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Sorbitol,
also known as glucitol,
is a sugar alcohol that the human body metabolises slowly.
It is obtained by reduction of glucose, changing the
aldehyde group to an additional hydroxyl group.
Sorbitol is a sugar substitute. It may be listed under the
inactive ingredients listed for some foods and products.
Sorbitol is referred to as a nutritive sweetener because it
provides dietary energy: 2.6 kilocalories (11 kilojoules)
per gram versus the average 4 kilocalories (17 kilojoules)
for carbohydrates. It is often used in diet foods (including
diet drinks and ice cream), mints, cough syrups, and sugar-free
chewing gum.
It also occurs naturally in many stone fruits and berries
from trees of the genus Sorbus.

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