Is lactitol high in fodmaps?

FODMAPs status

Avoid

Is lactitol high or low in fodmaps? See its exact rating, how much counts as a portion, and its FODMAP, salicylate, oxalate and diet compatibility in one place.

Related checkers

Compare lactitol across criteria

PolyolsAvoid Low FermentationAvoid VeganAvoid AIPAvoid Low FermentationAvoid

Sensitivity notes

Why fodmaps food checker matters

FODMAPs are fermentable carbohydrates that can cause digestive distress in sensitive individuals. They include fructose, lactose, fructans, galactans, and polyols. These sugars are poorly absorbed in the small intestine and ferment in the colon, potentially causing bloating, gas, and discomfort.

Start with a 2-6 week elimination phase, removing all high-FODMAP foods
Keep a detailed food and symptom diary to track your reactions
Reintroduce one FODMAP group at a time to identify your specific triggers
Remember that threshold varies - you may tolerate small amounts
Work with a dietitian trained in the low-FODMAP diet for best results

Sensitivities

What lactitol contains

FODMAPs

FODMAPsAvoid

PolyolsAvoid

Additives

Added sweetenersAvoid

Diet fit

Where lactitol fits

Therapeutic diets

Low FermentationAvoid

AIPAvoid

Lifestyle diets

VeganAvoid

Ingredient notes

What to know about lactitol

Lactitol is made by hydrogenating lactose, and the name puts people off for the wrong reason. It contains no lactose. Our data grades it clean on lactose and clean on dairy protein, and EU law agrees: lactitol is one of the very few milk-derived ingredients specifically exempted from allergen declaration under Regulation 1169/2011. What it actually is, is a polyol, graded high FODMAP and high polyol. It is potent enough that a 20 gram dose is licensed as a prescription laxative for chronic constipation. That is the honest dose response for anyone eating sugar-free chocolate or baked goods: the amount that treats constipation is the amount that can hide in an afternoon of snacking.

Watch for

Graded high on FODMAPs and polyols.No human enzyme splits the bond, so lactitol arrives in the colon whole, holds water osmotically and then gets fermented.
The dose response is unusually well documented because lactitol is a licensed medicine.Around 20 grams a day is the therapeutic laxative dose for chronic idiopathic constipation, so several sugar-free sweets or a large bar of sugar-free chocolate is not a trivial amount.
It carries no lactose and no milk protein, so lactose intolerance and cow milk protein allergy are not the mechanism.If lactitol bothers you, it is the polyol doing it, not the dairy origin.
Graded poorly for SIBO fermentation, which matters more than the raw dose if you have small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.
It is still milk-derived in origin even though it needs no allergen declaration.Strict vegans and people avoiding all dairy-sourced ingredients on principle will want to know that, because the label will not tell them.

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