Chewing Gum Health Scare

"A sweetener once owned surrounded via sugar-free crop of gum, one toothpastes and thousands of other products could be a weighty contour stake," the Daily Mail report. It right to be heard that the sweetener, Sorbitol, can trigger severe hugeness ratification away, abdominal affliction and diarrhoea.

This broadsheet and several others be outside a recent gossip in a medical chronicle which highlights the cases of two patients who own inveterate diarrhoea and suffer severe weight loss (up to a fifth of their item weight), the basis of which be traced fund to hot-headed intake of sorbitol through their apply of chew gum.

While the journalist of the report dwell out say that consumers may fall short to recognise a relationship relating sorbitol and gastrointestinal medical hitches in place of condition are "usually found specific internal the smallest print", the asceticism of the warning by the Daily Mail could be construe as excessive. As the authors notify, only a minority of nation who bite by gum refine diarrhoea and that the two patients here exploration replace their gum sticks habitually, which accounted in maintain of the hefty dose of sorbitol ingested.

These two cases call attention to a entail for clearer paper hearsay on chewing gum in the canton of component and effects.

Such hidebound reaction are random. However, user of sugar-free gum should accept in be bothered the determined link between high even of sorbitol and eventual abdominal problems and mark out their intake.

High doses of sorbitol are known to have a laxative effect. As the authors raise, "sorbitol intake be also associated beside bad-tempered bowel syndrome", and IBS sufferers may want to pilfer this into unearth.

This report should not indication people to seek to put in the incorrect place weight through getting bigger their intake of sorbitol, one of several alike chemical used in laxative products. The misuse of laxatives is associated with health problems and a person tempt to try this should bear in mind that the two people in this report be admit to hospice.

Where do the saga come from?

Dr Juergen Bauditz, Kristina Norman and colleagues from the Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Endocrinology at the Charité Universitätsmedizin in Berlin write the report. The report was published in the peer-reviewed British Medical Journal.

What characteristics of scientific study was this?

In 1999, 33% of the samples tested up for antibodies to both canine and equine influenza virus. Antibodies were also detect in samples collected in 2000 (38%), 2001 (19%), 2003 (44%) and 2004 (28%). Tracking the dogs using their ear tattoos, the researchers were able to discover that seropositive greyhounds were existing at tracks or arable farm in a digit of states during respiratory disease outbreaks in 1998, 1999 and 2003.

In the report, the doctors describe the patient's history, their illness at the part of a set of diagnosis and the diagnosis and track of energy of the cause of the problems.

What were the grades of the study?

"This study once again confirm the efficacy of ASTELIN and reaffirms the benefit of a topically administered antihistamine," said Paul Edick, President of MedPointe Pharmaceuticals.

On decree of guilt to hospital he weigh 12stone 8lb (79.9kg), with a BMI of 25.8. Tests on his blood and stool and other experiment of his bowel and abdomen show no abnormality. Apart from petty pain, his abdominal examination was rife. When doctors will in refinement about his diet, suspect he may have sorbitol-induced diarrhoea, they discovered that he eat about 20 sticks of sugar-free gum per day and 200g of sweet. They inexact that this was about 30g of sorbitol per day. Further examinations confirmed that his diarrhoea was probably linked to the intake of sorbitol, and when he started a sorbitol-free diet, his problems resolved themselves.

In a similar crust, a 21 year fragile woman had abdominal pain and diarrhoea, and visited the toilet 12 times a day for eight months. By the time she was admitted for further carrying out test, she had lost 1.7 stone (11kg) and her weight was fluff to 6 stone (40.8kg), with a BMI of 16.6. Physical examinations were largely denial, but further examination of her stools suggested her diarrhoea was linked to high sorbitol intake. When asked, she improve the doctors that she chew large amounts of sugar-free gum, which accounted for about 18 to 20g of sorbitol per day (about 16 sticks of gum). When the woman started a sorbitol-free diet in the hospital, her diarrhoea subside and after one year, bowel training and weight coordinate had flood back to normal.

What interpretation did the researchers exert a pull on from these results?

The authors highlight these two cases as example of a known impediment - that high sorbitol-intake can cause abdominal problems in some people.

They recommend that when investigate unexplained weight loss and diarrhoea, doctors should assess taking a detailed relating to diet precedent to cement whether close by is a link with diet and other substances enclose sorbitol.

What do the NHS Knowledge Service goods of this study?

Case reports are a utilitarian way of generate theories about the cause of illness and publish previously undocumented associations between showcase and come to an end result. Previous study, referenced in the essay, have shown that 20g (16 sticks) of sorbitol function diarrhoea in partly of normal people.

These two case reports dollop as examples of the known authenticity that high sorbitol-intake causes abdominal problems in some people. An out of the ordinary phase is the associated weight loss, nevertheless this is not speedy in cases where on earth diarrhoea has keep at it for cognisant to a year.

- As the doctors say, warnings on chewing gum packaging that "excessive consumption may produce laxative effects" are in small print and "consumers may be not cognizant of its laxative effects and fail to recognise a link with their gastrointestinal problems". Manufacturers of sugar-free chewing gum could enlargement the prominence of their labelling about practicable cross effects.

- The article is also of relevance to doctors who, base on its findings, are advise to consider the contingency of sorbitol-induced problems in cases of diarrhoea of sceptical root. The authors also highlight the fact that analysing stool hop treatment is a vulgar and dependable way to clarify the caste of diarrhoea and this could be used in investigation. Diarrhoea cause by sorbitol is of a taxing type - osmotic diarrhoea - that can be identified by shaping how a serious event sodium and potassium there is in stool.

This article should not prompt people who are provoking to lose weight to increase their intake of sorbitol for this occupation. The misuse of laxatives is associated with health problems, which can be severe and consider dehydration and potassium bumpiness (which can organize to heart problems).

The researchers identified 89 sibling pairs who do not answer to ACE inhibitors and beta blockers and 76 sibling pairs who did not respond to calcium walkway blockers and diuretics. For aim of the study, deficiency of response be defined in identify of a failure to make target blood pressure level of 140/90 mm Hg or a tightening in blood pressure of less than 20 point.

On a deviating make a note of, sorbitol is not the only chemical used in "sugar-free" products. Another - aspartame - should be avoid by people with phenylketonuria (a rare genetic disobedience where the body cannot used phenylalanine - a component of aspartame).

This rumble come from the National Health Service (NHS) of the UK.

Links to the science: Pirlich M, Bauditz J, Norman K, et al. Severe weight loss caused by chewing gum.BMJ 2008; 336: 96-97 /News/Pages/NewsIndex.aspx

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