New Study Warns about Artificial Sweeteners Like Erythritol

Artificial sweeteners came as a relief for diabetics and people with high blood sugar when they were first discovered. However, a recent study has revealed that the sugar substitute erythritol increases the risk of cardiovascular problems such as blood clotting and heart attacks.

Erythritol is one of those artificial sweeteners that is preferred by diabetics and obese people, who are at greater risk of heart attacks. The recent study has reported that the sweetener may increase the risk of heart problems in patients.

The study, led by Stanley Hazen and published on Monday, February 27, in the journal Nature Medicine, linked erythritol to an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, blood clotting, and death. Read about it in detail below.

Artificial sweeteners became popular as an alternative to white sugar (Image via Pexels @Suzy Hazelwood)

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What is Erythritol?

Erythritol is part of a class of compounds that are known as sugar alcohols (polyols). Carbs like these can be found in abundance in fresh produce. Several studies have shown that erythritol is roughly 70% as sweet as sugar while containing fewer calories, which is why it is used as an artificial sweetener.

Xylitol (another sugar alcohol) has 2.4 calories per gram, while erythritol has only 0.24 calories per gram. This is in comparison to the 4 calories per gram found in regular table sugar. Though it occurs naturally in trace amounts, it is typically added to processed foods at levels up to 1,000 times higher.

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What is Erythritol Made From?

Production-scale white crystals are formed when a specific strain of yeast ferments glucose from wheat or corn starch. Although most of the research has been conducted on animals, previous studies have found that erythritol is one of the best artificial sweeteners.

Many people are nowadays opting for dates as a natural sweet alternative to white sugar (Image via Pexels @Riki Risnandar)

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What are the Dangers of Artificial Sweeteners like Erythritol?

Monday's issue of Nature Medicine reported the results of a study linking erythritol consumption (artificial sweeteners containing erythritol) with an increased risk of cardiovascular events like heart attack, blood clot, stroke, and death.

According to research published in 2017 on Science Direct, erythritol, a white crystalline powder, is used as a zero-calorie sugar replacement in conjunction with monk fruit, stevia, or ketogenic reduced-sugar products.

Artificial sweeteners like erythritol are "generally recognized as safe" by the FDA, so there is no need to conduct long-term studies to determine their effects.

The study, however, reported that high levels of erythritol in the bloodstream may double the risk of stroke or heart attack in people with preexisting conditions that put them at a higher risk for heart complications, such as diabetes.

Halo Top low-calorie ice cream, Bai antioxidant drinks, and Blue Sky (a Coca-Cola brand) craft sodas are just a few examples of well-known foods that contain erythritol.

According to Food Insight, erythritol is also present in naturally occurring quantities in foods such as mushrooms, fruits like grapes, watermelon, peaches, and pears, and fermented foods like beer, soy sauce, wine, cheese, and sake.

Erythritol is found in naturally occuring quantities in fruits like grapes and watermelons (Image via Pexels @Kaichieh Chan)

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Is Erythritol Safe?

Artificial sweeteners as a sugar substitute, such as erythritol, are widely used by diabetics and obese people at the recommendation of doctors. The intake of erythritol in the United States is estimated at 30 grams per day by the Food and Drug Administration. One 18-ounce bottle of Bai antioxidant cocofusion contains 10 grams of erythritol, which ranks among the top five ingredients by weight in the majority of Halo Top ice cream flavors.

However, Stanley Hazen, the study's senior author and the director of the Center for Cardiovascular Diagnostics and Prevention at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute, told CNN that the risks "were not modest."

Per Medical News Today, John Hwa, a professor of cardiology at Yale School of Medicine, stated the following about the sugar substitute and the precautions one should take.

"Cautions should be taken in cardiovascular risk patients who may already be prone to 'extra-sticky' platelets such as [people with diabetes]."

Before taking erythritol, Hwa said you should talk to your doctor.