Sweetener erythritol linked to heart problems
Comprehensive study discovers high dietary intake of erythritol correlates with increased risk of heart attack similar to having diabetes
The sweetener erythritol has been linked to a dramatically increased risk of cardiovascular problems.
Erythritol is a four carbon sugar alcohol naturally present in small amounts in fruits and vegetables, but at levels 1000 times higher in some processed foods such as pastries and ice creams. It is around two-thirds as sweet as sucrose and is increasingly popular as a natural sugar substitute.
However, a US study has found that people with higher levels of erythritol in their blood had a notably higher risk of cardiovascular problems. ‘The top 25% had twice the risk of heart attack, stroke and death compared to the bottom 25%,’ says Stanley Hazen, a cardiologist at Cleveland Clinic, Ohio, who led the research. ‘That places it on par with the strongest other cardiovascular risk factors, such as diabetes.’