A new study reveals a link between erythritol, a zero-calorie sweetener to several dangerous heart conditions. Read to know more.
Erythritol may lead to dangerous heart conditions
According to a new study, erythritol, a zero-calories sugar replacement often used doe adding bulk or sweetening keto-reduced sugar products and stevia is linked to heart conditions. The sugar alternative was linked with instances of heart attack, stroke, blood clotting, and death. Erythritol is a sugar alcohol that is naturally found in several vegetables and fruits. However, its artificially manufactured version lacks lingering aftertaste and does not have the laxative effect that some others may have.
“Erythritol looks like sugar, it tastes like sugar, and you can bake with it. It’s the sweetheart of the food industry. An extremely popular additive to keto and other low-carb products and foods marketed to people with diabetes. Some of the diabetes-labeled foods we looked at had more erythritol than any other item by weight,” explained Dr. Stanley Hazen. Dr. Hazen, the lead study author is the director of the Center for Cardiovascular Diagnostics and Prevention at the Cleveland ClinicLerner Research Institute.
The study was published on Monday in Nature Medicine. It revealed people with pre-existing conditions such as diabetes and heart disease were twice as likely to experience the conditions. “The degree of risk was not modest. 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,” stated Dr. Hazen.
More on the study
Lab and animal research presented in the study reveals that erythritol is causing the blood platelets to clot more. These clots are then at risk of breaking off and traveling to the heart, causing a heart attack. It could also lead to a brain stroke if the clot travels to the brain. “This certainly sounds an alarm. There appears to be a clotting risk from using erythritol. More research is crucial. But in an abundance of caution, it might make sense to limit erythritol in your diet for now,” stated Dr. Andrew Freeman. Dr. Freeman is the director of cardiovascular prevention and wellness at National Jewish Health.
Moreover, as per Robert Rankin, “the results of this study are contrary to decades of scientific research showing reduced-calorie sweeteners like erythritol are safe. As evidenced by global regulatory permissions for their use in foods and beverages”. Rankin is the executive director of the Calorie Control Council, an industry organization. Additionally, this “should not extrapolate to the general population. The participants in the intervention were already at increased risk for cardiovascular events,” he added.