What is Maltodextrin, and Is It Bad for You?

Maltodextrins are synthesized from the chemical treatment (hydrolysis) of carbohydrates or sugars.

Maltodextrin is a highly processed type of carbohydrate present in packaged food, used to improve the consistency, texture, and taste of the food item. It is extracted from natural sources, such as corn, rice, potato, wheat, and a few other plants. Starches from these foods undergo a complex chemical process that involves cooking the starch at a very high temperature and mixing it with chemicals until they're broken down into a neutral-tasting powder. Basically, maltodextrins are a group of carbohydrate entities (sugars) resulting from the more or less partial hydrolysis of starch.

Maltodextrin is artificially produced and is used as a thickener, sweetener, and stabilizer in processed foods. It can be found in many different types of foods, such as:

• Artificial sweeteners
• Baked goods
• Yogurt
• Beer
• Nutrition bars
• Weight-training supplements
• Cereals
• Meal-replacement shakes
• Low-fat and reduced-calorie products
• Infant formulas
• Condiments
• Sauces
• Spice mixes
• Salad dressings
• Chips
• Pie fillings
• Snack foods

Is maltodextrin bad for you?

According to the United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA), maltodextrin is listed as a GRAS(generally recognized as safe) food additive; however, one may still need to be careful because it adds a lot of useless calories to food. If excessive amounts are consumed, it can cause health conditions. Maltodextrin is extremely bad for metabolism because it lacks nutritional value and may also spike blood sugars.

The dangers of excessive intake of maltodextrin include:

• Side effects: High consumption of maltodextrin can cause gastrointestinal symptoms, such as gas and diarrhea. Cramping, bloating, and skin irritations are some of the other allergic reactions reported after eating foods containing maltodextrin. It can also contribute to constipation because it contains zero fiber.
• Gut flora: Beneficial gut bacteria are important for good digestive health. Maltodextrin hampers their growth. It is also known to cause intestinal disorders by aiding the bacteria known to hurt the intestine. Maltodextrin also helps the survival of salmonella leading to severe infections. It also increases E. coli and other bacterial adhesions to intestinal cells by promoting the formation of biofilm. It may also cause low-grade inflammation that can result in bowel diseases.
• Genetically modified corn: Research has identified several health issues including cancer, Alzheimer's disease, kidney damage, reproduction difficulties, and allergies that can be caused due to maltodextrin produced from genetically modified corn.
• Nutrition: Maltodextrin lacks nutritional value. One teaspoonful provides nearly 30 calories and 3.8 grams of carbohydrates. That is the entire nutritional value of maltodextrin, as it contains no vitamins or minerals. It is processed to such a high extent that all other nutrients get stripped out of it.
• Blood sugars: One of maltodextrin's dangers is that it can cause blood sugar spikes due to its high glycemic index. This can be highly dangerous for people with diabetes or insulin resistance. While the glycemic index of table sugar is 65, maltodextrin takes it up to 106 to 136, and it gets absorbed into your bloodstream pretty quickly.
• Weight gain and obesity: The high calorific value of maltodextrin can lead to weight gain and obesity, along with associated health complications.

Maltodextrin is a source of energy, and companies use it in relatively large quantities in sports drinks and energy drinks. They bill it as a constant source of energy for athletes. It can provide fuel for muscles and help to get a better workout. It will also give a quick boost in energy straight away so it can be useful for athletes. However, it is only recommended for people who are training hard. Unless an individual is exercising for hours at a time, there is usually no physical need for that much energy.

The amount of maltodextrin in food can be deceptive unless you watch for it, and you can easily end up consuming a lot of it, especially if you often eat processed foods. The best way is to avoid processed foods altogether.

To minimize the effects of maltodextrin, combine it with some fiber or protein to help slow its digestion. Avoid processed foods with maltodextrin ingredients listed as additives, especially if you have difficulty digesting sugars from plants. It's also best to eat low on the food chain to limit the consumption of maltodextrin.

