Erythritol, the natural sweetener with a high risk of stroke

Erythritol is a sweetener which is common in certain diet products especially those of the ketogenic diet. A new study has revealed that it could clog arteries and lead to stroke.

Erythritol, the sweetener

Erythritol is a natural sweetener and a sugar alcohol. It has zero calories and is present naturally in small amounts in certain foods. These include mushrooms, grapes, watermelon, pears, beer, cheese, soy sauce, wine, and sake (an alcoholic beverage from Japan).

Being sweet, it is used as a sugar substitute. It is added to several processed foods and beverages. Most commonly, you will find it in products meant for ketogenic diets because it does not cause a blood sugar spike. The sweetener, Truvia contains this ingredient along with Stevia leaf extract.

Unlike other sweeteners, its flavor is less intense. Hence for sweetness, an amount equal to that of sugar is okay. It can be a substitute for refined sugar in baking products. Karsten Hiller is a biochemist and specialist in human metabolism at the Braunschweig Institute of Technology in Germany. He says that this substance is present in very low levels in the body.

Further, Dr. Stanley Hazen from the department of cardiovascular and metabolic sciences at the Cleveland Clinic says that current regulations do not require to put this substance on the ingredients label list. It might be there in the product and the label would just read:

“artificially sweetened with natural products,”

The study details

The research team was trying to determine the risk factors for heart attacks and strokes after management of high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, high blood sugar, obesity and smoking. The researchers found that half of the treated people continue to have residual cardiovascular risk even after treatment and proper compliance with it.

Nature Medicine published this study in which there were 1157 participants. Blood was assayed for various chemicals to assess the cardiovascular risk. And the levels in those who had a heart attack or stroke or died within three years were compared with those who did not suffer from above.

Findings

Erythritol was one of the top chemicals in blood that predicated a bad outcome. High levels decreased the threshold for clot formation. Those with the highest level had double the risk of stroke, heart attack and death compared to those with lowest levels. Stanley said:

“This is a new pathway we think is contributing to residual cardiovascular risk,”

Robert Rankin, executive director of the Calorie Control Council opined:

“The results of this study are contrary to decades of scientific research showing reduced-calorie sweeteners like erythritol are safe,”

Earlier study of 2017 had linked this substance to weight gain.

This substance is put in products of ketogenic diet that doctors recommend for weight loss. Thus, it might defeat the purpose.

Also, read Non-nutritive sweeteners can cause metabolic diseases: an analysis!

This chemical also converts into the acid erythronate in the body and the levels of it are high in tissues of people with cancer. Mice studies showed that it remains in the blood and body for longer time. And the safety studies on it are only short -term. Karsten advises:

“At the current knowledge we have, I would not recommend people use it.”