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Metabolic Effects in Rats of High Oral Doses of Galactitol, Mannitol and Xylitol

School of Dentistry, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Dentistry, University of Turku, SF-20520 Turku 52, Finland

The effect of feeding high amounts of polyols on rat metabolism was studied. Adult male rats were fed the basal diet or the same diet to which had been added either galactitol, mannitol or xylitol for 8 wk (final polyol level 200 g/kg diet). Although all three polyols retarded the growth rate of the animals, the polyols were well tolerated. The four experimental groups did not differ significantly (P > 0.01) in the following analyses: blood lactic acid and serum transaminases, amylase, lactate dehydrogenase, triglycerides, insulin, glucagon and corticosterone. Compared to rats fed the basal diet, galactitol rats had higher blood hemoglobin levels (P < 0.01); those fed galactitol or mannitol had lower blood glucose (P < 0.001 and P < 0.01, respectively), and those fed mannitol had higher blood pyruvic acid (P < 0.01). Rats fed any of the polyols had lower serum total cholesterol and liver ascorbic acid (P < 0.001) than control rats. Rats fed mannitol had higher liver glycogen levels (P < 0.001) than control rats. Irrespective of the structural differences between the pentitol and the hexitols, a number of common metabolic effects were found. The proposed mechanisms of these effects include 1) the slow absorption and the rapid intraluminal metabolism of the polyols and 2) the similar handling of these polyols in the liver by a dehydrogenase.

KEY WORDS: • sugar alcohols • polyols • rat metabolism • feeding trials • galactitol • mannitol • xylitol

Manuscript received 26 August 1984. Revision accepted 8 April 1985.