Lactitol and maltitol breakdown by human gut enzymes
What it found
In lab tests on human gut samples, lactitol and Palatinit were broken down very little, while maltitol was broken down more.
The authors say significant amounts of maltitol might be digested and used by the body.
What they found
Studies in people
Lactitol breakdown
Human gut samples broke down lactitol extremely poorly, at only 1.3% of the rate for lactose. This was the same in normal and abnormal samples.
Maltitol breakdown
Maltitol was broken down at about 10% of the rate for maltose, which is much higher than lactitol or Palatinit. The authors say this suggests significant amounts of maltitol might be digested and used by the body.
Palatinit breakdown
Palatinit was broken down very little, at only 1.3% of the rate for isomaltose. One patient had a higher value but still low compared with natural sugars.
Effect on other sugars
When maltitol or Palatinit were present at the same concentration as maltose, glucose release from maltose was reduced by about 25%. Palatinit reduced glucose release from sucrose by about 12%, while maltitol increased it by about 30%.
Lactitol no effect
Lactitol did not affect the breakdown of other sugars in the gut samples.
What the authors conclude
“It is the belief of the authors that lactitol and Palatinit are poor substrates for human intestinal disaccharidases, while significant amounts of maltitol can be digested and utilized by man.”
Also in their conclusions
- They believe that lactitol and Palatinit are poor substrates for human intestinal disaccharidases, while significant amounts of maltitol can be digested and utilized by man.
- They say the slight lessening of breakdown of other sugars is probably of minor importance for a person with normal enzyme activities.
How it was done
The authors wanted to know whether human gut enzymes can break down these sugar alcohols, because if not, they would be absorbed even less than simpler sugar alcohols like sorbitol and mannitol.
They took small intestine samples from 19 people during tests for various gut problems. They measured how well these samples broke down lactitol, maltitol, Palatinit, and natural sugars like lactose and maltose.
What it can’t tell you
- This study used gut samples in the lab, so it cannot show what happens when people actually eat these sugar alcohols.
- The number of people was small, and they were having tests for gut problems, so results may not apply to everyone.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- University of Lund, Sweden
The paper
- Title
- Hydrolysis of lactitol, maltitol and Palatinit by human intestinal biopsies
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Nilsson U, Jägerstad M (1987). Hydrolysis of lactitol, maltitol and Palatinit by human intestinal biopsies. The British journal of nutrition. doi:10.1079/bjn19870087Free full textPubMed 3676242DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error