Sweetener Side Effects: Case Histories Researchers Cite 2 Patients Who Suffered Severe Weight Loss From Heavy Use of Sorbitol

Jan. 10, 2008 -- Consuming sweets and chewing gum with sugar substitutes may help the weight-conscious slash calories, but excessive use of the sweetener sorbitol can cause extreme weight loss and other problems, according to a new report.

In this week's BMJ, Juergen Bauditz, MD, of the University of Berlin, and colleagues describe two patients with a sorbitol habit who had dramatic, unexplained weight loss until their excessive use of the sweetener was discovered.

(Do you include items with sorbitol in your diet? What foods and how often? Tell us about it on WebMD's Type 2 Diabetes Support Group board.)