Is polyalcool a sugar? I am diabetic and see this on many sugar free products

Polyalcohol is not a sugar and if you are diabetic I would not use it. As far as I can see there are no websites available to explain exactly what is. Unless is is FDA approved in either Canada or US I would not touch it.

I don't know what country you are from but this substance has never appeared on side panels of ingredients in anything I see in my supermarkets in Canada. I am a diabetic so I am leary to of ingredients.

Tick

Polyalcohols (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_alcohol)(aka polyol, polyhydric alcohol, sugar alcohol) are frequently used in products termed "sugar free" in place of sucrose (table sugar). Polyols are naturally occurring and come from plant products such as fruits and berries.

Yale-New Haven Hospital has a brief and easy-to-read article available on line that should answer all your questions including applicable labeling requirements (US).

Sugar alcohol - Yale-New Haven Hospital (http://www.ynhh.org/online/nutrition/advisor/sugar_alcohol.html)

Someone has written that "polyalcool" is not in any product sold in Canada. This is not true. I have a package of Peak Freans Life Style cookies in front of me. They are "Fruit Creme" and are listed as "sugar free". For the nutritional facts in English it reads, under carbohydrates, Fibre 0 g. Sugars 0 g. Sugar alcohol 8 g. However! If you look on the french side it says: Fibres 0 g, Sucres 0 g, "POLYALCOOL" 8 g.

So this product is indeed used in Canada. However it is a product made from fruit sugar and nothing more or less, so is not any more harmful than fruit itself.

Moses

Yes this product is indeed used in Canada . It is a sugar alcolol made from fruit.
It is used to lower the calorie intake of some foods (i.e. no sugar added snack pack pudding cups). It is such a small amount but adds the taste of sugar in the food. 1g per 99g pudding cup.
If you are a diabetic then it will raise your blood sugar levels just like sugar, so diabetics have to watch their intake of this type of sugar as well just like anything else.