Scientists Link Erythritol Sweetener to Heart Attacks, Blood Clots

A brand new study by Cleveland Clinic researchers has found a link between consuming erythritol, a sugar alcohol commonly used as a sweetener, and an increased risk of heart attack, stroke and heart problems.

Erythritol, often used as a sugar-free or reduced-sugar additive, is one in all the fastest-growing nonnutritive sweeteners approved by the Food and Drug Administration and the European Food Safety Authority. According to a study published within the journal of the American Heart Association U.S. and European Union regulatory agencies have typically deemed artificial and nonnutritive sweeteners secure. However, recent studies have pointed to the consumption of beverages with the sugar alternative erythritol as a possible blood-clotting agent.

The researchers studied 10 healthy volunteers using a prospective interventional study design. The study states: “We tested the effects of erythritol or glucose ingestion on multiple measures of stimulus-dependent platelet reactivity in healthy volunteers.”

This reported that according to Dr. Stanley Hazen, director of the Center for Cardiovascular Disease Diagnosis and Prevention on the Cleveland Clinic, the danger of blood clots in volunteers after consuming a typical portion doubled, and a transparent difference was observed of their bodies before and after drinking erythritol-sweetened beverages. According to a March report by the American Heart Association, African Americans are more likely than every other racial group greater risk of heart disease and stroke due to unfavorable social determinants of health, includingdue to lack of access to health care and healthy food, and other historical and systemic aspects. The report advisable regular blood pressure checks, noting that standard blood pressure is lower than 120/80 mm Hg.

Hazen advised people at increased risk of heart disease or blood clots to eat moderate amounts of glucose, sugar, honey or fruit and avoid the sweeteners erythritol and xylitol, other sugar alternatives that researchers have previously linked to a rise in heart attacks and heart problems. “I’m trying to sound the alarm,” Hazen said. “We need to look at the safety of this because I’m concerned that in the long term, unfortunately, we’re seeing negative consequences for the individuals themselves who are trying to reach for a healthy option or a healthy alternative.”

Although erythritol has been utilized in individuals with diabetes and following a ketogenic eating regimen, researchers on the Cleveland Clinic suggest reevaluating its safety as a food additive.