4 ms·

Reddit agrees with my first instinct that it probably draws water into your gut via osmosis. https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/2347u0/til_that_gl

• refurb 6y ago
  The other reason is that often the bacteria in your gut can metabolize sugars that our own enzymes can't. They basically go nuts with a huge food source. You get gas and diarrhea because of their waste products.
  • novia 6y ago
    You're being downvoted because EVERY form of life on earth discovered so far metabolizes D-Glucose. If you find a microbe with the ability to metabolize L-Glucose it'll be big news, and most likely an alien.
    • dwohnitmok 6y ago
      Not quite. "An L-glucose catabolic pathway in Paracoccus species 43P" https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23038265/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23038265/ But it's true the vast vast majority of life on earth cannot metabolize L-glucose and it would be unlikely to have bacteria in your gut capable of metabolizing it.