Nutrition & Food Your Gut Bacteria Decide Whether Sorbitol Is Harmless or a Liver Problem
Sorbitol was sold for decades as the inert, guilt-free sugar swap. In zebrafish stripped of their gut bacteria, WashU researchers watched the intestine's own sorbitol reach the liver and feed the same fructose-metabolism pathway that packs on liver fat.
By Sarah Okonkwo · September 7, 2026