But that also leads to the "gastrointestinal distress" that some people might feel after ingesting a large amount of food or drinks containing sugar alcohols, she says. So, as with any of the sugar alcohols, erythritol can cause gastrointestinal side effects such as: ... Loose bowels. ... Compared to other sugar alcohols, though, erythritol tends to cause these issues less often, Hazen says. "That's really more frequent with xylitol," Linsenmeyer says. And products containing sorbitol and mannitol must have a warning on the label that they "may cause a laxative effect," the FDA says.

Unlike artificial sweeteners, which are synthetically made, erythritol is considered a naturally derived product. No, erythritol and Splenda aren’t the same. Erythritol is a sugar alcohol derived from natural sources such as certain fruits and corn. In contrast, Splenda is a brand name for sucralose, a synthetic sweetener that’s 600 times sweeter than sugar. Despite being classified as a sugar alcohol, erythritol doesn’t contain ethanol, which is the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages.