Many sugar-free chewing gums accommodate a aspartame alleged sorbitol. Sorbitol is a laxative which is ailing captivated by the baby intestine. An commodity in this week's British Medical Journal (BMJ) warns of the dangers of balance sorbitol intake.
The admonishing comes afterwards doctors came beyond two patients who had abiding diarrhea, belly affliction and alarmingly boundless weight loss. Afterwards diffuse investigations which could not analyze why the patients were accident so abundant weight and had abiding diarrhea and pains, a abundant assay of bistro habits put the botheration down to bistro too abundant chewing gum with sorbitol.
One of the patients, a 21-year-old woman, had been bistro the agnate of 18-20g of sorbitol anniversary day. The boilerplate stick of gum has about 1.25g sorbitol - so, she was chewing through 15-18 sticks of gum anniversary day. The added patient, a 46-year-old man, was chewing about 20 sticks of sorbitol-containing gum additional about 200g of sweets (candy) anniversary day - his absolute sorbitol circadian assimilation was about 30g, the authors wrote.
As anon as sorbitol assimilation was stopped, both patients started accepting accustomed bowel movements (diarrhea subsided) and accustomed weight accretion was achieved.
The authors say consumers are about blind of the accessible side-effects of sorbitol, even admitting data are included in the baby book of foods absolute it. When consumers accept gastronomical problems they are blind that they may be acquired by the laxative furnishings of sorbitol.
The authors achieve that sorbitol burning may not alone could cause abiding diarrhea and anatomic bowel complaints, but aswell cogent adventitious weight accident of about 20% of physique weight. Any analysis of alien weight accident should cover a abundant comestible history with attention to sorbitol-containing foods.
What is Sorbitol? (Source - Wikipedia)
Sorbitol, or glucitol, is a amoroso booze which our bodies metabolize slowly.
Sorbitol can be begin in ahem syrups, amoroso chargeless mints, chewing gum, diet foods, diet drinks and ice creams. Sorbitol occurs by itself in some rock fruits and berries from copse of the Sorbus genus. Apples and pears aswell accept accustomed amounts of sorbitol.
Sorbitol, which retains 60% of its sweetness, provides comestible activity of 2.6 kilocalories (11 kilojoules) per gram, compared to amoroso which provides about 4 kilocalories (17 kilojoules).
As a aliment accretion Sorbitol has an E-number E420.
Sorbitol is aswell acclimated as a non-stimulant laxative. It is either an articulate abeyance or a suppository. It stimulates bowel movements by cartoon baptize into the ample intestine.
"Lesson of the Week - Severe weight accident acquired by chewing gum"
Juergen Bauditz, Kristina Norman, Henrik Biering, Herbert Lochs, Matthias Pirlic BMJ 2008;336:96-97 (12 January), doi:10.1136/bmj.39280.657350.BE Abstract
