What to know about sweetener linked to blood clotting, heart attack and strokes

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.

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.

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.