According to a new Nature Medicine study, erythritol, a sugar substitute that is widely used in sugar replacement or reduced-sugar products, has been linked to blood clotting, stroke, heart attack, and death. Zero-calorie sugar substitute increases risk of heart attack and stroke.
Individuals with existing gamble factors for coronary illness, like diabetes, were two times as liable to encounter a respiratory failure or stroke on the off chance that they had the most significant levels of erythritol in their blood, as per CNN.
According to Splenda.com, erythritol is a plant-based sugar alcohol that can be naturally found in a wide variety of vegetables and fruits, including grapes, watermelon, and pears. Due to its ability to provide sweetness without calories, it is also produced by the body and utilized in beverage and food formulations.
MedicalNewsToday.com says that the World Health Organization (WHO) approved erythritol for use in 1999 and the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved erythritol for use in the United States in 2001 due to decades of scientific research.
According to Dr. Stanley Hazen, director of the Center for Cardiovascular Diagnostics and Prevention at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute and lead study author, in CNN Health, “The degree of risk was not modest.”
“There was approximately a two-fold increased risk for heart attack and stroke if your blood level of erythritol was in the top 25% compared to the bottom 25%. Hazen stated, “It’s on par with the strongest cardiac risk factors, like diabetes.”
CNN reports that additional laboratory and animal research presented in the paper suggested that erythritol might be making it easier for blood platelets to clot. If these clots break off and travel to the heart, they can also cause a stroke or heart attack if they reach the brain.
Dr. Andrew Freeman, who was not involved in the research but is the director of cardiovascular prevention and wellness at National Jewish Health, a Denver hospital, stated, “This certainly sounds an alarm.”
Freeman stated, “There appears to be a clotting risk from using erythritol.” While additional research is obviously required, it may be prudent to restrict erythritol consumption for the time being.
