Large amounts of laxative sugar substitutes in sweets
Consumer advice center Hamburg examines various products in a market check
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The consumer advice center in Hamburg warns against sweets that contain so-called sugar substitutes instead of sugar. Even small amounts of these can cause diarrhea. As part of a market check, the consumer advice center in Hamburg examined 16 bars, gummy bears and other products sweetened with sugar substitutes. The sugar substitute content of all products exceeded the threshold of ten percent, above which the warning "may have a laxative effect if consumed in excess" must be stated on the packaging according to the Food Information Regulation.
"However, the warning is barely visible on some packaging," says Jana Fischer from the consumer advice center in Hamburg. "It is not really helpful for the foods in our sample anyway. Even small amounts are likely to be enough to trigger diarrhea in sensitive people. This can be the case with as little as 10 grams of maltitol or sorbitol per portion." Sugar substitutes include sugar alcohols - also known as polyhydric alcohols or polyols - such as maltitol or sorbitol.
The sugar-free Tictac Two Fresh & Mild Spearmint Flavor mints had the highest content of sugar alcohols in the sample at 97 percent. They consist almost exclusively of sorbitol. The low sugar chocolate bar Hazelnut Cocoa from Ahead contains 17 percent. A little more than half a Crunchy Vanilla & White Choc protein bar from Corny or half a Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough protein bar from Grenade or three WineGums from De Bron are enough to exceed this critical value.
"Nobody would consider such quantities to be excessive consumption. There are numerous posts on the internet from consumers who report negative experiences with foods containing large amounts of maltitol or sorbitol," says Fischer
The packaging of two fruit gum brands (Original Garten Bären Leichte Bären and Beauty Sweeties) have a detailed label on the front stating the maximum number of fruit gums that should be eaten to avoid the risk of a laxative effect: The limit is five pieces each.
Some online stores that specialize in sugar-free foods advertise their products with the words "indulgence without remorse". "Sugar-free foods with large amounts of sugar alcohols are not a recommended alternative, as even small amounts consumed can cause diarrhea - even in children," summarizes Fischer.
The bars in the sample cost around 50 euros per kilogram, and sugar-free gummy bears are sometimes twice as expensive as the sugary versions. "If you want to reduce sugar, you can do this step by step with completely conventional foods, as the sense of taste can be trained within just a few weeks," adds Fischer.
Note: This article has been translated using a computer system without human intervention. LUMITOS offers these automatic translations to present a wider range of current news. Since this article has been translated with automatic translation, it is possible that it contains errors in vocabulary, syntax or grammar. The original article in German can be found here.
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