What component of sugarless gum can cause diarrhea?
Yes, sorbitol is the culprit in chewing gum diarrhea. http://www.springerlink.com/content/jk1140t45715h221/ Which should not be surprising as there was a time when sorbitol and other non-absorbable carbohydrates like mannitol and lactulose were used for bowel cleansing prior to colonoscopy. They have fallen out of favor with the occurrence of the unfortunately named but very real phenomenon of colonic gas explosion, which is due to hydrogen gas production by bacterial fermentation of these non-absorbable carbohydrates (with an electrosurgical procedure as the spark for the explosion).
