2023-10-04 05:43:27
A new study shows that a sugar substitute called erythritol, used in stevia products, has been linked to blood clotting, stroke, heart attacks and death.
According to CNN, Dr. Stanley Hazen, the study’s lead author and director of the Center for Cardiovascular Diagnosis and Prevention at the Cleveland Clinic, said: “The degree of risk is not small.”
According to the study, people with risk factors for heart disease were twice as likely to have a heart attack or stroke if they had higher levels of erythritol in their blood.
“If the level of erythritol in the blood is 25 percent higher, there is a two-fold higher risk of heart attacks and strokes,” Hazen said.
Additional laboratory research presented in the paper revealed that erythritol causes platelets to clot more easily. Clots can break off and travel to the heart, leading to a heart attack, or to the brain, leading to a stroke.
“Clearly more research is needed, but with these indications, it may make sense to limit erythritol in your diet for now,” cardiologist Andrew Freeman said.
In response to the study, the Calorie Control Council, an industry association, told CNM that “the results of this study contradict decades of scientific research showing that low-calorie sweeteners like erythritol are safe.”
Council member Robert Rankin said: “The results should not be extrapolated to the general population, because intervention participants were already at increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease.”
What is erythritol?
It was discovered in 1848 by British chemist John Stenhouse, and is found naturally in some types of fruits and fermented foods. Its sweetness is regarding 70 percent of the sweetness of sugar, and it is considered calorie-free, according to experts. This sugar is produced industrially by fermenting glucose with Moniliella Pullins yeast, and its sweetness is equivalent to 60-70 percent of the sweetness of table sugar. It is low in calories, does not affect blood sugar, does not cause tooth decay, is partially absorbed into the body, and is excreted in urine and feces.
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