E-numbers / Sweeteners / E965
also: Maltitol syrup · Hydrogenated maltose
The sweetener in a lot of sugar-free chocolate. It still raises blood sugar, and 20 to 30g at once is enough to cause wind and loose stools in many people.
Scan a barcode to check a food for maltitol. NutraSafe Pro · £6.99/month · iOS
Vegetable Fat (Palm), Sweetener (Maltitol), Wheat Flour, Wheat Starch, Raising Agent (Sodium Carbonates, Ammonium Carbonates), Emulsifier (Sunflower Lecithin), Flavouring, Salt
In large amounts maltitol causes bloating, wind and diarrhoea, and UK law requires a laxative warning where added polyols pass 10% of the food.
116
of the 43,325 UK supermarket foods we checked declare E965 in their ingredients
That is 0.3%, counted by its code or its name.
Counted by NutraSafe from UK supermarket ingredient lists, September 2026. How we counted
Why it’s worth knowing. In large amounts maltitol causes bloating, wind and diarrhoea, and UK law requires a laxative warning where added polyols pass 10% of the food. European reviewers have also asked for a missing test of whether it damages DNA.
Maltitol is a sweetener made from starch. The starch, from corn, wheat or potato, is broken down into maltose, a sugar, which is then treated with hydrogen. It belongs to the group chemists call polyols, which are not alcoholic. It is about 75% as sweet as sugar and has about 2.4kcal per gram, against 4kcal for sugar.
It sweetens without being fully absorbed in the small intestine. The rest reaches the large bowel, where bacteria ferment it, which is why high doses loosen the bowels. It raises blood sugar more slowly than sugar, so it goes into products sold to people watching their blood sugar, but it still has a glycaemic index of about 35 and is not carbohydrate-free.
Sugar-free and reduced-sugar chocolate, boiled sweets and chewing gum, biscuits and cakes sold as diabetic, ice cream, protein bars, jam and fruit fillings. UK labels call it maltitol, maltitol syrup or E965.
The small intestine absorbs maltitol poorly. What reaches the large bowel is fermented by bacteria, making gas and drawing water in, which causes bloating, wind and loose stools. It varies from person to person, but studies report noticeable effects in many adults above 20 to 30g at once. UK law requires a laxative warning where added polyols make up more than 10% of the food.
Maltitol above roughly 20 to 30g at once caused laxative symptoms, including loose stools and wind, in volunteer studies.
Foods with more than 10% added polyols must say "excessive consumption may have laxative effects".
Maltitol raises blood sugar and insulin less than sugar does, but not by a trivial amount. Its glycaemic index is about 35, against about 65 for table sugar. People with type 1 or type 2 diabetes who count carbohydrates still need to count it.
Maltitol has a glycaemic index of about 35 and an insulin index of about 27, clearly lower than sugar but not negligible for people managing blood sugar.
As part of their review of all approved sweeteners, European reviewers asked makers for a specific lab test of whether maltitol damages DNA, because the standard test now required was missing. That does not mean maltitol is known to damage DNA. It means the set of tests regulators expect today is not complete, and the review has not yet been published.
Reviewers found a required lab test for DNA damage (the in vitro micronucleus test) was missing for maltitol, and formally asked for the data.
Mouth bacteria do not easily turn maltitol into the acid that rots teeth, so it causes far less decay than sugar. It is not completely inactive in the mouth, though.
Maltitol and maltitol syrup caused no decay, or clearly less than sugar, in animal studies and tests of acid in human dental plaque.
Daily limit. None set, because its laxative effect limits how much people eat.
People with irritable bowel syndrome or other gut conditions may get wind and loose stools at lower amounts. People with diabetes should not treat maltitol-sweetened food as carbohydrate-free, because it still raises blood sugar. Look for maltitol, maltitol syrup or E965.
Maltitol is one of the most common sugar-free sweeteners and has been in food for decades. The laxative effect is real, depends on the dose and varies between people. The blood sugar point matters in practice for people with diabetes who read "suitable for diabetics" on a product that still raises blood sugar. The missing DNA test is a gap in the paperwork, not a known hazard, but it means the modern standard set of tests is incomplete. What regulators do next depends on the outcome of the review.
No. Maltitol (E965i) and maltitol syrup (E965ii) are approved in the UK and are on the Food Standards Agency's list.
It can. The body absorbs it poorly and it is fermented in the large bowel. Above roughly 20 to 30g at once, many people get bloating, wind or loose stools, though tolerance varies. UK law requires a laxative warning where added polyols pass 10% of the food.
Mainly sugar-free and reduced-sugar chocolate, boiled sweets, chewing gum, biscuits and cakes, protein bars, ice cream and sweets sold as diabetic. Look for maltitol, maltitol syrup or E965.
Yes. It is made from plant starch, from corn, wheat or potato. Whether the product is vegan depends on its other ingredients.
Last reviewed: 20 June 2026
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