AVOID Sorbitol sweetener please read

Many sugar-free chewing gums contain a sweetener called sorbitol. Sorbitol is a laxative which is poorly absorbed by the small intestine. An article in this week's British Medical Journal (BMJ) warns of the dangers of excess sorbitol intake.

The warning comes after doctors came across two patients who had chronic diarrhea, abdominal pain and dangerously excessive weight loss. After lengthy investigations which could not identify why the patients were losing so much weight and had chronic diarrhea and pains, a detailed analysis of eating habits put the problem down to eating too much chewing gum with sorbitol.

One of the patients, a 21-year-old woman, had been eating the equivalent of 18-20g of sorbitol each day. The average stick of gum has about 1.25g sorbitol - so, she was chewing through 15-18 sticks of gum each day. The other patient, a 46-year-old man, was chewing about 20 sticks of sorbitol-containing gum plus approximately 200g of sweets (candy) each day - his total sorbitol daily intake was about 30g, the authors wrote.

As soon as sorbitol intake was stopped, both patients started having normal bowel movements (diarrhea subsided) and normal weight gain was achieved.

The authors say consumers are generally unaware of the possible side-effects of sorbitol, even though details are included in the small print of foods containing it. When consumers have gastronomical problems they are unaware that they may be caused by the laxative effects of sorbitol.
This actually happen to my sister went to 2 GI scopes came out clear CT scan the works ended up she was chewing gum with Sorbital all day long trying to stop smoking.
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The authors conclude that sorbitol consumption may not only cause chronic diarrhea and functional bowel complaints, but also significant unplanned weight loss of about 20% of body weight. Any investigation of unexplained weight loss should include a detailed dietary history with regard to sorbitol-containing foods.

What is Sorbitol?

Also known as glucitol, sorbitol is a sugar alcohol. The body metabolizes it slowly. It is obtained by reduction of glucose changing the ether group to an addition hydroxyl group - hence the name sugar alcohol.

Sorbitol can be found in cough syrups, sugar free mints, chewing gum, diet foods, diet drinks and ice creams. Sorbitol occurs naturally in some stone fruits and berries from trees of the Sorbus genus.

Sorbitol provides dietary energy of 2.6 kilocalories (11 kilojoules) per gram, compared to sugar which provides about 4 kilocalories (17 kilojoules). Sorbitol retains 60% of the sweetness.

As a food additive Sorbitol has an E-number E420 and is categorized as a sweetener, emulsifier and humectant.

Sorbitol is also used as a non-stimulant laxative. It is either an oral suspension or a suppository. It draws water into the large intestine, stimulating bowel movements.

Wow, Sugarmarie, thanks for posting that! Ironically, I had just last week had a "conversation" over on the IBS board here at HW (on behalf of my mom who has IBS) and someone there told me they react quite violently to any artificial sweetener--because, as you said, they break down as sugar alcohols. Interesting...

oh have I ever had some experiances with those sweetners .... oouuchh!!! now can spot em on a label faster then anything. but have not any problems with splenda!! so glad to see it come out in so many things now.

Wow! Thanks for the info. Are the artificial sweetners in diet pop bad as well? I'm wondering if it is the caffeine or the artificial sweetner that is making it so I can't have the pop I love so much. If it is just the sweetner I'll switch back to regular soda and just count calories. I miss the little boost the caffeine gave me in the afternoon.

Hi diet sodas are bad as well. I have stopped drinking soda's all together. And I also don't chew gum.

all the artificial sweeteners are bad. very bad. aspartame is gnarly and has a very onerous past on its way to FDA approval that would make you fuming mad. saccharine, sucralose, alitame, neotame, splenda, acesulfame-k, methanol, cyclamate, should also be avoided. most, if not all, have been linked to cancer and other stuff. seriously. these are found in a lot of health foods (esp bar foods) to make them low carb and sugar free. they are also prevalent in diet soda's. i am not doing a scare tactic here. do the research for yourself and then make up your mind if you'll still eat food with this stuff in it.

do an experiment - go off soda, both diet and regular, and cut out all foods with these artificial sweeteners (you'll have to scrutinize labels) for like a month and see what happens. i bet you'll be pleasantly surprised.

i highly suggest you read the book "sweet deception" by dr. joseph mercola.

That's interesting! I don't chew gum thankfully since it bothers my jaw. But I do drink diet soda, and it doesn't bother me at all. I think like everything else certain things will effect everyone differently. Of course I know soda in general isn't the best thing for you, but personally I'm not willing to give up everything in life! :)

I've done the elimination diets, soda just isn't on that list of things that make me worse. Salads, or any kind of lettuce, on the other hand will make me very sick. Used to love salads. Just one of the many things I've had to give up over the years. But I'm also a lot better for it, I've haven't been nearly as sick this year as I was last year while eating salads.

So I agree that people will give things up when they find it makes them more ill. But just because someone continues to have a Diet Coke once in a while doesn't mean they aren't bad off enough, or just don't realize it's making them sick. Crohn's disease is different for everyone, and what makes one person ill is fine for another. IMO moderation is key with junk food and things like soda (as long as they don't cause problems with their Crohn's). Crohn's takes enough quality of life without having to give up everything you enjoy, especially if you tolerate it okay. But it's good that you find your diet worth it. I'm quite happy with mine as well.

Thanks, not really worried about that though! I'm more worried about what some of the Crohn's treatment side effects will do to me then my occasional diet soda! :)

jen - i couldnt handle salads either for years. i think i went like over a decade without eating salads. but from doing the maker's diet, i can now tolerate them fine. my danger foods and my comfort foods have switched. it is crazy! i can tolerate vegetables no problem and grain based carbs and sugars make me sick. but i feel so much better it is worth it. and i know it is healthier too. you may want to give it a try....

thanks for the post. I also found that anything with artificial sweeteners causes me problems. I avoid them as much as possible. When one sneaks in and I don't realize I ate it I feel awful afterwards and I can tell it must have been the fake sugar (I call it fake sugar :) Karen

Ok, this makes sense. When I chew gum it makes me feel all bloated and crampy and I always chew sugar free gum. This doesn't happen all the time, but often enough to make me think twice before I grab a piece.
Twenty pieces of gum seems like an awful lot to be chewing in one day. Is it just me thinking this or does anyone else agree?

soccergirl said...
Ok, this makes sense. When I chew gum it makes me feel all bloated and crampy and I always chew sugar free gum. This doesn't happen all the time, but often enough to make me think twice before I grab a piece.
Twenty pieces of gum seems like an awful lot to be chewing in one day. Is it just me thinking this or does anyone else agree?

its not uncommon for people trying to quit smoking or dieting or just plain nervous nelly's.