Scientist warns certain type of sugar-free sweetener used in sweets and gum could cause stomach problems

A junk food diet combined with eating sugar-free snacks can lead to an upset stomach, a new study claims.

The artificial sweetener sorbitol, a sugar alcohol used in sweets and chewing gum is difficult to digest due to changes in the gut microbiome caused by high fat foods and antibiotics. First author of the study Dr Jee-Yon Lee, of University of California Davis said: “Our research suggests that microbial sorbitol degradation normally protects the host against sorbitol intolerance.

"However, an impairment in the microbial ability to break down sorbitol causes sorbitol intolerance.”

Sorbitol is used to make sugar-free gum, mints and other sweets. It is also found naturally in fruits like apricots and apples and plants like avocado. Sorbitol can cause bloating, cramps and diarrhoea at high levels. For some people, even a small amount causes an upset stomach, a condition known as sorbitol intolerance.

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The experiment published in the journal, Cell, found that mice taking antibiotics, combined with a high-fat diet reduced the number of Clostridia gut microbes breaking down sorbitol. The researchers found that gut microbes that belong to the class Clostridium have genes that make the enzyme that breaks down sorbitol.

They also identified which of those gut bacteria were at high levels before but not after antibiotic treatment. The researchers found that after the mice were given antibiotics and fed a saturated fat diet, the cells lining the gut used less oxygen.

This created a higher level of oxygen in the gut, decreasing Clostridia which doesn't like environments with oxygen. Without enough Clostridia, sorbitol was not broken down in the gut.

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