Maltitol

Studies in people

• Concern

  High-dose sweetener risks¹

  In people, high doses of maltitol may cause diarrhoea and foetal problems, the authors say.

• Benefit

  Plaque and tooth decay²

  In teenagers, chewing gum with maltitol raised plaque pH and cut plaque bacteria linked to tooth decay.

• No harm found

  Tooth decay in children³

  In 10-year-olds, using xylitol/maltitol lozenges at school did not reduce tooth decay more than usual prevention.

• Concern

  Gut comfort in children⁴

  In children, maltitol in chocolate caused slightly more gas than placebo, but kids tolerated it well.

• Benefit

  Blood sugar and fullness⁵

  In people, muffins with maltitol instead of sugar lowered blood sugar and insulin rises and kept people fuller than regular muffins.

• Open question

  Blood sugar and phosphate⁶

  In people, maltitol raised blood sugar in black men but lowered phosphate in white men.

• Concern

  Tummy comfort and blood sugar⁷

  In people, maltitol with scFOS in a dessert caused mild, short-lived gut symptoms and lower blood sugar rises.

• Concern

  Gut side effects⁸

  In people, eating maltitol caused short-term diarrhea, and adding fiber helped suppress it.

• Open question

  Blood sugar response⁹

  In people, maltitol raised blood sugar similarly in white, Chinese and South Indian volunteers.

• No harm found

  Tooth plaque and acid¹⁰

  People who ate maltitol lozenges for three months showed no clear change in plaque or acid.

• Concern

  Gut tolerance and diarrhea¹¹

  In people, eating lots of maltitol caused diarrhea more often than sucrose, but only at very high doses.

• No harm found

  How the body handles it¹³

  Maltitol is broken down and used by the body, and 35g a day caused no complaints in four people.

• Concern

  Gut symptoms from chocolate¹⁴

  Eating chocolate with 40g maltitol caused mild stomach rumbling and gas, but no laxative effect.

• Open question

  Dental plaque acid¹⁵

  In people, dental plaque did not adapt to break down maltitol after 14 days of use.

Animal and lab studies only

• No harm found

  DNA damage¹⁷

  Maltitol did not damage DNA or cause mutations in the lab tests scientists ran.

• Concern

  White blood cell damage¹⁸

  In lab studies, maltitol caused a weak DNA-damaging effect in human white blood cells.

• Benefit

  Calcium absorption and bones¹⁹

  In animal studies, maltitol helped rats absorb more calcium, and their bones were stronger.

How it’s made and used

• How the gut handles sweeteners¹²

  In human gut samples, maltitol broke down about ten times better than Palatinit, the authors believe.

• Gut bacteria and energy¹⁶

  Maltitol is mostly fermented by gut bacteria rather than digested, so it gives the body less energy than sugar.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.

Expert panels that weigh all the research. Shown for context: the signal at the top does not count them.

• UN and WHO food additive experts (JECFA), 1993

  Reviewed its safety in 1993.