NutriDex

The Supplement Research Compendium
🍬

Maltitol

E965 · sugar alcohol

Sugar-replacing polyol with half the calories and a notable laxative ceiling

Moderate evidence 🍬Sweeteners & Additives

✚ Updated · How we grade evidence

Evidence tier
Moderate
Research weight
Citations
8 verified / 8
Classification
Sweeteners & Additives
❝
What the evidence says. Several controlled trials; effects real but modest or context-dependent.

What is Maltitol?

Maltitol (E965 · sugar alcohol) is a sweetener or food additive used for reduced-calorie sweetness: ~2.1-2.4 kcal/g versus 4 kcal/g for sucrose, at ~90% of sucrose sweetness, with sugar-like bulk and mouthfeel. NutriDex grades the human evidence as Moderate. Maltitol (E965) is a sugar alcohol (polyol) made by hydrogenating maltose from starch, used as a bulk sweetener with about 90% of sucrose's sweetness and roughly half the calories (~2.1-2.4 kcal/g). It is authorised in the EU (E965), holds US FDA GRAS status, and JECFA assigned it an Acceptable Daily Intake of "not specified" — the safest regulatory category, implying no numeric intake limit. The weight of human evidence is reassuring for metabolic and dental endpoints: maltitol produces lower glycaemic and insulin responses than sucrose and is non-cariogenic. Its best-documented adverse effect is dose-dependent gastrointestinal intolerance (bloating, flatulence, osmotic/laxative diarrhoea), which is why EU products containing >10% polyols must carry a laxative-effect warning.

Purported Benefits

✓Reduced-calorie sweetness: ~2.1-2.4 kcal/g versus 4 kcal/g for sucrose, at ~90% of sucrose sweetness, with sugar-like bulk and mouthfeel
✓Lower glycaemic impact: glycaemic index ~35 (about half that of sucrose), useful in reduced-sugar and diabetic-friendly formulations
✓Lower insulin response: insulinaemic response measured at ~17.8% of that of glucose in a clinical study
✓Non-cariogenic: not readily fermented to enamel-demineralising acids by oral bacteria; qualifies for the US FDA noncariogenic-sweetener dental health claim
✓Functional bulking and texture: provides body, sweetness and heat/crystallisation behaviour close to sugar in chocolate, baked goods and chewing gum
✓Sugar-free, low-moisture sweetening that resists browning and helps shelf-stability in confectionery

Dosing & Compounds

Typical Dose
JECFA assigned an Acceptable Daily Intake of "not specified" (its safest category, indicating no numeric limit needed at normal use levels). It is authorised in the EU as E965 with no numeric ADI, and is GRAS in the United States. Practical individual tolerance, not toxicity, is the limiting factor: many adults tolerate roughly 40 g/day, while single doses around 30-50 g or higher commonly trigger laxative effects in sensitive people; an RCT placed the mean diarrhoea threshold dose near 92-93 g. EU regulation requires foods containing >10% added polyols to state "excessive consumption may produce laxative effects."
Active Compounds
E-number E965 (E965 i = maltitol; E965 ii = maltitol syrup / hydrogenated glucose syrup)Common in sugar-free chocolate, hard and chewy candies, chewing gum, baked goods, ice cream, jams, cough syrups and gummy supplementsBrand/trade names include Maltisorb and Maltisweet (maltitol) and Lycasin (maltitol-rich hydrogenated glucose syrup)Often blended with high-intensity sweeteners (e.g. sucralose, stevia) and other polyols (sorbitol, erythritol) to balance sweetness and costDerived from starch (maltose) via catalytic hydrogenation; not a high-intensity sweetener but a bulk sugar replacer

