Sorbitol intolerance test
- Appointment required
Sorbitol intolerance test using a breath test with a sorbitol load. It makes it possible to investigate whether this sugar alcohol is poorly absorbed and whether its fermentation is linked to bloating, wind, abdominal pain or diarrhoea. Sorbitol is found in sugar-free products and also occurs naturally in some fruits.
No prescription needed, appointment required
Results in 3-5 working days after the test
Breath sample. Includes: Sorbitol breath test. See what it measures
What it is for
It is used to investigate symptoms linked to chewing gum, sweets, «sugar-free» products or foods rich in sorbitol, such as pears, plums, peaches and some other stone fruits. It can be useful when lactose and fructose do not explain the symptoms and there is a specific link with these foods.
Sorbitol is only partly absorbed even in healthy people, especially in large amounts. That is why the result must be related to the usual dose and to the symptoms that appear during the test.
When it is recommended
- Bloating, wind or diarrhoea after chewing gum, sweets or sugar-free products
- Symptoms that recur with foods rich in sorbitol
- Persistent symptoms after lactose and fructose have been investigated
- A targeted assessment in which this specific load has been requested
Clinical comment
The evidence for this test is more limited than for the lactose or fructose tests. The North American consensus on breath tests notes that further studies are still required to better establish the dose and interpretation for sorbitol. It is used because there is a physiological basis and it can answer a specific question, but it should not be presented as a definitive test.
Fructose and sorbitol can be absorbed less well when eaten together, which is common in fruit. In addition, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth can bring fermentation forward and produce a false positive.
That is why we have placed this test after the more common causes. It makes sense when the foods involved and previous tests point specifically to sorbitol, not as a first assessment for any digestive complaint.
Dr. Antonio Mas
What is tested
• Sorbitol breath test (exhaled hydrogen): After taking a known amount of sorbitol, it measures hydrogen in exhaled breath at intervals. A rise indicates that part of the sorbitol has reached the colon and been fermented.
- Sorbitol breath test (exhaled hydrogen)
How to prepare
An appointment and 12 hours of fasting are required, and you must follow the preparation diet set by the centre on the previous day. Do not take antibiotics during the 4 preceding weeks, or laxatives or prokinetics during the preceding week.
The test lasts between 2 and 3 hours and you must stay at the partner centre. Do not smoke or exercise during the hours before or during the test.
You can add
Without another needle. It is offered when you order, so you do not have to decide now.
- General blood testA general blood test with full blood count, glucose, cholesterol and kidney and liver function: the basic parameters included in any general check-up.+€59.00
- General + nutritional blood testEverything in the general blood test (anaemia, kidneys, liver, cholesterol and glucose) plus iron stores, vitamin D, vitamin B12 and folic acid. It is the broadest add-on: it covers the general and the nutritional in one go.+€129.00
- Coeliac disease antibodiesMeasures the antibodies used to investigate coeliac disease; for a reliable result, it must be done while you are still eating gluten.+€39.00
Related blood tests
We have other profiles in Digestive with more or fewer tests:
- Lactose intolerance test€60.00
- Fructose intolerance test€60.00
- SIBO breath test€64.00
- Helicobacter pylori breath test€69.00
- Coeliac disease blood test (antibodies)€69.00
- Vitamin B12 blood test€89.00
- Vitamin B12 blood test with antibodies€149.00
- Methylmalonic acid, for borderline B12 deficiency€149.00
- Coeliac disease genetic test (HLA DQ2/DQ8)€229.00
- Gut microbiota test€359.00
The most comprehensive is not always the most useful. Each profile page explains when it makes sense and when it does not.
What it is based on
Rumessen JJ, Gudmand-Høyer E · Gastroenterology 95(3):694-700
With a load of only 5 g of sorbitol, malabsorption was shown by exhaled hydrogen in 8 of 13 patients with functional bowel disorder. This is the study that supports measuring sorbitol separately and with small doses.
Rezaie A, Buresi M, Lembo A, et al. · American Journal of Gastroenterology 112(5):775-784
The North American consensus standardises the breath test for lactose, fructose, glucose and lactulose, and states that the role of sorbitol requires further study. This test therefore rests on earlier literature and established clinical practice, not on a consensus that sets the dose and threshold.
Protocol designed by Dr. Antonio Mas, specialist in Endocrinology and Nutrition, Spanish medical licence no. 080846289, and reviewed in September 2026.
This blood test is a standardised protocol and does not replace a medical consultation. If you have symptoms, a known condition or a complex clinical situation, speak to your doctor.