Toronto (eCanadaNow) - Weight loss and the pursuit of healthy living is a worldwide obsession.  Many people who are losing weight will try to keep their mind off the dieting, or cutting back by chewing gum. 

Of the people who chew gum, sugar free gum is a popular, and up to now, safe choice for most people.  But done in extreme, there are some risks and cautions that are just now becoming known.

Gum chewers need to be informed for risks they face consuming gum containing sorbitol.

One of the ingredients found in most sugar free gum sold in Europe is the artificial sweetener sorbitol.  Researchers revealed in Germany Thursday that chewing too much gum that has sorbitol could cause diarrhea and other complications. 

Recent cases include one man who lost forty-six pounds suddenly, and a woman who mysteriously lost twenty-four pounds.  Both were linked to excessive usage of sugar free gum, and were not revealed until doctors asked about their diet and gum chewing habits.  When tested, both patients revealed alarmingly high levels of sorbitol, the sweetener in sugar free gum.  Neither patient showed any signs of having any other source for the sweetener outside of gum intake.

“We have examined and known about isolated cases as far back as the 1980s, but it is becoming an increasing problem, with more people around the world chewing more and more sugar free gum,” said Dr. Herbert Lochs.  Dr. Lochs is a medical professor at Humboldt University, in Berlin Germany.  “European gum contains sorbitol, and there are risks with sorbitol,” the doctor said.

The Risk for people in the United States is not as great, because Sorbitol is not used commonly in gum here. In the United States the sweetener used for most chewing gum and candy is NutraSweet, or, as it is known, Aspartame. “Both Saccharin and NutraSweet have proven themselves to be safe for consumers,” said Dr. Bret Lashner.  Dr. Lashner is professor at Cleveland Medical Clinic.