Recently, Amazon had five pound bags of Haribo Gummy Bears available for sale with the description, "...can cause intestinal distress if eaten in excess." However, in this case "intestinal distress" seems to be an understatement. A few viral reviews on Amazon said, "trumpets calling the demons back to Hell," "guttural pronouncement so loud it threatened to drown out my own voice," and "100% liquid. Flammable liquid. NAPALM." The reason for the bowel-wrenching pain in the sugar-free gummy bears is lycasin, a hydrogenated syrup. Lycasin consists of mainly maltitol which has its pros and cons. It has half the amount of calories of sugar and does not cause cavities but it cannot be fully digested by human bodies. As a result, it can ferment in the gut. Excessive consumption of lycasin can result in bloating, flatulence, loose stools and borborygmi. Although it is safe to eat, studies show that consuming above 40 grams lead to diarrhea and increased bowel movement. The gummy bears came in a bag of five pounds or 2,267 grams, a world of pain.
Olga Khazan writes a very short article concerning the internet viral reviews about the five pound bags of Haribo Gummy Bears sold on Amazon. She does include that the gummy bear description did warn people that excessive consumption could lead to intestinal problem but she also includes that people felt a lot more than "intestinal distress." She then addresses what the problem could have been, lycasin. In this part of her article, she uses chemical names that are not familiar to most people so she explains them with more familiar terms. In general, she wrote a very concise and easy to understand article. She inserts humor at appropriate places and overall writes a well-written and humorous response to the Haribo Gummy Bears.
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/01/whats-in-those-haribo-gummy-bears/283162/
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