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Severe Weight Loss From Too Much Sugarless Gum
By DAN CHILDS
ABC News Medical Unit
Jan. 11, 2008
Share It was a baffling medical mystery. A 21-year-old woman showed up at her doctor's office after having suffered abdominal pains and severe diarrhea for eight months — and losing 25 pounds.
ABC News OnCall+ Diabetes CenterAnother patient, a 46-year-old man, arrived at the hospital with similar complaints. He had lost nearly 50 pounds.
In both cases, which occurred in Germany, the symptoms could have pointed to a severe food intolerance, serious bowel problems or worse. But after a battery of medical tests and a complete medical history, doctors in Berlin finally unlocked the secret behind the massive weight loss in these patients.
Sugarless gum. And lots of it.
Specifically, an ingredient in sugar-free gum called sorbitol — used instead of sugar to make the gum sweet — turned out to be the key culprit in both cases. In a report published Thursday in the British Medical Journal, the German doctors said the female patient had chewed up to 16 sticks of sugarless gum per day, while the male patient consumed about 20 sticks daily.
But in addition to being used as a sweetener, the ingredient has other uses in the medical arena.
By DAN CHILDS
ABC News Medical Unit
Jan. 11, 2008
Share It was a baffling medical mystery. A 21-year-old woman showed up at her doctor's office after having suffered abdominal pains and severe diarrhea for eight months — and losing 25 pounds.
ABC News OnCall+ Diabetes CenterAnother patient, a 46-year-old man, arrived at the hospital with similar complaints. He had lost nearly 50 pounds.
In both cases, which occurred in Germany, the symptoms could have pointed to a severe food intolerance, serious bowel problems or worse. But after a battery of medical tests and a complete medical history, doctors in Berlin finally unlocked the secret behind the massive weight loss in these patients.
Sugarless gum. And lots of it.
Specifically, an ingredient in sugar-free gum called sorbitol — used instead of sugar to make the gum sweet — turned out to be the key culprit in both cases. In a report published Thursday in the British Medical Journal, the German doctors said the female patient had chewed up to 16 sticks of sugarless gum per day, while the male patient consumed about 20 sticks daily.
But in addition to being used as a sweetener, the ingredient has other uses in the medical arena.