Comment Effect of Xylitol on Individual Free Fatty Acids in the Plasma

In 1956, during the course of a study on pentosuria in guinea pig, a metabolic conversion of L-xylulose to D-xylulose via xylitol was discovered by Touster and his coworkers [1–3], and named the Glucuronic Acid Pathway which is metabolically connected with the Pentose Phosphate Pathway by phosphorylation. Evidence has accumulated concerning the metabolism of xylitol since that time in both basic and clinical fields. Lang [4] and his group [5] in Mainz administered xylitol preparation to diabetic patients and observed that xylitol is utilized well in the body and exerts little influence on the blood glucose level. Plasma free fatty acids (FFA) were found to be reduced by administration of xylitol [6, 7]. The present communication concerns with the further studies on the effect of xylitol on plasma fatty acids in hyperlipemic and diabetic patients.