If you made a New Year's resolution to lose weight and eat healthier, a new study published in the British Medical Journal may give you second thoughts about how many sugar-free treats you are consuming. Sorbitol, an artificial sweetener found in many popular brands of sugarless gum and candy, cannot be properly absorbed by the small intestine which can result in bowel problems such as chronic diarrhea, as well as severe weight loss (and not the good, healthy kind either).

The study examined the cases of a 21-year old woman and a 46-year old man, both of whom were complaining of the above two symptoms and abdominal pain. Once their eating habits were determined, it was discovered both ingested large quantities of sweets containing sorbitol. Once they eliminated the sweetener from their diets, the symptoms disappeared. The laxative-like effects of sorbitol were blamed as the reason for the negative reaction.

"Our cases demonstrate that sorbitol consumption can cause not only chronic diarrhea and functional bowel complaints but also considerable unintended weight loss (about 20 percent of usual body weight)," the authors wrote.

It can be tempting to load up on artficially sweetened goodies when you're trying to lose weight because you feel like you're indulging without the worry of high caloric or sugar intake. However, more and more studies are discovering the problematic side-effects of these sweeteners, including evidence that they can actually have the opposite effect intended and cause you to gain weight. If you're craving something sweet, try some dried fruit such as mango or apricots. While not calorie-free, they'll provide more substantial nutrition than sugary candy without the downside of a stomach ache and diarrhea.

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