Chew a lot of sugar-free gum. Really. I'm guessing that many of my peers already know this about sugar-free gum, and many breath-mints: The sugar alcohol, sorbitol, used in gum and mints, has a particularly harsh effect on the body. If I eat more than a couple typical sugar-free breath mints, I'm not pleasant, so I avoid those altogether.
As for the gum, I haven't noticed a connection, but I don't chew it long enough. I tend to throw it out once the flavor is gone, and that's only a couple times a day, not a whole pack a day like the following:
"Consuming too much sorbitol, a sweetener widely used in "sugar-free"
chewing gum and sweets, can cause serious bowel problems, German
doctors said on Friday.
The warning follows the cases of two patients who suffered chronic
diarrhea, abdominal pain and severe weight loss after ingesting large
amounts of sorbitol.
Writing in the British Medical Journal, the doctors from Berlin said
the patients -- a man and a woman -- had consumed some 15 to 20 sticks
of chewing gum a day. When they kicked the habit, both regained normal
bowel function.
Sorbitol, also known as E420, is poorly absorbed by the small
intestine and is known to have laxative properties. But Dr Juergen
Bauditz and colleagues of the University of Berlin said many consumers
might fail to link it with their gastrointestinal problems.
"Our cases demonstrate that sorbitol consumption can cause not only
chronic diarrhea and functional bowel complaints but also considerable
unintended weight loss -- about 20 percent of usual body weight," they
wrote.
So, if you're looking for results, go get yourself a few of those super economy sized packs of sugar-free chewing gum at Sams' Club or Costco. Hell, it's cheaper than Alli, and you're sure to have fresh breath!
1 Comment
Chew a lot of sugar-free gum. Really. I'm guessing that many of my peers already know this about sugar-free gum, and many breath-mints: The sugar alcohol, sorbitol, used in gum and mints, has a particularly harsh effect on the body. If I eat more than a couple typical sugar-free breath mints, I'm not pleasant, so I avoid those altogether.
As for the gum, I haven't noticed a connection, but I don't chew it long enough. I tend to throw it out once the flavor is gone, and that's only a couple times a day, not a whole pack a day like the following:
"Consuming too much sorbitol, a sweetener widely used in "sugar-free" chewing gum and sweets, can cause serious bowel problems, German doctors said on Friday.
The warning follows the cases of two patients who suffered chronic diarrhea, abdominal pain and severe weight loss after ingesting large amounts of sorbitol.
Writing in the British Medical Journal, the doctors from Berlin said the patients -- a man and a woman -- had consumed some 15 to 20 sticks of chewing gum a day. When they kicked the habit, both regained normal bowel function.
Sorbitol, also known as E420, is poorly absorbed by the small intestine and is known to have laxative properties. But Dr Juergen Bauditz and colleagues of the University of Berlin said many consumers might fail to link it with their gastrointestinal problems.
"Our cases demonstrate that sorbitol consumption can cause not only chronic diarrhea and functional bowel complaints but also considerable unintended weight loss -- about 20 percent of usual body weight," they wrote.
So, if you're looking for results, go get yourself a few of those super economy sized packs of sugar-free chewing gum at Sams' Club or Costco. Hell, it's cheaper than Alli, and you're sure to have fresh breath!