Additional information for Health Professionals
How much Sorbitol per day?
About 5 prunes per day would provide approximately 7g sorbitol and one study has monitored the effects of prune intake and found that up to 12 prunes per day is quite acceptable (that’s around 17g sorbitol), and does not cause significant changes to bowel habits.It has been suggested that the amount of non-absorbed carbohydrates e.g. sorbitol, that an individual could consume without experiencing unacceptable side effects in the gut is about 70g/day, however most people will notice some unpleasant effects if they consumed 40g/day or more. However, 40g of sorbitol is a large amount and would be very unlikely to be consumed from food sources alone.
One study in young children showed that after consumption of sorbitol, the quickest time to first stool was 8.48 hours.
The effect of sorbitol is quicker on an empty stomach, and when consumed in drinks.
Each person is different. How much sorbitol you tolerate is likely to be affected by gender, age, health, dietary history and could be dependent on the health of your gut microflora. Some of us maybe able to take in more sorbitol and tolerate it than others who will have abdominal discomfort until their gut adapts to it.
Results from scientific experiments should be taken with caution because experiments tend to use sorbitol in solution or as a tablet rather than from naturally occurring sorbitol in a food or drink
Sources of Sorbitol
Sorbitol is found naturally in many fruit and fruit juices, including apples, apricots, gooseberries, grapes, peaches, pears, plums, raspberries and strawberries. Levels are approximately 5-10 times higher in dried fruit (e.g. in raisins and prunes).
Sorbitol content (g) of Sunsweet Prunes and Prune Juice*
| Sorbitol content per 100g or 100ml | Portion Size | Sorbitol content per portion | |
| Prunes (g) |
17.5 |
40g (approx 5 prunes) |
7 |
| Prune Juice (ml) |
4.4 |
150ml |
6.6 |
* the sorbitol content of non-sunsweet prunes and prune juice may differ