Clinical data | |
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Trade names | Importal, Pizensy, Lacty, others |
Other names | Lactit, lactositol, lactobiosit[1], Lactitol hydrate (JAN JP) |
License data | |
Routes of administration | By mouth |
Drug class | Osmotic laxative[2] |
Legal status | |
Legal status |
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Identifiers | |
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Chemical and physical data | |
Formula | C12H24O11 |
Molar mass | 344.313 g·mol−1 |
3D model (JSmol) | |
Melting point | 146 °C (295 °F) |
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Lactitol is a sugar alcohol and laxative.[1] As a laxative it is used for chronic constipation of unknown cause.[2] It is taken by mouth.[2] It is also used as a replacement sweetener in low calorie foods.[1]
Common side effects include flatulence, diarrhea, abdominal distension, and increased blood pressure.[2] It is an osmotic laxative and works by pulling water into the small intestine.[2] It has about 30–40% of the sweetness of sucrose.[1]
Lactitol was first described in 1920 by Senderens.[1] It was approved for medical use in the United States in 2020.[2] It is generally recognized as safe in the United States and allowed as a sweetener in Europe.[1] Commercially it was sold for about 2.5 USD per kilogram in 2009.[3] It is made from lactose.[1]