The sweetener erythritol can increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. Reported by the New Cleveland Clinic.
Artificial sweeteners such as erythritol often replace sugar in low-calorie, low-carb foods. Sugar-free products containing erythritol are often recommended for people with obesity, diabetes or metabolic syndrome who are looking for options to help control their sugar or calorie intake. Erythritol is about 70% sweeter than sugar and is produced by fermenting corn. After oral administration, erythritol is poorly metabolized in the body. Instead, it enters the bloodstream and leaves the body in urine without causing changes in glucose levels or obesity.
American doctors conducted a study involving more than 4,000 people for 3 years, some of these volunteers regularly consumed products with this sweetener in their composition. Observations made by scientists unexpectedly showed that erythritol significantly increases the risk of developing several dangerous heart and blood vessel diseases at the same time. The use of products based on it in large quantities increased the risk of developing heart attack, stroke and thrombosis by approximately 80%. These calculation results were then confirmed during two successive series of observations.
The authors suggest that erythritol has a similar effect due to its rapid accumulation in the body. Additionally, the current study only records a correlation, not a causal relationship.