Have you ever encountered such a situation: you are eating normally, but you have diarrhea for no reason?
In addition to irritable bowel, many people overlook a very common possibility: you may be eating too much sugar substitutes (especially sugar alcohols).
Sugar-substituting food is also the Internet celebrity on the shelves in the past two years: “sugar-free” food, which retains the sweet taste, but has lower calories, which is simply for sweet lovers Heaven.
And how did we discover this secret?
This starts with the story of a sugar-free lollipop in the mall…
Toilet tragedy caused by a lollipop
The story comes from our planner, Ah Fa, the mother of a 7-year-old. When they were shopping last weekend, they passed a candy store, and a sugar-free lollipop caught their daughter’s attention.
As a member of Clove, Ah Fa insists on practicing the healthy concept of eating less sugar. She carefully checked the label and ingredient list and is convinced that this is a real “sugar-free” bar lollipop.
Photo source: Taken by myself
There is no secret sugar added in the ingredient list. Isomalt is a common low-calorie sugar substitute. The ingredient list is also very simple. Seasoning with edible essence, lemon red and erythrosine toning (), no problem.
And for her daughter, a 7-year-old, the rest is happiness.
The happiness of this candy lasted for 2 hours (it was too big), when the family was still joking about how long the candy could last, an accident happened:< /p>
“Mom! My stomach hurts! It hurts!”
Image source: Internet
The next thing is 3 consecutive diarrhea.
In fact, my mother Ah Fa, who was very anxious at first, didn’t think it was the lollipop problem, but thought it was something unclean. This is probably the time when most people have diarrhea. imaginable.
An accidental coincidence is that before the lollipop, the child hadn’t eaten for 3 hours, and after the lollipop started, the joy of the lollipop was too long (it was too Big one), and no food can take the child away from the joy of this lollipop.
This means that for 5 hours, the child ate nothing but a 25g lollipop and a bottle of water.
Sugar-free lollipops
Does it really cause diarrhea?
Theoretically, the answer is yes: yes! Really will.
Afa, who experienced her daughter’s diarrhea, nervously asked a gastroenterologist on the Lilac Doctor App.
Through a detailed description, the expert’s judgment is that the protagonist of this “toilet tragedy” is probably the isomalt in the ingredient list.
Isomalt belongs to a very important family of sugar substitutes: sugar alcohols, which are also sweeteners.
Common are maltitol, sorbitol, xylitol, erythritol, lactitol, and more.
These ingredients can be found in many “sugar-free” foods such as cookies, jellies, yogurt, flavored milk, candy, and pastries, which are everyday sweet treats.
Image source: Zhanku Hailuo
We simply understand that this type of sugar substitute is not a real sugar, but a sweet carbohydrate. The way it is metabolized in the body is very different from sugar.
This brings an advantage that it is not completely absorbed, and the calories are lower. Focus: sugar alcohols still have calories, and 0 sugar does not mean no calories.
For example, isomalt has half the calories of sucrose, and the more common beverages contain less erythritol, even less than 1 kcal per gram .
Image source: Zhanku Hailuo
And the downside is that it may become the culprit of thinning.
Sugar alcohols remain in the gut because they are not fully absorbed. Their presence will increase the osmotic pressure in the intestinal tract and increase the water content of Baba accumulated in the colon.
In addition to absorbing water, the microbes in the gut are also restless, and sugar alcohols are their favorite food. The fermentation of microorganisms increases the production of gas in the intestine, and the overactivity of microorganisms may also cause some reactions in the intestines – in short, it will make you bloated and even gas.
As a result, under the dual action of water and gas, it can cause abdominal distention and abdominal pain, and at worst, it is forced to turn into a jet fighter and become thinner.
Image source: Zhanku Hailuo
However, some people may say that they have eaten it, and it seems that such a problem has not occurred?
In fact, it depends on each person’s physical condition.
On the one hand, everyone has a different tolerance for sugar alcohols. More importantly, there are several types of sugar alcohols that can be used as sugar substitutes, and each person is sensitive to sugar alcohols. The type may not be the same.
Whether it will become a Splatoon, when will it become a Splatoon, and how much it eats will turn into a Splatoon, then it’s up to you to test it yourself.
We can think of it as some people have diarrhea after drinking milk, some people don’t, some people have diarrhea after half a glass, and some people have diarrhea after drinking one glass, lactose Intolerance and sugar alcohol intolerance are actually the same thing.
In the past, there were only a few products that used sugar alcohols, but as the concept of “sugar-free” is accepted by more and more people, more people may unintentionally discover their sugar alcohol tolerance Acceptance.
For example, Ah Fa’s daughter swore that she would never eat such a big lollipop again.
All sugar free
Does both cause diarrhea?
