Word: sorbitol
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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Wrong. As soon as the scientists added a fourth fatty acid, the digestibility and absorbability of the compound decreased. Five fatty acids decreased it further still. And six fatty acids, attached to a molecule of sorbitol, a sweetish alcohol used in food products, made the compound completely indigestible...
That seemed pretty interesting, so the scientists started casting about for cheaper off-the-shelf compounds that had characteristics similar to their rather expensive sorbitol construct. They eventually came up with sucrose polyester, a class of compounds that sports as many as eight fatty acids crowded around alcohol groups that hang, in turn, off a ring of sucrose molecules. By contrast, the naturally occurring fats known as triglycerides include just three fatty acids...
...infancy. No baby under six months should drink juice, and some pediatricians see no reason to introduce it until after the first birthday. Whenever they start, young children need not consume more than a few ounces a day. Because apple juice contains two sugars that tots cannot absorb -- sorbitol and fructose -- large - quantities can cause diarrhea. "Fruit-juice companies imply that apple juice is healthful," says Dr. John Udall, head of pediatric nutrition at Children's Hospital in New Orleans. "But it's probably been oversold...
Diabetic complications have also been linked to elevated levels of sorbitol, a sugary alcohol. Even in the absence of insulin, certain cells, such as those in the lens of the eye, continue to absorb glucose. But without insulin, glucose cannot be processed in the usual way; the cell instead converts it to sorbitol. The abnormal accumulation of sorbitol causes cell membranes to swell and leak. It also interferes with vital biochemical processes...