UPDATE 2/3/10
Sorbitol and erythritol are both sugar alcohols and should be limited by people with diabetes - or anyone interested in health.
frequent google
Sorbitol and Diabetes
Sorbitol, a sugar alcohol, is a sugar substitute used in many foods labeled as “sugar free” or “dietetic.” It can be found in chewing gum, jellies, baked products, fruit cookies and even in some medications. It is used as a sweetener, to improve stability and/or to help retard moisture. Sorbitol is thought to be appropriate for use by people who have Diabetes Mellitus because sorbitol is converted to fructose in the liver, which is not dependent on insulin for metabolism. However, single doses of 10 to 50 grams of sorbitol may produce osmotic diarrhea, along with abdominal cramps and flatulence.Many food products containing sorbitol are actually higher in calories than products made with sucrose because of the fat that must be added to make sorbitol soluble. Sorbitol and sucrose have the same number of calories, although sorbitol is half as sweet as sucrose.The American Dietetic Association recommends that foods containing sorbitol be limited to portions containing 20 calories or less.
Post date 12/29/09
A few days ago, a visitor to Natural Health News wanted to know if the new sugar alcohol based sweeteners might be a cause of diarrhea.
The answer to this is that the sugar alcohol based sweeteners do cause gastrointestinal disturbances and this is one reason why we do not recommend nay products containing a blend of chemically altered stevia.
Stay with the natural forms of stevia, those with no additives or those that have been chemically altered.
Get pure stevia extract from us (see right column) or look for Just Like Sugar.
5 comments:
As a courtesy to Derek Newman I am posting his comments. He makes a product containing rebiana and eryitritol, and beleives there is no untoward effect to health from either. Our opinion based on science and from reliable scientific contacts is that rebiana is synthetic and erythritol is toxic.
"I am a founder of Zevia , the first zero-calorie natural soda. Before Zevia, consumers who wanted soda didn't really have choice -- sugar on the one hand, or chemicals on the other.
Zevia is pure and healthy, without artificial sweeteners, colors, or flavors.
I read with interest and concern your post titled "Zerose, Zevia or what ever you wish to call it, it's toxic by any name".
Zevia is not toxic, and does not contain any toxic ingredients. To the contrary, Zevia is the first zero calorie natural (and healthy) soda on the market.
Zevia is sweetened with a blend of 97% reb A stevia and erythritol.
Erythritol is derived through a fermentation process similar to the way yogurt is made from milk. It's completely natural.
Our stevia is pure, and not chemically altered. Our stevia is 97% pure reb A, a sweet and great tasting part of the stevia plant leaf.
Sugar alcohols other than erythritol can cause of gastric distress. But erythritol can be consumed at high levels with no gastric problems. Erythritol passes through the body unchanged and without affect.
Thank you for the opportunity to share this information with readers of Natural Health News."
Derek Newman.
I was overjoyed to find Zevia cola, as I don't ingest any added sugars or artificial sweeteners. I have used pure stevia for years to sweeten, and despite being a pretty well informed food consumer, I had no idea it has been adulterated and its form in Zevia isn't pure stevia. Shortly after I began drinking Zevia cola I developed diarrhea with painful cramping and bloating. Over the three months I had one or two Zevia colas a day, this conditioned became alarmingly accute, yet I didn't make the connection. I was examined, and tested for parasites and bacterial infection and tests were all negative. Finally, at a loss to understand what might be causing my symptoms, I had to take a look at the cola. My diet, except for the Zevia cola, has been all organic, whole foods for twenty years. No alcohol, no sugar, no processed food, no additives, trans fats, no gluten. I'd made an exception for Zevia cola which isn't organic; I had talked to one of the company's founding guys at length and decided the ingredients were wholesome enough that I would indulge.
Once I began to wonder if the culprit could be the cola, I stopped drinking it and within two days the diarrhea, cramping, bloating resolved. After five days I had one Zevia cola. The next morning the sypmtoms had returned. I blamed the tartaric acid in the cola: it can cause those symptoms. But after further reading, I'm guessing it's the reb A/erythritol or perhaps a combo. I'd once tried a brand of chocolate sweetened with erythritol with the same result. Bummer. Having cola with lemon on ice was such a treat. It's back to water to me.
My boyfriend and I had thought we found the holy grail "HEALTHY SODA".....fast foward two weeks later we can MOST DEFINITELY attribute our painful gas and bloating/diarrhea to the soda.
We love the taste, but the pain is not worth it.
I am a diabetic and drink zevia quite a bit with no untoward effects, so I am guessing that the people who are having problems are a subset.
Anyone with diabetes should refrain from drinking soda regardless of how it is sweetened. Some people react more quickly to the adverse effects of genetically altered ingredients such as the form of altered stevia in zerose (marketed as zevia) The inclusion of erythritol is also a source of adverse effects. I would not be so smug as to beleive others are a "subset" as you put it. Any soda, especially cola, packaed in an aluminum can also offers other harmful health risks. Get more educated for your own health sake.
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