Popular artificial sweetener associated with greater risk of heart attack, stroke
Erythritol, a common artificial sweetener, is associated with a heightened risk of heart attack and stroke, according to new findings published in Nature Medicine.[1]
The study, led by a team of Cleveland Clinic cardiologists, examined data from more than 4,000 patients from the United States and Canada. Overall, they found consuming enough erythritol can increase a person’s risk of experiencing a major adverse cardiac event. In addition, erythritol appears to make it easier for blood to clot.
“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,” senior author Stanley Hazen, MD, PhD, Cleveland Clinic’s co-section head of preventive cardiology and chairman for the department of cardiovascular and metabolic sciences at the Lerner Research Institute, said in a statement. “Cardiovascular disease builds over time, and heart disease is the leading cause of death globally. We need to make sure the foods we eat aren’t hidden contributors.”
Erythritol, which is made from the process of fermenting corn, is not well metabolized by the human body. This leads to excessive amounts entering the bloodstream. Erythritol, like other artificial sweeteners, is often used to replace sugar in food products marketed as low calorie. These products are commonly eaten by individuals who face a heightened MASE risk for other reasons, the Cleveland Clinic observed, making it especially important to highlight the risks found in erythritol.
“It is important that further safety studies are conducted to examine the long-term effects of artificial sweeteners in general, and erythritol specifically, on risks for heart attack and stroke, particularly in people at higher risk for cardiovascular disease,” Hazen said.
Cleveland Clinic collaborated on this analysis with specialists from the West Coast Metabolomics Center at UC Davis, the German Center for Cardiovascular Research and the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin.
The full study is available here.
Michael has more than 18 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.