Eating foods such as whole grains, fruits, veggies, grains, fish, chicken, lean beef or pork, tofu, and beans instead of processed foods can help limit maltodextrin. Another great idea is to try using or consuming products that contain maltodextrin alternatives such as guar gum or pectin, sweetened with stevia, honey, or dates. Look for products that have these ingredients and read labels before purchasing.

Some food products are made with resistant maltodextrin, which undergoes chemical processes that make it indigestible for humans. Although both products are known as maltodextrin, there is nothing in common chemically or nutritionally, between the two types. The digestion-resistant maltodextrin is 90% indigestible fiber and is a lot more beneficial than the regular (digestible) one. It can help keep calories low, improve digestive health, and help you avoid other regular maltodextrin side effects such as sugar spikes. Look for “resistant maltodextrin,” digestion resistant maltodextrin,” or “soluble corn fiber” in the labels.

Is maltodextrin worse for you than sugar?

Maltodextrin has the same calorific value as table sugar, but a far higher glycemic index, and can cause a greater blood sugar spike than an equivalent quantity of sugar. It is added to sports drinks for this reason and may be useful for elite athletes who train hard and require rapid energy boosts. However, for the average individual, it is best avoided, and for those with diabetes, it can be particularly dangerous. Just like sugar, occasional consumption in small quantities should not cause harm if you follow a healthy lifestyle otherwise.

Maltodextrin is one of the worst sugars compared to sugar alcohols (polyols) such as erythritol, xylitol, sorbitol, mannitol, maltitol, and lactitol. These are natural sweeteners that are abundantly available in fruits and vegetables, commonly used in place of sugar. Among the polyols, although not as intensely sweet as some of the other polyols, erythritol is the only one that is almost entirely excreted in the urine without getting into the bloodstream or causing sugar spikes. If you look at erythritol vs maltodextrin, erythritol wins hands down calorie-wise and sweetness-wise.

Does maltodextrin cause inflammation?

Studies show maltodextrin can cause intestinal inflammation and can be a risk factor in inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Maltodextrin alters the intestinal environment, which affects the protective mucus layer of the intestinal tract and produces favorable conditions for harmful bacteria to thrive, resulting in low-grade inflammation. Long-term consumption of maltodextrin-loaded processed foods can cause intestinal inflammation, particularly in those prone to inflammatory bowel diseases.

What is the common name for maltodextrin?

Depending on what product it is processed from, common names of maltodextrin include corn syrup solids, modified corn starch, modified wheat starch, modified rice starch, or modified tapioca starch. Resistant maltodextrin can be identified as soluble corn fiber or digestion-resistant maltodextrin.

Is maltodextrin natural or synthetic?

Although maltodextrin is made from natural starches found in plants, it is so highly processed that the end product has nothing natural about it. The starch is cooked and treated with acids and enzymes to break down the carbohydrates (polysaccharides) in the starch irreversibly into short-chain sugar (saccharide) polymers. It is then purified and spray-dried to obtain a virtually flavorless white powder.

Is maltodextrin gluten-free?

Maltodextrin is gluten-free naturally when produced from rice, corn, potato, or cassava, but even when made from wheat, it is gluten-free because the manufacturing process strips the gluten and all other nutrients, leaving behind only carbohydrates. Chemical analyses have not found any detectable traces of gluten in maltodextrin, so it is not expected to cause any gastrointestinal symptoms even in people with a gluten allergy.

Is maltodextrin MSG?

Maltodextrin and monosodium glutamate (MSG) are completely different substances. Maltodextrin is a natural starch-derived carbohydrate. MSG is a flavor enhancer with a unique aroma known as umami in Japan, commonly used as an additive in commercial foods. MSG was originally made from seaweed broth but is now manufactured by the fermentation of starch, sugar beets, sugar cane, or molasses. MSG is a sodium salt of glutamic acid, an amino acid used to produce a chemical (neurotransmitter) known as glutamate that nerves use for signaling. Glutamic acid naturally occurs in almost all living beings.