HMHB
Outstanding Member
Has anyone else tried Extra Ice Mints? The reason I ask is that I found I was eating too many and if I ate a full packet quite quickly I'd be rushing to the toilet very soon after Is it just me they have that effect on?
Uses
Sweetener
Sorbitol is a sugar substitute often used in diet foods (including diet drinks and ice cream) and sugar-free chewing gum, mints and cough syrups. It may be listed under the inactive ingredients. It also occurs naturally in many stone fruits and berries from trees of the genus Sorbus.[1] Sorbitol is referred to as a nutritive sweetener because it provides dietary energy: 2.6 kilocalories (11 kilojoules) per gram versus the average 4 kilocalories (17 kilojoules) for carbohydrates.
Laxative
Sorbitol can be used as a non-stimulant laxative as either an oral suspension or suppository. It works by drawing water into the large intestine, thereby stimulating bowel movements.[2] Sorbitol has been determined safe for use by the elderly although it is not recommended without consultation with a clinician.[3]
Medicine
Sorbitol is used in bacterial culture media to distinguish Escherichia coli 0154:H7 from most other strains of E. coli[citation needed].
Sorbitol, combined with kayexalate, helps the body rid itself of excess potassium ions in a hyperkalaemic state.[4] The kayexalate exchanges sodium ions for potassium ions in the bowel, while sorbitol helps to eliminate it.
Health care, food, and cosmetics
Sorbitol is often used in modern cosmetics as a humectant and thickener[citation needed]. Sorbitol is often used in mouthwash and toothpaste. Some transparent gels can only be made with sorbitol as it has a refractive index sufficiently high for transparent formulations. Sorbitol is used as a cryoprotectant additive (mixed with sucrose and sodium polyphosphates) in the manufacture of surimi, a highly refined fish paste most commonly produced from Alaska (or walleye) pollock (Theragra chalcogramma).[citation needed] It is also used as a humectant in some cigarettes.[5]
Other uses
A mixture of sorbitol and potassium nitrate has found some success as an amateur solid rocket fuel.[6]
Sorbitol is identified as a potential key chemical intermediate[7] from biomass resources. Complete reduction of sorbitol opens the way to alkanes such as hexane which can be used as a biofuel. Sorbitol itself provides much of the hydrogen required for the transformation.
19 C6O6H14 → 13 C6H14 + 36 CO2 + 42 H2O
The above chemical reaction is exothermic; 1.5 mole of sorbitol generates approximately 1 mole of hexane. When hydrogen is co-fed, no carbon dioxide is produced.
Overdose effects
Ingesting large amounts of sorbitol can lead to abdominal pain, gas, and mild to severe diarrhea[citation needed]. Sorbitol ingestion of 20 grams/day as sugar-free gum has led to severe diarrhea leading to unintended weight loss of 24 lbs in a 114 lb woman; another patient required hospitalization after habitually consuming 30 grams/day.[10] Sorbitol can also aggravate irritable bowel syndrome.[11]
Other uses
A mixture of sorbitol and potassium nitrate has found some success as an amateur solid rocket fuel.[6]
Not sure if it still does, but it used to mention this on the packaging of Extra gum - something like "Excessive consumption may cause the trots".