Excess sorbitol can have side effects

Chewing gum weight loss warning

“Too much ‘sugar-free’ chewing gum can lead to severe weight loss and diarrhoea, doctors warn.

The cause is sorbitol, a widely used sweetener in chewing gum and sweets, which acts as a laxative. Writing in the British Medical Journal, experts gave the example of two patients who had become ill after chewing around 20 sticks of gum a day.”