Shall we say the brownie thing didn't really work out? They were good.....all three last night and two this morning! When I go to clean up breakfast dishes, guess where they are going--right into the garbage disposal! And to top it off (beside the Cool Whip Free) I had horrible gas and bloating all night. And have not got on the scale.....because DH must hide it. And I think I will research this malitol or whatever fake stuff they put in SF chocolate.......I'll post anything interesting.>>>>>>>
Well, this is what I found. So if you didn't know, now you do, and so do I.
Sugar Free? That's a Malitol Cocktail!
Put down the sugar free chocolate! Now back slowly away from it with your hands in the air. If nobody eats it, nobody gets hurt!
When people start dieting they start looking for those "wonder" foods. Foods that have no sugar, like sugar free chocolate with Malitol. People don't think twice about how these magic chocolates can still be sweet and whether or not they are any better for you than regular chocolate. Well, for those of you who don't have time to do that kind of research, da da da dun! David to the rescue!
I've done the research and here is what I've found. Malitol is one of several types of sugar alcohols, also called polyols, which are neither sugars nor alcohols, that are used to sweeten items that are sugar free. Malitol has roughly 2.1 calories per gram as opposed to the 4.0 calories a gram in other carbohydrates. Polyols are carbohydrates, they just don't have to be labeled as such because they don't fit within the guidelines for a carbohydrate set by the FDA. Polyols are absorbed more slowly than other sugars and cause a smaller rise in blood glucose levels.
In other words, they do have the effects of sugar, you just have to eat more of it to get that effect. But don't worry, you won't eat enough to get the full effects of a chocolate binge. You'll find out why in a second.
Now for the fun part! What side effects do polyols have? You ready? They are diarrhea, intestinal cramping or gas. As a rule, I like to avoid foods that have side effects. If my food should have a warning label that reads like medication, I don't eat it. Remember Olestra? Defnitely, avoid eating anything with Olestra with anything with a polyol. You'll be spending a lot of quality time getting to know our old porcelain friend: Mr. Toilet.
Posted by David van Sunder at August 8, 2003 11:32 PM
http://www.instridept.com/healthyliv...es/000034.html
Maltitol is a member of a family of bulk sweeteners known as polyols or sugar alcohols. It has a pleasant sweet taste--remarkably similar to sucrose. Maltitol is about 90% as sweet as sugar, non-cariogenic, and significantly reduced in calories. Maltitol is especially useful in the production of sweets, including sugarless hard candies, chewing gum, chocolates, baked goods and ice cream.
Maltitol is made by the hydrogenation of maltose which is obtained from starch. Like other polyols, it does not brown or caramelize as do sugars. Maltitol?s high sweetness allows it to be used without other sweeteners. It exhibits a negligible cooling effect in the mouth compared to most other polyols. Although maltitol is often used to replace sugars in the manufacture of sugar-free foods, it may also be used to replace fat as it gives a creamy texture to food.
Benefits of Maltitol
Does not promote tooth decay -- Maltitol, like other polyols, is resistant to metabolism by oral bacteria which break down sugars and starches to release acids that may lead to cavities or erode tooth enamel. Maltitol, therefore, is non-cariogenic. The usefulness of polyols, including maltitol, as alternatives to sugars and as part of a comprehensive program including proper dental hygiene has been recognized by the American Dental Association. The FDA has approved the use of a "does not promote tooth decay" health claim in labeling for sugar-free foods that contain maltitol or other polyols.
Reduced Calorie Alternative to Sugar - Absorption of maltitol by the human body is slow, allowing part of the ingested maltitol to reach the large intestine where metabolism yields fewer calories. Therefore, unlike sugar which contributes four calories per gram, the caloric contribution of maltitol is only 2.1 calories per gram. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has stated it does not object to the use of this value for maltitol in nutrition labeling of foods. For a product to qualify as "reduced calorie" in the United States, it must have at least a 25 percent reduction in calories. Maltitol is, therefore, useful in formulating "reduced calorie" products.
The lower caloric value of maltitol and other polyols is recognized in other countries as well. For example, the European Union has provided a Nutritional Labeling Directive stating that all polyols, including maltitol, are assigned a caloric value of 2.4 calories per gram.
http://www.caloriecontrol.org/maltitol.html
forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=121340
Malitol, sugar alcohol in chocolate
It's found in a lot of ice cream, too. I recently bought some ice cream bars that had the big Splenda logo on the box, and assumed they were "safe". After eating one and grabbing the box, I confirmed that they also contained maltitol. 
I avoid malitol like the plague now. From reading labels I've found it's in EVERYTHING! Any SF product that has chocolate or caramel flavor has malitol--I've only found three chocolate products without it. It is in almost all ice cream flavors--the only ones I've found that were safe were butter pecan and vanilla. 
I have the same effect when I eat Olean.
Well, I imagine not. 
That's gotta be about as fun as the "unexpected oily discharge" that comes with one of the meds out there (Meridia?).
