Recommended doses of Sorbitol
It is difficult to establish the dose that causes laxation due to its variable digestion and absorption rates. Doses are likely to be affected by gender, age, health, dietary history and could be dependent on the health of the gut microflora. Results from scientific experiments should be taken with caution because a person’s guts may adapt to the intake of sorbitol and experiments tend to use sorbitol in solution or as a tablet rather than how it would more naturally appear in a food or drink.
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. This is a large amount of sorbitol and would be very unlikely to be consumed from food sources alone. A daily dose of prunes is around 5 per day, which 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.
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.
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