While millions of people throughout the world are using zero calorie sweetener as an alternative to sugar thinking it helps them in avoiding hazards from diabetes related complications, a new study has found that the zero-calorie sweetener causes strokes, heart attacks, blood clots and death.
In a report The Hill said, artificial sweetener called erythritol is often found in diet foods, such as Truvia, as a sugar replacement because it does not affect blood glucose levels and does not have any calories.
The new study, published in the journal Nature Medicine on Monday, found that higher levels of erythritol are correlated with a higher chances of heart attack, stroke or death in three years when analyzing blood samples from three different populations.
Researchers first found the correlation between increased erythritol levels and major adverse cardiac events when analyzing chemicals and compounds in 1,157 blood samples of those who were at risk for heart disease that were collected between 2004 and 2011. After discovering the link between the high levels and increased risk, the researchers confirmed their results by testing a larger sample from 2,100 people in the United States and 833 samples in Europe through 2018.
“Following exposure to dietary erythritol, a prolonged period of potentially heightened thrombotic risk may occur. This is a concern given that the very patients for whom artificial sweeteners are marketed (patients with diabetes, obesity history of [cardiovascular diseases] and impaired kidney function) are those typically at higher risk for future [cardiovascular diseases] events”, the study reads.
The study also found that when a group of eight healthy volunteers drank a beverage with 30 grams of erythritol in it, there was “heightened” blood clotting risks.
Stanley Hazen, the director of the Center for Cardiovascular Diagnostics and Prevention at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute and lead researcher on the study, told CNN that “the degree of risk was not modest”.
“If your blood level of erythritol was in the top 25 percent compared to the bottom 25 percent, there was about a two-fold higher risk for heart attack and stroke. It’s on par with the strongest of cardiac risk factors, like diabetes”, StanleyHazen said.
According to the American Heart Association, cardiovascular disease, which includes heart attacks and strokes, accounted for 874,613 deaths in the United States in 2019.
Erythritol is a sugar alcohol that is naturally found in fruits such as watermelons, pears and grapes, but has since been processed as a food additive used to sweeten and enhance the flavor of foods, according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The total US population’s daily intake of erythritol has been estimated to reach up to 30 grams per day in some participants, according to data from a National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey filed by the FDA.
Due to growing obesity epidemic worldwide, artificial sweeteners are becoming increasingly common ingredients found in soft drinks, “diet” foods and other processed products. Although federal regulatory agencies like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have deemed most artificial sweeteners as safe, little is known about the long-term health effects.
According to British newspaper The Mail, low-calorie artificial sweetener found in Halo Top ice cream, Monster Energy and Quest protein bars may raise the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Gunter Kuhnle, professor of nutrition and food science at the University of Reading, told The Mail: “The sweetener concentration they used was ten-fold higher than the permitted amount in drinks, and the single dose they use was more than most of us would eat during an entire day.
“These results suggest a potentially adverse effect of erythritol when consumed a amounts above what is generally consumed in Britain or the EU – and this is one of the reason why regulators set limits for the use of food additives in sweeteners: to protect the public and ensure intake is in a safe range”.
Oliver Jones, professor of chemistry at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, said: “While I think the finding certainly warrants further investigation, don’t throw out your sweeteners just yet.
“This study only looks at erythritol and artificial sweeteners are generally considered safe. Any possible – and, as yet unproven – risks of excess erythritol would also need to be balanced against the very real health risks of excess glucose consumption”.
The Mayo Clinic in an article said: “Artificial sweeteners can be a short-term way to help some people lessen their use of sugar and lose or manage weight. In general, sugar substitutes are safe for healthy adults.
“But be aware of how sugar substitutes affect your food and drink choices. These ingredients may get your tastebuds used to sweetness. And that can make drinking enough water a challenge.
“Products made with sugar substitutes also may give you the wrong message about processed foods. A snack labeled low sugar or no sugar may not be the most nutritious choice. Whole foods, such as fruits and vegetables, usually have the best mix of nutrients for the body.
“But artificial sweeteners can help some people enjoy sweetness without excess calories. And if used in moderation, artificial sweeteners can be part of a healthy diet”.