Safety & Cautions

The dominant, well-documented risk is gastrointestinal: because maltitol is only partially absorbed in the small intestine, the remainder is osmotically active and fermented in the colon, causing dose-dependent bloating, flatulence, cramps and osmotic diarrhoea. A digestive-tolerance RCT (PMID 12548293) found a mean diarrhoea threshold dose of ~92-93 g, but sensitive individuals and people with IBS can react to far less (10-20 g), and maltitol produced more diarrhoea than equivalent sucrose at high intakes. Unlike sugar, it has a meaningful glycaemic load (GI ~35), so people with diabetes should count it rather than treat it as "free." On carcinogenicity/genotoxicity the human and animal data are reassuring — animal and in-vitro studies (including a 2024 mutagenicity/genotoxicity assessment) found maltitol non-mutagenic and non-genotoxic — though EFSA issued a 2023 call for additional genotoxicity data as part of routine re-evaluation, so its EU re-evaluation is ongoing. There is no credible evidence linking maltitol to cancer or cardiovascular events. Those who should be cautious: people with IBS, fructose/polyol malabsorption or on low-FODMAP diets, young children (lower tolerance), and anyone consuming large amounts of sugar-free confectionery; dogs should not be given polyol products as a general precaution. Educational only — always check with your doctor or pharmacist before combining Maltitol with any medicine.

Key Studies

regulatory determination US FDA, 21 CFR 101.80 ✓ Source
Maltitol is among the sugar alcohols permitted to bear the US 'does not promote tooth decay' (noncariogenic carbohydrate sweetener) health claim, and maltitol is recognised as GRAS.
regulatory re-evaluation EFSA call for genotoxicity data on maltitol (E 965 i) ✓ Source
As part of the EU re-evaluation of authorised additives, EFSA issued a public call for additional genotoxicity data on maltitol; no safety concern has been concluded that would alter its authorisation.
regulatory assessment JECFA / WHO Expert Committee ✓ Source
Assigned maltitol an Acceptable Daily Intake of 'not specified', its safest category, indicating no numerical intake limit is required at normal food-additive use levels.
clinical trial Respondek et al. glycaemic/insulinaemic study (Indian volunteers) ✓ Source
Maltitol showed low glycaemic index (~35) and an insulinaemic response of about 17.8% of glucose, markedly below sucrose.
randomized crossover trial Wölnerhanssen-type crossover, maltitol in ethnically diverse subjects (PMID 21481716) ✓ PubMed
Incremental glucose AUC after maltitol did not differ significantly between white, South Indian and Chinese subjects, supporting a consistent low glycaemic response across ethnic groups.
randomized controlled trial Ruskoné-Fourmestraux et al., Eur J Clin Nutr (PMID 12548293) ✓ PubMed
In a digestive-tolerance RCT, mean diarrhoea threshold dose was ~92-93 g maltitol vs ~106-113 g sucrose, confirming dose-dependent osmotic/laxative effects at high single doses.
clinical trial Koutsou et al., glycaemic/insulinaemic responses to maltitol (PMID 8001718) ✓ PubMed
All maltitol-containing products showed reduced glycaemic index versus glucose, though the insulinaemic index of maltitol chocolate remained relatively high, indicating food-matrix effects.
genotoxicity study Maltitol mutagenicity/genotoxicity evaluation (in-silico + in-vitro) ✓ Full text
Bacterial reverse-mutation (Ames) up to 5000 µg/plate and an in-vitro human-lymphocyte micronucleus test found maltitol non-mutagenic and non-genotoxic under the conditions tested.
8 sources cited · 8 verified Search all studies on PubMed ↗

Common questions about Maltitol

What is Maltitol used for?

Maltitol is most often taken for Reduced-calorie sweetness: ~2.1-2.4 kcal/g versus 4 kcal/g for sucrose, at ~90% of sucrose sweetness, with sugar-like bulk and mouthfeel, Lower glycaemic impact: glycaemic index ~35 (about half that of sucrose), useful in reduced-sugar and diabetic-friendly formulations, Lower insulin response: insulinaemic response measured at ~17.8% of that of glucose in a clinical study, Non-cariogenic: not readily fermented to enamel-demineralising acids by oral bacteria; qualifies for the US FDA noncariogenic-sweetener dental health claim. Sugar-replacing polyol with half the calories and a notable laxative ceiling

Does Maltitol work — what does the evidence say?

