I wanted to share an experience with DS with periodic episodes of intestinal distress--gas, diarrhea, discomfort.

A few months ago he started having bouts of the above and we were at a loss to know the cause. Since he is absolutely terrified of even the remote possibility of vomiting, and thinks any intestinal problem will cause it, these episodes were a source of distress for all of us, since he would freak out and obsess that he would vomit.

I now know what is causing it. All the kids are into chewing this gum called '5' by Wrigley's which comes in cleverly packaged little flat boxes that open like a matchbook and the gum is wrapped in various colored paper. DS always feel like he's different than other kids because he can't have anything with artificial colors. I knew this gum had aspartame (which I am against) but I got tired of saying no all the time. He would buy several boxes of it and chew it every day. Today I noticed it also contained mannitol and sorbitol.

Today in Dr. Mercola's newsletter was an article about Erythritol, so I did a search on manntiol and sorbitol, which are alcohol sugars and found many, many articles about the dangers of them. Some consumer groups are trying to get warnings put on products containing them.

A couple months ago I started using Xylitol in my coffee and it took me a few weeks to realize it was causing abdominal pain and loose stools, and lots of gas. So check ingredients of your gum, candy, breath mints, foods, and beverages.

Use of it has also been linked to irritable bowel, high triglycerides, and weight gain.

http://www.innvista.com/health/nutrition/diet/salcohol.htm

http://www.cspinet.org/foodsafety/labeling_sorbitol.html

"Hartford Hospital and University of Connecticut warned in 1983 at a study that sorbitol causes gastro-intestinal distress in amounts as little as 10g per day. Another study published at the Lancet suggested that sorbitol might be a cause of Irritable Bowel Syndrome for habitual use of sugar-free chewing gum containing sorbitol. "



"Many sugar-free chewing gums contain a sweetener called sorbitol. Sorbitol is a laxative which is poorly absorbed by the small intestine. Most recently an article in the 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."

Most sugar alcohols end in -ol, except Isomalt.

Anyway, if you or anyone else you know has problems with irritable bowel, gas, diarrhea, or intestinal distress, check your intake of alcohol sugars.

Very true and good info. I was put on liquid carafate about a year ago and after one dose could taste the sorbitol in it. I had the dr. switch me to the pill form. It's hard for me to believe that they'd make a pill for the stomach with sorbitol in it. I'm guessing that a lot of people that take the liquid form aren't feeling very well on it. The second I put it in my mouth I recognized the taste. My stomach started rumbling. This also happens with the gum.

I chew that gum and so does my daughter So far not problem but I had some yogurt with some ingredient that almost had me in the bathroom all the time.

thanks for the info. Hope your son is better.

These sorbitols occur in diabetic jams. Anything that is advertised as being, 'sugar free' often has something far worse lurking within. Always read the label.


I avoid them like the plague!



XIII

Great info. More people need to know about the side effects. Once I saw a woman giving her toddler a "sugar free" cookie in the grocery store. I had had "intestinal distress" previously due to those darn sugar alcohols. Anyway, I actually went up to her and pointed it out on the cookie package label. She was shocked that they could cause problems and thought sugar free was a good thing to do. Poor thing had to buy the cookies and the toddler ended up without any....

I have severe problems with this. I chewed eclise gum (blue) and it contains sorbitol. They also have something else now that supposedly cleans teeth and freshens breath. Well let me say this, I started chewing it three days ago and I woke up this morning with stomach cramps, diahrrea, and I have that mint taste in my mouth from that new ingredient they added and I cant get rid of it. I had gone through this before with this gum but decided to try again. The only gum I seem to tolerate is the green doublemint.

As bad as real sugar is, I've come to believe it's much safer than these manufactured artificial sweeteners.

I agree with you 100%.....

I agree too. I actually switch to pure cain sugar, and like it alot...

There is a natural sweetner called Stevia for those who can't eat sugar....

Great post, thanks for the info.... I personally believe all this crap they put in our foods now adays causes more problems than the FDA cares to mention. I mean everything you buy now a days either has high frutose corn syrup, and atleast 3 words that you can't even pronounce... Does make ya wonder...

Sorbitol is the active ingredient in prunes and prune juice, it acts as a mild laxative. The web is full of health sites recommending prune juice as an addition to the diet to aid digestive health or as a natural remedy for constipation. Presumably the difference between the sorbitol in chewing gum and that in prune juice is that it's manufactured in the first case and present in higher quantities than in prune juice, where it's present naturally? I think it's astonishing that confectionary and diabetic foods contain a substance that has known laxative properties.