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artificial sweeteners?

1398-Days

By 1398-Days
in Food Intolerance & Leaky Gut

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1398-Days Contributor
1398-Days
Posted

A few weeks ago I ate a quest bar and ended up feeling a bit sick for the rest of the day, and that night I started feeling nauseous and had the chills, shortness of breath, and ended up staying up all night because I just didn't feel well. I thought maybe it was too much fiber or protein, I definitely don't get enough of either (working on it) so I thought perhaps going from barely any to quite a bit could be it. Then I scrapped that idea, thought it was corn. I've heard that corn can cause symptoms similar to gluten.. but I eat other things with corn in them on a regular basis, so nope. Finally, I thought maybe it could be artificial sweeteners. I'm not a big fan and generally try to avoid them so I haven't had them in a while. Well, yesterday I had another quest bar left so I opened it and took the smallest bite in the world.. I mean it was practically a crumb. I also happened to eat a piece of sugar free gum so it could have been either one. But shortly after I started to feel kind of 'off', which turned into the same overall bad feeling that I had last time and I didn't sleep until 7am because of it. The reaction wasn't as bad as last time, but it definitely wasn't pleasant. But whether it was the gum or the bar it seems hard to believe that such a small amount would make me feel that sick.. Though if I had that much gluten I would be dead to the world for days, so maybe not THAT unlikely. However, I then noticed that the antacid that I sometimes take if I get glutened or something has sorbitol in it and I've never felt sick from that. So does it just happen that sorbitol doesn't make me sick but other sweeteners do? Also, I've never liked drinking diet soda because for as long as I can remember it has made my stomach upset. Not like this, but just that 'off' feeling for a couple hours after drinking it.

Does anyone else get sick from artificial sweeteners? I'm hoping this is it, otherwise I'm kind of at a loss. I can't think of anything else in those bars that would make me sick and it doesn't seem like a coincidence that I got sick both times I tried eating them. I know it wasn't gluten either because I ate pretty plain things both days, nothing out of the ordinary that would do that. Plus the reaction is different. It's similar to gluten but not the same, with gluten it's (at first) just my stomach and with this like I said it's just a general sick feeling. What do you think? 

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kareng Grand Master
kareng
Posted

Some artificial sweeteners give me a stomach ache/bloating.  some do not.   Its pretty immediate.  I have never heard of a food intolerance that manifests like the flu or a virus.  Maybe your bars were bad/food poisoning?

  • 2 months later...
zenjess1980 Contributor
zenjess1980
Posted
On ‎2‎/‎5‎/‎2016 at 2:11 PM, 1398_Days said:

A few weeks ago I ate a quest bar and ended up feeling a bit sick for the rest of the day, and that night I started feeling nauseous and had the chills, shortness of breath, and ended up staying up all night because I just didn't feel well. I thought maybe it was too much fiber or protein, I definitely don't get enough of either (working on it) so I thought perhaps going from barely any to quite a bit could be it. Then I scrapped that idea, thought it was corn. I've heard that corn can cause symptoms similar to gluten.. but I eat other things with corn in them on a regular basis, so nope. Finally, I thought maybe it could be artificial sweeteners. I'm not a big fan and generally try to avoid them so I haven't had them in a while. Well, yesterday I had another quest bar left so I opened it and took the smallest bite in the world.. I mean it was practically a crumb. I also happened to eat a piece of sugar free gum so it could have been either one. But shortly after I started to feel kind of 'off', which turned into the same overall bad feeling that I had last time and I didn't sleep until 7am because of it. The reaction wasn't as bad as last time, but it definitely wasn't pleasant. But whether it was the gum or the bar it seems hard to believe that such a small amount would make me feel that sick.. Though if I had that much gluten I would be dead to the world for days, so maybe not THAT unlikely. However, I then noticed that the antacid that I sometimes take if I get glutened or something has sorbitol in it and I've never felt sick from that. So does it just happen that sorbitol doesn't make me sick but other sweeteners do? Also, I've never liked drinking diet soda because for as long as I can remember it has made my stomach upset. Not like this, but just that 'off' feeling for a couple hours after drinking it.

