Erythritol as a food additive and its laxative effects
What it found
In people, erythritol can cause diarrhoea at doses of 0.5 grams per kilogram of body weight or more.
The authors set an acceptable daily intake at that level.
What they found
Studies in people
How the body handles it
In humans, erythritol is taken in quickly and in a dose-dependent way. A small amount is broken down to erythronate, and the rest leaves the body unchanged in urine.
Diarrhoea in people
Erythritol can cause diarrhoea in humans. The authors considered this adverse because it may lead to loss of water and electrolytes.
Acceptable daily intake
The lowest level where no diarrhoea was seen was 0.5 grams per kilogram of body weight. The authors set the acceptable daily intake at this level.
Exposure estimates
The highest average and 95th percentile long-term exposure was in children (742 mg/kg body weight per day) and adolescents (1532 mg/kg body weight per day). The highest short-term exposure was 3531 mg/kg body weight per meal for children at the 99th percentile. The authors considered both estimates to be overestimates.
Risk from high intake
The authors concluded that both short-term and long-term exposure estimates were above the acceptable daily intake. This means people with high intake may be at risk of adverse effects after single and repeated exposure.
Animal and lab studies
Damage to genetic material
The authors found no concern that erythritol damages genetic material.
Other findings
How it is made
Erythritol is a polyol made by fermentation with Moniliella pollinis BC or Moniliella megachiliensis KW3-6, followed by cleaning and drying.
Exemption request
The authors concluded that the available data do not support the proposal to exempt erythritol from the laxative warning label requirement.
What the authors conclude
“The Panel concluded that the exposure estimates for both acute and chronic dietary exposure to erythritol (E 968) were above the ADI, indicating that individuals with high intake may be at risk of experiencing adverse effects after single and repeated exposure.”
Also in their conclusions
- They set an acceptable daily intake of 0.5 g/kg body weight per day, which they considered protective for the immediate laxative effect and potential chronic effects secondary to diarrhoea.
- They concluded that exposure estimates for both acute and chronic dietary exposure to erythritol were above the acceptable daily intake, indicating that individuals with high intake may be at risk of experiencing adverse effects after single and repeated exposure.
- They concluded that the available data do not support the proposal for exemption from the laxative warning label requirement.
How it was done
The authors re-evaluated erythritol as a food additive and considered an application to exempt it from the laxative warning label requirement.
They looked at human studies where people took erythritol. They also estimated how much erythritol people eat each day.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- The exposure estimates are based on dietary surveys and may overestimate how much erythritol people actually eat.
- The studies looked at diarrhoea and other effects, but cannot show what happens at every possible dose or in every group of people.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- If you wish to access the declaration of interests of any expert contributing to an EFSA scientific assessment, please contact interestmanagement@efsa.europa.eu.
The paper
- Title
- Re-evaluation of erythritol (E 968) as a food additive
- Type
- Scientific opinion of the European Food Safety Authority
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Flavourings (FAF), Younes M, Aquilina G, et al (2023). Re-evaluation of erythritol (E 968) as a food additive. EFSA journal. European Food Safety Authority. doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2023.8430Free full textPubMed 38125972DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error