Research Links Sweetener Erythritol to Heart Disease

The sweetener erythritol has been associated with a dramatically increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

Erythritol is a 4-carbon sugar alcohol found naturally in small amounts in fruits and vegetables, but in some processed foods such as pastries and ice cream, levels are 1000 times higher. About two-thirds as sweet as sucrose, it’s becoming a popular alternative to natural sugar.

However, a US study found that people with high levels of erythritol in their blood had a significantly higher risk of cardiovascular problems. , doubled the risk of death.” Stanley HazenHe is a cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio and led the study. “This is on par with other strongest cardiovascular risk factors such as diabetes.”

Hazen didn’t start investigating sweeteners. A blood sample was taken instead. 1157 patients They underwent a cardiac risk assessment and were followed for 3 years to look for chemical signatures that could predict heart attack or stroke risk. “Treatment of existing risk factors such as cholesterol, blood pressure and diabetes lowers the risk of heart disease, but most events still occur,” Hazen says. I searched.

Erythritol stands out as the best predictor of heart disease, even if you have high cholesterol levels. US patient group and European patient group People with or at risk of heart disease. Those with higher erythritol levels in these groups had twice the risk of heart attack and stroke.

This means that for every 100 people in the US group with the lowest erythritol levels, one-fourth, seven serious cardiovascular events are expected over three years. Kevin McConway, Emeritus Professor of Statistics at the Open University, was not involved in the research. In contrast, 12 serious cardiovascular events were expected in the quarter with the highest erythritol concentration, with a margin of error of 9 to 18. The error bars are even wider in the European cohort. However, it is important to note that this study cannot determine whether the increase is actually caused by erythritol or other factors.

Next, cell experiments revealed that erythritol promotes the aggregation of platelets (cells that adhere to and repair damaged blood vessels). It lowers the threshold for sticking to surfaces,” Hazen says.

To test the effects of erythritol intake in humans, eight healthy volunteers drank a 30g sugar-sweetened drink. Erythritol plasma levels spiked after the drink, remained 1000-fold higher for several hours, and exceeded the threshold associated with increased risk of clotting for more than two days.

Hazen says people in risk groups have an increased risk of experiencing blood clots after eating large amounts of ice cream suitable for the keto diet. We are concerned that people most susceptible to heart attack and stroke are the most likely to consume foods containing artificial sweeteners.

“If you’re at risk for cardiovascular disease, you should avoid highly processed foods,” says Hazen. “Read labels to make sure they don’t contain erythritol.”

cardiac epidemiologist Noel Muller A doctor from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health says the study does an extraordinary job in bringing together observational, in vitro, animal, and dietary intervention studies. However, he cautions, “The findings are based on observational studies and may be confused with other factors, such as when erythritol consumption is associated with poor diet.” The risk of people with high medium erythritol.

“This definitely warrants further investigation of erythritol,” Muller says. praised the additional experiments as “strengthening the validity of these findings as potentially causal.”

Conway notes that the risk of major cardiovascular events is approximately doubled in the 25% with the highest circulating erythritol levels compared to the 25% with the lowest levels, but notes that “erythritol the quarter with the lowest level of , and the two quarters in the middle”. “This probably indicates that the increased risk is only associated with high levels of circulating erythritol, so it may be related to high levels of consumption.

Hazen notes that erythritol is also made endogenously. “It looks like we’ve discovered a new pathway to disease. It’s in everyone. Consuming amounts found only in processed foods can make that pathway even worse.”

nutritionist Duane Mellor Aston University’s Ph.D. emphasizes that our body’s pentose phosphate pathway also produces erythritol, which increases when someone has excess energy in their body. [lack of] physical activity,” says Mellor. “What we do know are risk factors for cardiovascular disease.”

“You can’t be sure that people at higher heart attack risk don’t do more [erythritol]’ adds Mellor. He believes sweeteners are a potential concern only for those looking to replace sugar with sugar alcohols.

The European Food Safety Authority is currently reassessing 15 sweeteners, including erythritol. A spokesperson said working group experts are currently reviewing methods and results from the US study.