Sorbitol is a sugar alcohol the body uses slowly. It is an artificial sweetener used in diet foods. It is called a nutritive sweetener because it has four calories in every gram, just like table sugar and starch.

Sorbitol is also produced by the body. Too much sorbitol in cells can cause damage. Diabetic retinopathy and neuropathy may be related to too much sorbitol in the cells of the eyes and nerves.

See also: mannitol, xylitol

from the NIH's Diabetes dictionary