Gum: Fad diet of 2008?
This morning, a friend sent me a link to this news article: Chewing Gum Sweetener Linked to Severe Unintended Weight Loss.
“Sorbitol, one of the most commonly used artificial sweeteners in chewing gum and candy as well as liquid medications, is poorly absorbed in the intestines, giving it the qualities of an osmotic laxative at higher doses (20 to 50 g).”
“Patients who popped 16 to 20 sticks of sorbitol-sweetened gum daily lost about 20% of their usual body weight, reported Juergen Bauditz, M.D., of the University of Berlin here, and colleagues in a case report in the Jan. 12 issue of BMJ. “
Wow, crazy! Especially crazy given all the other negative talk surrounding artificial sweetener and weight. Remember WebMDs article, Drink More Diet Soda, Gain More Weight?.
“Williams detected a “dose-response” effect: Those who drank the most diet soft drinks had the highest incidence of weight gain. This was a particularly interesting finding. After adjusting for age, sex and ethnicity, Williams found that regular soft drinks were no longer significantly linked to the incidence of becoming overweight or obese, but diet soft drinks were.”
Hmm… so, trying to unravel this:
- With gum, the sorbitol invokes a physical response (due to it’s poor absorption and laxative effect) that results in weight loss (among other things).
- The the diet soda, the artificial sweetener confuses your body’s hunger / thirst instincts, resulting in overeating and weight gain.
Even with that straight… I would argue that diet coke causes bloating and gas, and probably is bad for IBS. What makes it so different from sorbitol? Any biochemists out there?
On a more amusing note… this SciGuy expressed exactly what I was thinking:
It’s true that this information is clinically useful to physicians, but does anyone else see the great potential for abuse here by those wanting to go on crash diets?
1. Eat 20 sticks of gum
2. Get really sick
3. Lose 20 pounds
4. Fit into that wedding dress
Tags: sorbitol, gum sweetener, gum and weight loss, artificial sweetener
Sorbitol is an osmotic active substance – it drags water from intestinal wall into intestine, and causes diarrhea. Sorbitol is problematic especially in people with fructose intolerance. Yes, simple fructose from fruits can cause diarrhea – check my article (click on my name).