Home | About NaturalNews | Contact Us | Write for NaturalNews | Media Info | Advertise with Natural News
sorbitol

Sorbitol Linked to Bowel Problems: Chronic Diarrhea, Abdominal Pain

Thursday, June 19, 2008 by: David Gutierrez, staff writer




Share
(NaturalNews) The artificial sweetener sorbitol can cause severe bowel problems, including diarrhea, pain and extreme weight loss, German doctors said in an article published in the British Medical Journal.

"Our cases demonstrate that sorbitol consumption can cause not only chronic diarrhea and functional bowel complaints but also considerable unintended weight loss - about 20 percent of usual body weight," wrote Dr. Juergen Bauditz and colleagues from the University of Berlin.

Sorbitol, also known as E420, has long been known to function as a laxative, in part because it is poorly absorbed by the small intestine. But because these effects are not widely known, doctors confronting seemingly unexplained cases of severe bowel distress might not think to investigate their patients' sorbitol consumption.

The authors became aware of sorbitol's dangerous effects when confronted with two patients who had suffered diarrhea, abdominal pain and severe weight loss. A 21-year-old woman had been suffering from her symptoms for eight months and lost more than 20 pounds before doctors identified the cause of her problem. Another man lost 49 pounds after suffering from diarrhea for a year.

In both cases, doctors eventually discovered that the patients were chewing between 15 and 20 sticks of sugar-free gum each day.

According to Bauditz, consuming as little as 5 to 20 grams of sorbitol at a time could cause minor stomach bloating and cramps. Any more than this amount could lead to the serious symptoms seen in the two patients.

Each stick of sugar-free gum contains about 1.25 grams of sorbitol, meaning that chewing as few as four sticks in a short period could cause minor stomach distress.

Bauditz found that both patients had been replacing their gum fairly frequently, thus exposing themselves to a high dose of sorbitol in a fairly short time.

The authors urged all doctors investigating unexplained weight loss to conduct an investigation into their patients' dietary sorbitol intake.

Get breaking health news + a LIFETIME 7% discount on everything at the NaturalNews Store
Join two million monthly readers. Email privacy 100% protected. Unsubscribe at any time.

Articles Related to This Article:

Do net carbs on low carb food labels tell the truth about carbohydrates?

Naturally address and relieve the causes and symptoms of diarrhea

Cleaning Water at Household, Not Source, Is Best Diarrhea Prevention (press release)

Use Homeopathic Remedies for Acute Diarrhea, Nausea and Vomiting

Radiation disease - here are the symptoms and causes

Probiotics help offset some of the negative effects of antibiotics

Related video from NaturalNews.TV


Your NaturalNews.TV video could be here.
Upload your own videos at NaturalNews.TV (FREE)

Have comments on this article? Post them here:

 people have commented on this article.

Related Articles:

Do net carbs on low carb food labels tell the truth about carbohydrates?

Naturally address and relieve the causes and symptoms of diarrhea

Cleaning Water at Household, Not Source, Is Best Diarrhea Prevention (press release)

Use Homeopathic Remedies for Acute Diarrhea, Nausea and Vomiting

Radiation disease - here are the symptoms and causes

Probiotics help offset some of the negative effects of antibiotics

Take Action: Support NaturalNews.com

Email this article to a friend

Share this article on: NewsVine | digg | del.icio.us

Permalink to this article:

Reprinting this article: Non-commercial use OK, cite NaturalNews.com with clickable link.

Embed article link: (copy HTML code below):
Most Popular
Today | Week | Month | Year

See all Top Headlines...


GET YOUR FREE GIFT + SHOW DETAILS.


Now Available from NaturalNews.TV

Across the Web

More News...

Also on NaturalNews:

Health Ranger Videos
Activist music
CounterThink Cartoons
Food documentaries
FREE Special Reports
Podcasts
Advertise with NaturalNews...

Support NaturalNews Sponsors:
Advertise with NaturalNews...

Most Popular Stories

Collecting rainwater now illegal in many states as Big Government claims ownership over our water Share
FDA finally admits chicken meat contains cancer-causing arsenic (but keep eating it, yo!) Share
Senate Bill S 510 Food Safety Modernization Act vote imminent: Would outlaw gardening and saving seeds Share
Anti-foaming agent found in Chicken McNuggets Share
Court rules organic farmers can sue conventional, GMO farmers whose pesticides 'trespass' and contaminate their fields Share
R.I.P. Bill of Rights 1789 - 2011 Share
Why McDonald's Happy Meal hamburgers won't decompose - the real story behind the story Share
Federal agents raid Mormon food storage facility, demand list of customers storing emergency food Share
H1N1 vaccine linked to 700 percent increase in miscarriages Share
14 signs that the collapse of our modern world has already begun Share
Artificial Sweetener Disease; a new breed of sickness Share
Forensic evidence emerges that European e.coli superbug was bioengineered to produce human fatalities Share
The NaturalNews Store

Huge discounts on supplements, raw foods, botanicals and healthly personal care products. Save up to 50%! Click here to see the current sale items

Health Ranger Storable Organics

GMO-free, chemical-free foods and superfoods for long-term storage and preparedness. Bulk pricing! Shipping immediately. See selection at www.StorableOrganics.com

25 Amazing Facts About Food

This FREE downloadable report unveils a collection of astonishing and little-known facts about the food we eat very day. Click here to read it now...

 

Resveratrol and its Effects on Human Health and Longevity - Myth or Miracle.

Unlock the secrets of cellular health with the "miracle" nutrient Resveratrol Click here to read it now...

 

Nutrition Can Save America

FREE online report shows how we can save America through a nutrition health care revolution. "Eating healthy is patriotic!" Click here to read it now...

The Healing Power of Sunlight and Vitamin D

In this exclusive interview, Dr. Michael Holick reveals fascinating facts on how vitamin D is created and used in the human body to ward off chronic diseases like cancer, osteoporosis, mental disorders and more. Click here to read it now...

Vaccines: Get the Full Story

The International Medical Council on Vaccination has released, exclusively through NaturalNews.com, a groundbreaking document containing the signatures of physicians, brain surgeons and professors, all of which have signed on to a document stating that vaccines pose a significant risk of harm to the health of children. Click here to read it now...



This site is part of the Natural News Network © 2011 All Rights Reserved. Privacy | Terms All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing International, LTD. is not responsible for content written by contributing authors. The information on this site is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional advice of any kind. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. Your use of this website indicates your agreement to these terms and those published here. All trademarks, registered trademarks and servicemarks mentioned on this site are the property of their respective owners.