Moderate evidence. Several controlled trials; effects real but modest or context-dependent. Maltitol (E965) is a sugar alcohol (polyol) made by hydrogenating maltose from starch, used as a bulk sweetener with about 90% of sucrose's sweetness and roughly half the calories (~2.1-2.4 kcal/g). It is authorised in the EU (E965), holds US FDA GRAS status, and JECFA assigned it an Acceptable Daily Intake of "not specified" — the safest regulatory category, implying no numeric intake limit. The weight of human evidence is reassuring for metabolic and dental endpoints: maltitol produces lower glycaemic and insulin responses than sucrose and is non-cariogenic. Its best-documented adverse effect is dose-dependent gastrointestinal intolerance (bloating, flatulence, osmotic/laxative diarrhoea), which is why EU products containing >10% polyols must carry a laxative-effect warning.

What is the typical dose of Maltitol?

JECFA assigned an Acceptable Daily Intake of "not specified" (its safest category, indicating no numeric limit needed at normal use levels). It is authorised in the EU as E965 with no numeric ADI, and is GRAS in the United States. Practical individual tolerance, not toxicity, is the limiting factor: many adults tolerate roughly 40 g/day, while single doses around 30-50 g or higher commonly trigger laxative effects in sensitive people; an RCT placed the mean diarrhoea threshold dose near 92-93 g. EU regulation requires foods containing >10% added polyols to state "excessive consumption may produce laxative effects."

Is Maltitol safe? Any cautions or side effects?

The dominant, well-documented risk is gastrointestinal: because maltitol is only partially absorbed in the small intestine, the remainder is osmotically active and fermented in the colon, causing dose-dependent bloating, flatulence, cramps and osmotic diarrhoea. A digestive-tolerance RCT (PMID 12548293) found a mean diarrhoea threshold dose of ~92-93 g, but sensitive individuals and people with IBS can react to far less (10-20 g), and maltitol produced more diarrhoea than equivalent sucrose at high intakes. Unlike sugar, it has a meaningful glycaemic load (GI ~35), so people with diabetes should count it rather than treat it as "free." On carcinogenicity/genotoxicity the human and animal data are reassuring — animal and in-vitro studies (including a 2024 mutagenicity/genotoxicity assessment) found maltitol non-mutagenic and non-genotoxic — though EFSA issued a 2023 call for additional genotoxicity data as part of routine re-evaluation, so its EU re-evaluation is ongoing. There is no credible evidence linking maltitol to cancer or cardiovascular events. Those who should be cautious: people with IBS, fructose/polyol malabsorption or on low-FODMAP diets, young children (lower tolerance), and anyone consuming large amounts of sugar-free confectionery; dogs should not be given polyol products as a general precaution.

How many studies support Maltitol?

NutriDex cites 8 sources for Maltitol, graded "Moderate".

Cite this page
APA

Peh, D. (2026). Maltitol (E965 · sugar alcohol): Benefits, Dosage, Side Effects & Evidence. NutriDex — The Supplement Research Compendium. Retrieved 26 Jun 2026, from https://nutridex.info/s/maltitol

BibTeX
@misc{nutridex_maltitol,
  author       = {Peh, Daryl},
  title        = {Maltitol (E965 · sugar alcohol): Benefits, Dosage, Side Effects \& Evidence},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {NutriDex --- The Supplement Research Compendium},
  url          = {https://nutridex.info/s/maltitol},
  note         = {Reviewed by Dr Daryl Peh, MBBS Singapore, MMed FM. Accessed 2026-06-26}
}

For medical claims, citing the underlying primary studies linked above is preferred. NutriDex is an educational reference, not medical advice.

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