Hey Guys

[JerryK]

Hey guys, I found myself reaching for the immodium this morning.

Not sure what the deal was as I've been really careful.

The only thing different I did yesterday was, after I got home from bowling, I pounded

down half a dozen rather large "Otter Pops", you know those frozen popcicle sticks....

I see nothing on the label that indicates that they have wheat in them...artificial color, artificial

flavor...sorbitol...etc...but nothing obvious. Is it possible I got glutened by them, or is it just my

body reacting to the large amount of these icy treats? I hope they don't have gluten in them, because I love them....

They seem just like corn syrup and water...what could be better than that

Other than that, everything seems cool.j

[jerseyangel]

Hi Jerry,

I'd say your culprit is the sorbitol. It's a sugar alcohol, and can cause D--especially since you ate 6 of them!

[aikiducky]

Sorbitol in largish quantities has a laxative effect, so if that's the symptom you're having right now, without the mood symptoms etc., I'd suspect too much sorbitol in one go instead of a glutening.

I try to avoid anything with artificial sweeteners because of this effect... '

edit: Patti was posting at the same time...

Pauliina

[rsm]

Yes indeed, sorbitol is a laxative, I found that out the hard way.

[JerryK]

OK, great! I will try not to be such a glutton next time

[jerseyangel]

OK, great! I will try not to be such a glutton next time

Look at the bright side--you didn't get glutened, so some D is all you'll have.

I remember several years ago, I used cough drops with manitol (same idea) in them--never made that mistake again

[RiceGuy]

Yes, according to Wikipedia:

Clinical significance

Sorbitol is produced naturally by the body, yet sorbitol is poorly digested by the body. Too much sorbitol in cells can cause damage.

Diabetic retinopathy and neuropathy may be related to excess sorbitol in the cells of the eyes and nerves. The source of this sorbitol in diabetics is excess glucose, which goes through the polyol pathway. Ingesting large amounts of sorbitol can lead to some abdominal pain, gas, and mild to severe diarrhea. Sorbitol can also aggravate irritable bowel syndrome and fructose malabsorption.

I recall having ordinary fruit juice pops as a kid. We'd take an ice cube try, fill it with juice, cover it with plastic wrap, and push popsicle sticks down through. Eventually we actually had a set of plastic ice pop makers, designed especially for making homemade ice pops.

[JerryK]

So why is it in there...to give these pops a 1000 year shelf life??

[rsm]

I think it's a sweetner, cheap, fake sugar. I stick to real sugar now, the stuff that ends in "tol" is not good for you.

[NoGluGirl]

Yes, according to Wikipedia:

I recall having ordinary fruit juice pops as a kid. We'd take an ice cube try, fill it with juice, cover it with plastic wrap, and push popsicle sticks down through. Eventually we actually had a set of plastic ice pop makers, designed especially for making homemade ice pops.

Dear RiceGuy,

We used to make the fruit juice pops too! My mother would get the grape juice. Then we would pour it in the molds. We popped them in the freezer, and later they were a great frozen treat! I think ours broke we used them so much!

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl

[sfm]

Jerry -

Sugar alcohols can cause D, so it may not be a gluten thing.

Sheryll

[angelbender]

Jerry.....sugar alcohols, such as sorbitol, mannitol and I can't remember all of the others, have been used for a long time for diabetics who want sweets. They have the same amount of calories as regular sugar but since the body absorbs the sugar alcohols more slowly, it was thought to be a safer choice for diabetics since it would ostensibly keep their blood sugar levels from going too high. I don't know if that's still currently thought to be a good idea. If you really like those pops, you can slowly acclimate yourself to more and more of sugar alcohols. It also works well for hypoglycemics.....they don't get that sugar rush and ready to keel over feeling.