What to know about sweetener linked to blood clotting, heart attack and strokes
A sugar replacement made from corn has been shown to have dangerous properties according to a new study.
Research into the use of the artificial sweetener erythritol has shown that people who used the sweetener the most were at a higher level of cardiac problems such as a heart attack, a stroke, or death, as well as blood clots.
The sugar-replacement has been recommended for people trying low-calorie or ‘keto’ diets.
#Metabolomics analyses reported an increased risk of #Cardiovascular Disease associated with the #ArtificialSweetener #Erythritol, supported by mechanistic studies showing that high levels of erythritol enhanced platelet reactivity & #Thrombosis formation.https://t.co/FWQE2k3hWx pic.twitter.com/UZh1npDGKB
— Nature Medicine (@NatureMedicine) February 28, 2023
The study was undertaken with more than 4,000 people in the US and Europe. The danger is particularly serious for people with existing health problems such as diabetics.
“If your blood level of erythritol was in the top 25% compared to the bottom 25%, there was about a two-fold higher risk for heart attack and stroke. It’s on par with the strongest of cardiac risk factors, like diabetes,” said lead study author Dr. Stanley Hazen, director of the Center for Cardiovascular Diagnostics and Prevention at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute.
A Cleveland Clinic study finds a common artificial sweetener, erythritol, is associated with an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
— ClevelandClinicNews (@CleClinicNews) February 27, 2023
Lead researcher Dr. Stanley Hazen explains how what we eat contributes to disease.
Read more about the study: https://t.co/hykmCVvvcR pic.twitter.com/57S9NQmzu6
One of the risks from a high intake of the sweetener is that it is not well digested by the body and stays in the bloodstream. 30 grams of erythritol was enough to heighten the risk of blood clots.
What do the experts recommend?
What the study did not confirm was whether there is a link between erythritol and the causation of heart disease, only the association.
At present there is no “accepted daily intake,” set by the European Food Safety Authority or the US Food and Drug Administration.
Scientists want to do more research on the substance after the trial, which was not targeted at erythritol but found the risk regardless.
“It is important that further safety studies are conducted to examine the long-term effects of artificial sweeteners in general, and erythritol specifically, on risks for heart attack and stroke, particularly in people at higher risk for cardiovascular disease,” Dr Hazen added.