FODMAP group · Polyol
Sorbitol Intolerance: A Polyols List for Stone Fruit & Sweeteners
In short
Sorbitol is a polyol — a sugar alcohol — poorly absorbed by everyone. Unabsorbed sorbitol pulls water into the bowel and ferments in the colon. It occurs naturally in stone fruit, apples, and pears, and is added to sugar-free gum, mints, and 'diet' products as the sweetener E420, a frequent hidden trigger.
How sorbitol is absorbed
Sorbitol is one of the polyols — the P in FODMAP — a group of sugar alcohols that includes mannitol, xylitol, and maltitol. Polyols are absorbed slowly and incompletely by everyone, through passive diffusion across the gut wall rather than a dedicated transporter, so a portion always reaches the colon. There it draws water into the bowel (which is exactly why sorbitol is used as a laxative in higher doses) and is fermented by gut bacteria. In IBS, that combination of extra water and gas is a reliable symptom trigger, and polyols are easy to overshoot because they hide in sugar-free products.
Typical symptoms
The water-drawing effect makes polyols particularly associated with loose stools, urgency, and diarrhoea, alongside the familiar bloating, wind, and cramping. Sugar-free gum or mints eaten through the day are a classic and easily missed cause.
Which foods carry sorbitol
Sorbitol occurs naturally in stone fruit — apricots, peaches, plums, nectarines, cherries — and in apples, pears, and blackberries. Its bigger surprise is as an additive: it's widely used as a sweetener and humectant in sugar-free gum, mints, sweets, and some medications, listed as sorbitol or E420.
High-polyol foods to limit
These foods reach a high polyol level at a realistic serving, so they're usually limited during the elimination phase. Each links to its full serving thresholds.
Safe picks low in polyol
These low-FODMAP foods don't carry a meaningful polyol load, so they make dependable swaps while you keep sorbitol low.
Sorbitol and mannitol are both polyols, and our food database records a single combined polyol level rather than splitting the two — so the lists below reflect polyol content overall. Sorbitol's signature natural sources are stone fruit, apples, and pears.
How to reintroduce sorbitol
Sorbitol is usually challenged with a food that isolates it well, such as pear or apricot, building the serving over three days while the rest of your diet stays low-FODMAP.
Typical test food: Pear (or apricot)
| Step | Guide portion |
|---|---|
| Day 1 — small | about a quarter of a pear |
| Day 2 — medium | about half a pear |
| Day 3 — larger | about one whole pear |
These portions are a general pattern, not fixed clinical doses. Because polyols can have a genuine laxative effect, some people find them among the more noticeable groups to test — go gently, and plan and read your challenge with a registered dietitian.
For the full method — washouts, how to read your results, and the mistakes that quietly derail people — see our guide to the FODMAP reintroduction phase.
Sorbitol FAQ
What foods are high in sorbitol?
Naturally: stone fruit (apricots, peaches, plums, cherries), apples, pears, and blackberries. As an additive: sugar-free gum, mints, sweets, and some medicines, where it's listed as sorbitol or E420.
Why does sugar-free gum upset my stomach?
Most sugar-free gum is sweetened with sorbitol or another polyol. Polyols draw water into the bowel and ferment, so chewing several pieces a day can be enough to trigger loose stools and bloating in a sensitive gut.
Are sorbitol and mannitol the same?
They're both polyols with the same basic mechanism, but they come from different foods — sorbitol from stone fruit and sweeteners, mannitol from mushrooms and cauliflower. In reintroduction they're tested separately because you can react to one and not the other.
Is sorbitol bad for you?
Not inherently — it's a normal food component and an approved sweetener. The issue is specific to sensitive guts and to dose: larger amounts have a laxative effect in almost anyone. Reintroduction shows you the level you personally tolerate.
The other FODMAP groups
This page is for general education and is not medical advice. FODMAP content varies with ripeness, processing, and brand, and IBS should be diagnosed by a doctor. Always work with your doctor or a registered dietitian before changing your diet or running reintroduction challenges. Serving thresholds draw on published FODMAP research (Varney et al. 2017) and Monash University food-composition data.