Does anyone else get sick from artificial sweeteners? I'm hoping this is it, otherwise I'm kind of at a loss. I can't think of anything else in those bars that would make me sick and it doesn't seem like a coincidence that I got sick both times I tried eating them. I know it wasn't gluten either because I ate pretty plain things both days, nothing out of the ordinary that would do that. Plus the reaction is different. It's similar to gluten but not the same, with gluten it's (at first) just my stomach and with this like I said it's just a general sick feeling. What do you think? 

I particularly have a hard time with Aspertame.

boron Rookie
boron
Posted

Bloating can be caused by sweeteners called polyols or "sugar alcohols:" sorbitol, xylitol, maltitol and mannitol. These sweeteners are not absorbed in the small intestine, so they travel to the large intestine, where the normal intestinal bacteria break them down and produce gases.

You can found polyols in "sugar-free chewing gum, " diet soda and such.

Open Original Shared Link

If these sweeteners make you bloated, the fructose may bloat you too: apples, pears, mango, honey...

Itching, lips swelling or shortness of breath are symptoms of allergic reaction, probably to some other substance in the sweetener product you use rather than to the sweetener itself.

 

SLLRunner Enthusiast
SLLRunner
Posted

Is your gum gluten free? (not all is)

Any chance you are accidentally getting other gluten in your diet?

 

kareng Grand Master
kareng
Posted
51 minutes ago, SLLRunner said:

Is your gum gluten free? (not all is)

Any chance you are accidentally getting other gluten in your diet?

 

What gum isn't gluten-free?  I haven't seen it but I don't chew gum often.

SLLRunner Enthusiast
SLLRunner
Posted
5 hours ago, kareng said:

What gum isn't gluten-free?  I haven't seen it but I don't chew gum often.

Open Original Shared Link

From their website:   Here are some of the gums you SHOULD AVOID.

Bubble Yum

Fruit Stripe

Super Bubble

Bubbaloo

Bubbilicious

Chiclets

Dentyne

Nostalgia Gum

Stride

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kareng Grand Master
kareng
Posted
3 hours ago, SLLRunner said:

Open Original Shared Link

From their website:   Here are some of the gums you SHOULD AVOID.

Bubble Yum

Fruit Stripe

Super Bubble

Bubbaloo

Bubbilicious

Chiclets

Dentyne

Nostalgia Gum

Stride

I am not sure how that website determined these gums have gluten.  It isn't the gum maker's site.  I don't see it in the ingredients .  These are the two I checked.  

Dentyne- INGREDIENTS: SORBITOL, GUM BASE, MALTITOL, MANNITOL, ARTIFICIAL AND NATURAL FLAVORING, GLYCERIN; LESS THAN 2% OF: ACACIA, ACESULFAME POTASSIUM, ASPARTAME, BHT (TO MAINTAIN FRESHNESS), CANDELILLA WAX, SOY LECITHIN, SUCRALOSE AND TITANIUM DIOXIDE (COLOR). 
PHENYLKETONURICS: CONTAINS PHENYLALANINE

bubble yum - 

SUGAR; GUM BASE ; CORN SYRUP; HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP; NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR ; ARTIFICIAL COLOR ( RED 40 LAKE) ; BHT (TO MAINTAIN FRESHNESS); CARAMEL COLO

 

 

SLLRunner Enthusiast
SLLRunner
Posted
3 hours ago, kareng said:

I am not sure how that website determined these gums have gluten.  It isn't the gum maker's site.  I don't see it in the ingredients .  These are the two I checked.  

Dentyne- INGREDIENTS: SORBITOL, GUM BASE, MALTITOL, MANNITOL, ARTIFICIAL AND NATURAL FLAVORING, GLYCERIN; LESS THAN 2% OF: ACACIA, ACESULFAME POTASSIUM, ASPARTAME, BHT (TO MAINTAIN FRESHNESS), CANDELILLA WAX, SOY LECITHIN, SUCRALOSE AND TITANIUM DIOXIDE (COLOR). 
PHENYLKETONURICS: CONTAINS PHENYLALANINE

bubble yum - 

SUGAR; GUM BASE ; CORN SYRUP; HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP; NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR ; ARTIFICIAL COLOR ( RED 40 LAKE) ; BHT (TO MAINTAIN FRESHNESS); CARAMEL COLO

 

 

Karen, you have prompted me to do some better research. I saw a blurb online that said ice Breakers gum has wheat in it the ingredients, went to the Hershey website, and I don't see wheat listed.  :)

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