Polydextrose and its calorie value across 14 studies
What it found
Across 14 studies in people and animals, polydextrose provided about 1 calorie per gram.
Roughly half of what is eaten passes through the body undigested.
What they found
Studies in people and animals
Digestion in the gut
Because of its unusual structure, digestive enzymes in mammals cannot break it down easily. Very little is taken up in the small intestine.
What happens in the large intestine
Gut bacteria partly ferment it, producing short fatty acids. About 50% of what is eaten leaves the body undigested, much like other soluble fibers.
Calorie value
The 14 studies in animals and people showed polydextrose provides roughly 1 calorie per gram.
Other findings
How it is made
Polydextrose is built by heating glucose and sorbitol together under a vacuum. It has been used for over two decades to add bulk and texture to foods worldwide.
What the authors conclude
- They conclude that the combined evidence from 14 studies points to a calorie value of about 1 calorie per gram for polydextrose.
How it was done
Polydextrose has unusual bonds between its sugar units that resist normal digestion. Scientists wanted to measure how many calories the body actually gets from it.
The authors looked at 14 energy balance and tracer studies done in both animals and people. These studies tracked how the body handled polydextrose after it was eaten.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- These studies measured calories but did not track long term health outcomes in people.
The paper
- Title
- Caloric availability of polydextrose
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Auerbach MH, Craig SA, Howlett JF, Hayes KC (2007). Caloric availability of polydextrose. Nutrition reviews. doi:10.1301/nr.2007.dec.544-549PubMed 18236693DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error