Some people may be worried, can you still eat “sugar-free” food with confidence? Taking the risk of turning into a Splatoon anytime, anywhere is a little scary.
Conclusion first: the whole is safe, but pay attention to the amount of control!
First, the sugar substitutes that currently cause diarrhea are mainly sugar alcohols.
That is, the maltitol, sorbitol, xylitol, erythritol, isomalt and lactitol we mentioned earlier, all with the word “sugar alcohol” at the end .
Our common sugar substitutes added to beverages are mainly aspartame, acesulfame potassium, sucralose, and steviol glycosides. These sugar substitutes are usually less likely to cause diarrhea. , and erythritol used in beverages is relatively safe because of its relatively high tolerance.
Secondly, the diarrhea caused by sugar alcohol is “transient diarrhea”, that is, it will be fine after pulling it, and it will not affect the body.
EU EFSA did not approve erythritol for use in drinking water due to concerns about diarrhea riskmaterial, but it was also released in 2016. So far, it is safe for humans.
The main cause of this diarrhea reaction is the one-time intake of too much.
How much does it count? Let’s take the safety amount in the domestic candy standard as a reference:
Image source: References
Mannitol and lactitol are relatively poorly tolerated. A single intake of 5 grams may cause diarrhea. For example, if you see it in yogurt, you may be careful.
Note: A lollipop takes up all sugar alcohols
Also, tolerance in children may be relatively low, with more than 48 grams of maltitol per day for a 60 kg adult and 15 grams for children.
A common lollipop is 10 grams, so eating two a day is enough! Even if you don’t have diarrhea, high intake of these sugar alcohols can cause bloating and cause physical discomfort.
Like the personal experience we mentioned earlier, it is likely to be a typical case of low tolerance itself, coupled with a large intake (25 grams) in a short period of time, and drinking at the same time Too much water can make diarrhea come on quickly and violently.
At present, the international restrictions on sugar alcohols are not very strict. The recommendation given by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is to check the food ingredient list and nutrition label to monitor their daily Total sugar alcohol intake.
Some countries require manufacturers to label the product with a reminder of the limit of “may cause diarrhea”, but there is currently no relevant requirement in China.
Note: There is no clear labelling requirement in China
Be wary of these “sweet foods”
How can I prevent myself from accidentally turning into a Splatoon?
1. Pay attention to identifying foods with high sugar alcohol content;
2. When diarrhea occurs, review which sugar alcohol you are sensitive to and how much you tolerate.
Generally speaking, most people will not reach the sensitivity level just because of a bottle of sugar-free beverages, but some foods are really hidden “sugar substitutes”. In particular, we should remind everyone to pay attention to two types of food.
A prepackaged food such as candy, chocolate, and chocolate milk that contains a lot of “sugar” itself, if all replaced with sugar alcohols, this amount is very large.
The other is customized products such as cakes, moon cakes, milk tea, etc. Often for the sake of taste and sweetness, some sellers can easily add 20-30 grams of sugar substitute, which is very easy to exceed the tolerance.
Image source: Zhanku Hailuo
The method of identification is when you see the words “sugar-free” or “0 sugar”, remember to turn to the back and look at the ingredients list, if the word “sugar alcohol” appears in the Be careful with the first two.
We have seen such complaints about unsweetened chocolate milk on some platforms:
Remarks: Well, diarrhea may not really be a pot of expiry
Last year’s Mid-Autumn Festival also happened. The amount of sugar substitute used in moon cakes was too large, causing many people to have diarrhea after eating.
Pay special attention when buying for the elderly and children, and remember to remind that it is better to eat a small amount.
The same sentence, you can eat, but pay attention to the amount.
Ok, seeing here let’s go back to the opening question: Have you ever had diarrhea for no apparent reason?
Shout
Finally, advice from Ah Fa as a witness (which she urges to add):
Please write clearly on the packaging the warning of the tolerance of most people, and the daily life of becoming a Splatoon anytime, anywhere is not something everyone wants to have.
Also, sugar-free candies, don’t make them that big.
Partnering experts for this article
This article reviewer
References
[1]Oku T, Nakamura S. Threshold for transitory diarrhea induced by ingestion of xylitol and lactitol in young male and female adults[J]. Journal of nutritional science and vitaminology, 2007, 53 (1): 13-20.
[2]Oku T, Okazaki M. Laxative threshold of sugar alcohol erythritol in human subjects[J]. Nutrition Research, 1996, 16(4): 577-589.
[3]Thabuis C, Cazaubiel M, Pichelin M, et al. Short-term digestive tolerance of chocolate formulated with maltitol in children[J]. International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, 2010 , 61(7): 728-738.
Planning
Planning: Murphy | Producer: feidi
Cover image source: Zhanku Hailuo | Typesetting: Xiao Wo