Xylitol (E967)
Sweeteners · Sugar Alcohols
No. One teaspoon of xylitol is rated red, and for most people the everyday source is not the baking cupboard but the packet of sugar-free gum or mints in a bag or a car door. Chewing four or five pieces across a day never feels like eating anything, which is what makes this a quiet trigger. One safety point unrelated to IBS: xylitol is extremely toxic to dogs.
Last updated 4 September 2026Serving sizes for xylitol (e967)
The tested amount is a single teaspoon, and it is rated red.
Tested serving sizes
| Serving | Amount | Main FODMAP | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 teaspoon | 1 tsp | None detected |
Breakdown for 1 teaspoon
Is xylitol (e967) low FODMAP?
Xylitol is a polyol, but it is not one of the two polyols the FODMAP groups count separately, so its sorbitol and mannitol rows both read zero while the teaspoon is still rated red. That is not a contradiction. Xylitol is poorly absorbed in its own right, and whatever passes through does what the other sugar alcohols do: it holds water in the bowel and feeds fermentation further down. The rating is describing the sweetener itself rather than a figure borrowed from a neighbouring group.
Xylitol (E967) and IBS: what to know
Gum and mints slip past the mental audit of what you have eaten, and that is where most people meet xylitol. Sugar-free chewing gum is rated amber in this guide, and the trouble is that hardly anyone stops at one piece: a stick after every coffee is an unlogged dose running all day. Xylitol also turns up in mints, sugar-free lollipops, chewable vitamins, some low-sugar nut butters, and in toothpaste and mouthwash, where it is there for teeth rather than taste. Symptoms that track the working day rather than meals are worth this look.
Gut-friendly ways to eat xylitol (e967)
For baking and hot drinks, erythritol is the sugar alcohol that stays green, and it spoons much like sugar; stevia covers sweetness where volume does not matter. Plain white sugar is rated green as well. For breath and for habit, regular chewing gum is rated green, and a cup of peppermint tea does the same job after a meal. On labels, xylitol travels as birch sugar and as E967, and it is often blended with sorbitol in the same stick.
Frequently asked questions
Why is xylitol toxic to dogs?
In dogs, xylitol triggers a rapid insulin release that can send blood sugar dangerously low, and larger doses can damage the liver. It is a genuine veterinary emergency and the quantities involved are small, so a few pieces of dropped gum matter. Keep gum, mints and xylitol baking out of reach, and ring a vet straight away if a dog gets any. People do not react this way.
Is sugar-free gum bad for IBS?
It can be a steady and invisible source of polyols. Sugar-free gum is rated amber here, and it is typically sweetened with xylitol, sorbitol or both, so several pieces in an afternoon accumulate in the same column. Regular gum is rated green and is the simpler swap. Swallowed air from chewing adds a little bloating of its own, quite apart from the sweetener.
Can I bake with xylitol?
You can, but nothing improves in the oven: polyols are heat-stable, so a tray of biscuits made with xylitol carries the load the jar had. It also substitutes for sugar close to cup for cup, so a recipe calling for a cup of sugar delivers far more than the red-rated teaspoon across the batch. Erythritol is the more workable substitute for baking on that count.
What is the difference between xylitol and erythritol?
Both are sugar alcohols, and the gut handles them differently. Erythritol is a smaller molecule, largely absorbed in the small intestine and passed out in urine, so little of it reaches the colon to ferment, and erythritol is rated green at 2 tablespoons. Xylitol is absorbed poorly and its teaspoon is red. Products often contain both, so the order of the ingredients tells you which one dominates.
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