Sugarless Gum Gives You the Runs* Sorbitol is a Health Risk, Sort of

"Severe weight loss caused by chewing gum"
British Medical Association journal, "BMJ" (January 12, 2008)

This could start another health scare.

The first 150 words of the article are ominous, and free. You have to pay to read the rest. That teaser links sorbitol, a sweetener in sugarless gum, candy, and drinks, to some really disgusting - and unhealthy - symptoms.

I remember when cyclamates were banned. It was the sixties, when everything caused cancer. That time, the ban was based on bogus research involving massive overdoses. As (Buddy Hackett, I believe) said on the Tonight Show, 'only two mice died: one exploded, his butt blew off and killed the mouse behind him.'

The cyclamate FDA ban was a boon for the saccharine industry: at that time, consumers looking for non-sugar sweeteners were pretty much forced to buy saccharine, and put up with that miserable after-taste. That's non-trivial, for diabetics who have a hard time adjusting to a sweet-free diet.

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*You probably don't have to stop chewing sugarless gum and eating sugar-free sweets: Just get a grip on how much you scarf down.

A news article about the British sorbitol study, "Study: Excessive Sugarless Gum Chewing Linked to Severe Weight Loss, Diarrhea," passes on a few facts that put the threat in perspective, once you do some basic math:

• The young woman in the study went through over 14 sticks of sugarless gum a day
• The middle-aged man chewed 20 sticks of sugar-free gum each day, and topped it off with 200 grams of sweets

(200 grams is just over 7 ounces - American candy bars run about 1.5 ounces to 3- or 4-ounce "king size" bars)

That British study is important for doctors, but shouldn't affect too many people's behavior. I hope. The young woman was starting a new stick of gum each hour, assuming she sleeps eight hours a day. The man was dropping the equivalent of 2 king-size gut bombs into his system daily. Even without sorbitol, I'd expect problems.