Overview
- The peer-reviewed study in Science Signaling, led by Washington University’s Gary Patti, found that gut bacteria that degrade sorbitol protect against steatotic liver disease in zebrafish.
- When gut microbes were wiped out with antibiotics, sorbitol accumulated, traveled to the liver, and drove fat buildup; adding sorbitol to the diet produced similar effects, while blocking sorbitol production or restoring sorbitol-degrading bacteria prevented damage.
- Sorbitol is common in sugar-free and low-calorie products and can also be produced in the intestine after high glucose exposure, with Aeromonas acting as the sorbitol-degrading strain in the fish model.
- The researchers say exposure thresholds remain unclear and emphasize that clinical or epidemiological studies are needed to determine relevance to people.
- Industry representatives, including the Calorie Control Council, argue the fish findings cannot be directly applied to humans and point to decades of regulatory determinations that sorbitol is safe.