Polydextrose

Studies in people

• Benefit

  Appetite and eating less³

  People who ate polydextrose in a mid-morning snack ate less at lunch.

• Benefit

  Appetite and feeling full⁴

  In people, polydextrose lowered the desire to eat during a meal, though other appetite feelings showed no clear change.

• Benefit

  Appetite and blood sugar⁵

  In people, polydextrose may curb appetite and blunt blood sugar rises, but long-term proof is still needed.

• Benefit

  Gut transit time⁶

  In people, polydextrose made food move through the gut faster and made stools easier to pass.

• Benefit

  Softer stools from formula⁷

  Babies fed formula with polydextrose and another prebiotic had softer stools, like breastfed babies.

• Concern

  Gut comfort and stool softness⁸

  In people, polydextrose made stools softer and increased gas, but caused no serious problems.

• Open question

  Gut comfort and bloating¹⁰

  In men, polydextrose caused slight gas and bloating, but also less of some gut compounds.

• Open question

  Appetite and food intake¹¹

  In a study of healthy men, polydextrose in a fruit smoothie led them to eat less at lunch.

• Benefit

  Hunger after a meal¹²

  In obese people, polydextrose added to a high-fat meal raised a fullness hormone and cut hunger by 40%.

• Benefit

  Appetite and fullness¹³

  In people, yoghurt with polydextrose left them feeling fuller and eating a bit less at lunch.

• Open question

  Appetite and daily food intake¹⁴

  In men, snack bars with polydextrose led to eating less food over the day.

• Open question

  Constipation symptoms¹⁵

  In adults with constipation, polydextrose didn't speed gut transit, though some symptom scores improved after four weeks.

• Benefit

  Gut bacteria and bowel habits¹⁶

  In a human study, polydextrose changed gut bacteria and was linked to less belly discomfort and more formed stools.

• No harm found

  Blood sugar and cholesterol¹⁷

  In people with abnormal glucose metabolism, polydextrose did not improve blood sugar or cholesterol.

• Open question

  Gut bile acids¹⁹

  In people, polydextrose reduced faecal secondary bile acid transformation, but did not change faecal bile acid concentrations.

Animal and lab studies only

• No harm found

  High-dose animal tolerance²⁴

  In animal studies, polydextrose caused no bad effects at high doses, and some is fermented in the large intestine.

• No harm found

  Newborn pig growth²⁵

  In animal studies, polydextrose added to infant formula did not change growth, feeding, or organ health in newborn pigs.

• Concern

  Stomach and bowel comfort²⁶

  In animal studies, high doses of polydextrose caused wind, bloating, loose stools and diarrhoea.

• Concern

  Colon cancer risk²⁷

  In lab studies, polydextrose changed cell signals tied to colon cancer, but what this means for people is not known.

• Benefit

  Gut bacteria and digestion²⁸

  In lab studies, polydextrose added to digested cocoa boosted gut bugs making more butyric acid.

• Open question

  Gut bacteria and liver antioxidant²⁹

  In obese mice, polydextrose changed gut bacteria, but the colon model could not explain the liver increase.

• Benefit

  Gut bacteria activity³⁰

  In lab studies, polydextrose fed to colon microbes boosted helpful fatty acids and cut other ones.

• Open question

  Gut gas and digestion³¹

  In lab studies, polydextrose fermented more slowly than short-chain fibers and made less gas.

Study type not stated

• Benefit

  Gut health and digestion²⁰

  Polydextrose is a made-made fiber that feeds gut bacteria and helps with pooping.

• Benefit

  Appetite and how much you eat²¹

  Polydextrose in a snack may leave you less hungry and eating less at your next meal.

• Benefit

  Gut fermentation and appetite²²

  Polydextrose is fermented slowly by gut microbes, and studies show it may curb hunger and improve bowel habits.

How it’s made and used

• Calorie content of fiber²

  Studies in people and animals show polydextrose provides about 1 calorie per gram.

• Appetite and hunger⁹

  In healthy adults, pudding with polydextrose and whey protein lowered desire to eat but not lunch energy intake.

• Gut bacteria balance¹⁸

  In people, eating polydextrose changed the mix of gut bacteria, raising some kinds and lowering others.

• Fiber content on labels²³

  Standard fiber tests miss polydextrose, so a new method was made to measure it in food.

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), 1987

  No daily limit needed (“ADI not specified”, JECFA’s term for very low toxicity).