Sugar substitute erythritol increases risk of heart attacks and strokes: study

Sugar is a known health risk for several metabolic diseases, including diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. But are sugar substitutes risk-free?

A novel study by scientists provides more evidence of the increased risks associated with using sugar substitutes, indicating that erythritol, a popular low-calorie sweetener, may enhance the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

A team of Cleveland Clinic researchers stumbled upon some surprising findings while studying the physiological effects of popular sugar substitutes. test Based on findings published in the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, researchers warn that erythritol may not be as protected as food regulatory agencies currently classify it, calling for a re-evaluation of its utilize.

Erythritol is a naturally occurring sugar alcohol found in fruits and vegetables, and is also a byproduct of glucose metabolism in human tissue. Because it is a low-carb sweetener, it is used in many “keto” products. Both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Food Safety Authority classify erythritol as GRAS (generally recognized as protected). This classification allows for its unrestricted utilize in food products.

A novel study highlights the cardiovascular risk associated with erythritol consumption, suggesting that even a standard serving of the sweetener may enhance the risk of blood clots.

“Many professional societies and clinicians routinely recommend that people at high cardiovascular risk—those with obesity, diabetes, or metabolic syndrome—consume products containing sugar substitutes instead of sugar. These results underscore the importance of further long-term clinical trials to assess the cardiovascular safety of erythritol and other sugar substitutes,” senior and corresponding author Stanley Hazen, MD, said in press release.

IN test conducted last year, found that heart patients with high levels of erythritol were twice as likely to have a earnest heart event over the next three years compared with those with lower levels. The study also found that adding erythritol to the patients’ blood or platelets increased clot formation.

To further investigate erythritol’s effects on platelets, researchers conducted a human intervention study that tested its utilize in 20 well individuals. Participants consumed erythritol in the form of a standard “sugar-free” soda or a muffin and compared the results to glucose consumption.

The researchers then noted that after consuming erythritol products, blood erythritol levels increased by more than 1,000 times compared to before consumption. The study also found that blood clotting increased after erythritol consumption, but this effect was not observed after glucose consumption.

“These studies raise some concerns that a standard serving of erythritol-sweetened food or drink may acutely stimulate the direct clot-forming effect. Erythritol and other sugar alcohols that are commonly used as sugar substitutes should be evaluated for potential long-term health effects, especially when such effects are not seen with glucose alone,” said study co-author Dr. W.H. Wilson Tang.