I'm not sure about the Pebbles. I bought both Fruity and Cocoa the other day, thinking they looked pretty safe. However, upon closer examination I noticed that the 2nd ingredient is polydextrose. I wasn't sure if that was okay or not, so I looked it up. I found several sources that sound like it's not really something I want to consume as an IBSer. Maybe others know better, but I'm keeping my distance since it is the 2nd highest ingredient in the cereal...
Wikipedia page on polydextrose says it's made of about 10% sorbitol and isn't properly digested by humans. Seems to be a main ingredient in the artificial sweeteners Shugr, Litesse, and Sta-Lite (this is a red flag to me).
Study results showing no marked laxative effect - makes it seem like maybe it's not as bad as Wikipedia makes it sound??
Health Canada site says...
"Health Canada scientists have studied the human health effects of these compounds and have concluded that the addition of sugar alcohols and/or polydextrose to foods is safe and that they are effective sweetening or texturizing/bulking agents. It is known, however, that eating too much of these substances can cause gastro-intestinal discomfort and laxative effects. This is a result of sugar alcohols and polydextrose being poorly taken up from the gastrointestinal tract. The likelihood of such effects occurring is related to the amount consumed and, therefore, increases with the consumption of more than one product containing sugar alcohols and/or polydextrose. There is a wide variation, however, in sensitivity between individuals to these effects. Also, it is possible with frequent consumption of products containing sugar alcohols and/or polydextrose to develop a tolerance, and be able to increase consumption without experiencing adverse effects."
So maybe it's okay in moderation... but for an IBSer, that limit may be much lower than a non-IBSer.
I don't know if this is actually unsafe for IBSers or not, but it looks rather suspect to me. Does anyone have more info (or experience) on this?
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Polydextrose
