Gastrointestinal tolerance of erythritol and xylitol ingested in a liquid
- PMID: 16988647
- DOI: 10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602532
Gastrointestinal tolerance of erythritol and xylitol ingested in a liquid
Abstract
Objectives: To determine and compare the gastrointestinal (GI) responses of young adults following consumption of 45 g sucrose, 20, 35 and 50 g xylitol or erythritol given as a single oral, bolus dose in a liquid.
Design: The study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.
Subjects: Seventy healthy adult volunteers aged 18-24 years were recruited from the student population of the University of Salford. Sixty-four subjects completed the study.
Interventions: Subjects consumed at home without supervision and in random order, either 45 g sucrose or 20, 35 and 50 g erythritol or xylitol in water on individual test days, while maintaining their normal diet. Test days were separated by 7-day washout periods. Subjects reported the prevalence and magnitude of flatulence, borborygmi, bloating, colic, bowel movements and the passage of faeces of an abnormally watery consistency.
Results: Compared with 45 g sucrose, consumption of a single oral, bolus dose of 50 g xylitol in water significantly increased the number of subjects reporting nausea (P<0.01), bloating (P<0.05), borborygmi (P<0.005), colic (P<0.05), watery faeces (P<0.05) and total bowel movement frequency (P<0.01). Also 35 g of xylitol increased significantly bowel movement frequency to pass watery faeces (P<0.05). In contrast, 50 g erythritol only significantly increased the number of subjects reporting nausea (P<0.01) and borborygmi (P<0.05). Lower doses of 20 and 35 g erythritol did not provoke a significant increase in GI symptoms. At all levels of intake, xylitol produced significantly more watery faeces than erythritol: resp. 50 g xylitol vs 35 g erythritol (P<0.001), 50 g xylitol vs 20 g erythritol (P<0.001) and 35 g xylitol vs 20 g erythritol (P<0.05).
Conclusions: When consumed in water, 35 and 50 g xylitol was associated with significant intestinal symptom scores and watery faeces, compared to the sucrose control, whereas at all levels studied erythritol scored significantly less symptoms. Consumption of 20 and 35 g erythritol by healthy volunteers, in a liquid, is tolerated well, without any symptoms. At the highest level of erythritol intake (50 g), only a significant increase in borborygmi and nausea was observed, whereas xylitol intake at this level induced a significant increase in watery faeces.
Similar articles
-
Final report on the safety assessment of capsicum annuum extract, capsicum annuum fruit extract, capsicum annuum resin, capsicum annuum fruit powder, capsicum frutescens fruit, capsicum frutescens fruit extract, capsicum frutescens resin, and capsaicin.Int J Toxicol. 2007;26 Suppl 1:3-106. doi: 10.1080/10915810601163939. Int J Toxicol. 2007. PMID: 17365137 Review.
-
Gastrointestinal responses following acute and medium term intake of retrograded resistant maltodextrins, classified as type 3 resistant starch.Eur J Clin Nutr. 2007 Nov;61(11):1262-70. doi: 10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602642. Epub 2007 Feb 7. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2007. PMID: 17299489 Clinical Trial.
-
The comparative gastrointestinal responses of children and adults following consumption of sweets formulated with sucrose, isomalt and lycasin HBC.Eur J Clin Nutr. 2002 Aug;56(8):755-64. doi: 10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601389. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2002. PMID: 12122552 Clinical Trial.
-
Dose-related gastrointestinal response to the ingestion of either isomalt, lactitol or maltitol in milk chocolate.Eur J Clin Nutr. 1996 Jan;50(1):17-21. Eur J Clin Nutr. 1996. PMID: 8617186 Clinical Trial.
-
Long-term tolerance of healthy human subjects to high amounts of xylitol and fructose: general and biochemical findings.Int Z Vitam Ernahrungsforsch Beih. 1976;15:92-104. Int Z Vitam Ernahrungsforsch Beih. 1976. PMID: 783060 Review.
Cited by
-
Re-evaluation of erythritol (E 968) as a food additive.EFSA J. 2023 Dec 20;21(12):e8430. doi: 10.2903/j.efsa.2023.8430. eCollection 2023 Dec. EFSA J. 2023. PMID: 38125972 Free PMC article.
-
Subgingival Use of Air-Polishing Powders: Status of Knowledge: A Systematic Review.J Clin Med. 2023 Nov 5;12(21):6936. doi: 10.3390/jcm12216936. J Clin Med. 2023. PMID: 37959401 Free PMC article. Review.
-
The Effect of Bioactive Aliment Compounds and Micronutrients on Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.Antioxidants (Basel). 2023 Apr 10;12(4):903. doi: 10.3390/antiox12040903. Antioxidants (Basel). 2023. PMID: 37107278 Free PMC article. Review.
-
The Effect of Erythritol on the Physicochemical Properties of Reformulated, High-Protein, and Sugar-Free Macarons Produced from Whey Protein Isolate Intended for Diabetics, Athletes, and Physically Active People.Foods. 2023 Apr 6;12(7):1547. doi: 10.3390/foods12071547. Foods. 2023. PMID: 37048368 Free PMC article.
-
Absorption and Metabolism of the Natural Sweeteners Erythritol and Xylitol in Humans: A Dose-Ranging Study.Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Aug 30;23(17):9867. doi: 10.3390/ijms23179867. Int J Mol Sci. 2022. PMID: 36077269 Free PMC article.
Publication types
MeSH terms
Substances
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources