A new study has revealed that the popular zero-calorie sweetener, erythritol, may be linked to strokes, heart attacks, blood clots, and even death. The artificial sweetener is commonly used in ketogenic diets and can be found in diet foods, such as Truvia, as a sugar substitute. Erythritol does not affect blood glucose levels and has no calories, which has made it a popular choice for individuals with diabetes and obesity. The study, published on Monday in the journal Nature Medicine, analyzed blood samples from three different populations and found that higher levels of erythritol are associated with a higher risk of heart attack, stroke, or death in three years. Researchers discovered the correlation between increased erythritol levels and major adverse cardiac events when analyzing chemicals and compounds in 1,157 blood samples of those who were at risk for heart disease, collected between 2004 and 2011. They confirmed their results by testing a larger sample from 2,100 people in the United States and 833 samples in Europe through 2018. The study warns that after exposure to dietary erythritol, a prolonged period of potentially heightened thrombotic risk may occur. This is concerning given that patients for whom artificial sweeteners are marketed (patients with diabetes, obesity, history of cardiovascular diseases, and impaired kidney function) are those typically at higher risk for future cardiovascular disease events. The research suggests that the risks associated with erythritol consumption are not modest, and the degree of risk is comparable to the strongest of cardiac risk factors, such as diabetes. The study also found that when a group of eight healthy volunteers drank a beverage with 30 grams of erythritol, they faced heightened blood clotting risks. Stanley Hazen, the director of the Center for Cardiovascular Diagnostics and Prevention at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute and lead researcher on the study, said that the degree of risk was not modest. He explained that if an individual’s blood level of erythritol was in the top 25 percent compared to the bottom 25 percent, there was about a two-fold higher risk for heart attack and stroke. The findings of this study have raised concerns about the safety of erythritol and may prompt further research to determine its long-term health effects. Until then, individuals may want to consider reducing their consumption of erythritol and other artificial sweeteners. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

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