Sugar-Free Sweetener Linked To Strokes: Study

A study conducted by Cleveland Clinic found that erythritol, a common artificial sweetener, is linked to higher risks of heart attack and stroke, SciTechDaily reported, a day after the journal Nature Medicine published the same results.

Photo Insert: Erythritol is a type of sugar alcohol that is often used as a low-calorie sweetener in various food and beverage products.

Researchers studied over 4,000 people in the US and Europe and found those with higher blood erythritol levels were at elevated risk of experiencing a major adverse cardiac event such as heart attack, stroke, or death.

They also examined the effects of adding erythritol to either whole blood or isolated platelets, which are cell fragments that clump together to stop bleeding and contribute to blood clots.

Results revealed that erythritol made platelets easier to activate and form a clot. Pre-clinical studies confirmed ingestion of erythritol heightened clot formation.

Erythritol is a type of sugar alcohol that is often used as a low-calorie sweetener in various food and beverage products.

It has about 70% of the sweetness of regular sugar, but contains only a fraction of the calories. Erythritol is also often used in sugar-free and diabetic-friendly products, as it does not significantly raise blood sugar or insulin levels.

“Sweeteners like erythritol, have rapidly increased in popularity in recent years but there needs to be more in-depth research into their long-term effects,” said senior author Dr. Stanley Hazen, chairman for the Department of Cardiovascular & Metabolic Sciences in Lerner Research Institute and co-section head of Preventive Cardiology at Cleveland Clinic.

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