Sugarless gum is a good alternative to regular sugar-containing gum to help you maintain your dental health and keep your weight in check. To give sugarless gums a sweet taste without adding real sugar, manufacturers use artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols. If you are prone to diarrhea or other symptoms usually associated with IBS, or irritable bowel syndrome, the sugar alcohols in sugarless gums could be causing your gastrointestinal distress.
Diarrhea
Diarrhea can be caused by many different factors, ranging from food poisoning to medications, food intolerances and different gastrointestinal conditions. If you experience diarrhea on a regular basis, it is important that you consult your doctor to make sure you don't have any potentially serious underlying condition. However, if your intestines are healthy and you still suffer from diarrhea, you may notice that some foods, beverages or even chewing gums may be triggering your symptoms.
Keep a Diary
To help you pinpoint the problematic factors in your diet that are responsible for your diarrhea, keep a food diary. Write down everything you eat, drink or chew, including sugarless gum and keep notes regarding the frequency and consistency of your bowel movements. After a couple of weeks, you will be able to observe patterns between your diet and your diarrhea. Sugarless gum may be part of the problem, but other foods or beverages may be contributing factors.
Sugar Alcohols
Sugarless gums, as well as sugarless mints, candies and other products, contain sugar substitutes. Manufacturers commonly add sugar alcohols to sugarless gums. Check the label for ingredients ending in -ols, such as maltitol, xylitol, mannitol, sorbitol; another common sugar alcohol is isomalt. Sugar alcohols contain fewer calories than regular sugar and can help better preserve the health of your teeth. Sugar alcohols are not well-absorbed in humans and a large amount can cause diarrhea by increasing the osmotic load in your intestines. Usually, you need to take in 10 g or more of sugar alcohols to cause changes in your bowel movements, but some people are sensitive to the small amounts found in sugarless gum. Artificial sweeteners other than sugar alcohols, such as aspartame and sucralose, are not likely to cause diarrhea.
Sugar Alcohol Malabsorption
If you suspect that sugarless gum and foods containing sugar alcohol cause your diarrhea, you can be assessed for sorbitol malabsorption, which is a simple breath test very similar to what is done to diagnose lactose intolerance. The other option is to simply eliminate the foods you suspect, including sugarless gum, for at least two to four weeks to see if your symptoms resolve. Be aware that in addition to sugar-free products sweetened with sugar alcohols, some fruits and vegetables naturally contain small amounts of sugar alcohols, including mushrooms, cauliflower, apples, apricots, pears, nectarines, cherries, watermelon, sweet potato, celery and avocado. Eliminate all of these foods for a few weeks to see if your bowel movements regularize.
References
- National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse; Diarrhea; January 2011
- "Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology"; Evidence-Based Dietary Management of Functional Gastrointestinal Symptoms: The FODMAP Approach; Peter R. Gibson, et al.; 2010
- "IBS--Free at Last!: A Revolutionary, New Step-by-Step Method for Those Who Have Tried Everything. Control IBS Symptoms by Limiting FODMAPS Carbohydrates in Your Diet"; Patsy Catsos; 2009
