Sugar Substitute Erythritol, Common In Keto Foods, May Increase Your Risk For Stroke
A sweetener found in nature and often added to diet products, particularly for the ketogenic diet, may actually contribute to clogged arteries and strokes, a new study suggests.
Sugar Substitute Erythritol, Common In Keto Foods, May Increase Your Risk For Stroke
People with the highest level of the sugar substitute erythritol in their blood were shown to have twice the risk for stroke, blood clot or death compared with those with the lowest level.
Sugar Substitute Erythritol, Common In Keto Foods, May Increase Your Risk For Stroke
Animal and lab studies reinforced the idea that erythritol might cause clots, said Dr. Stanley Hazen, who led the research and chairs the department of cardiovascular and metabolic sciences at the Cleveland Clinic.
Sugar Substitute Erythritol, Common In Keto Foods, May Increase Your Risk For Stroke
“The very group of people most vulnerable to experiencing adverse cardiac events are the ones we’re recommending these kinds of dietary foods for,” he said.
Sugar Substitute Erythritol, Common In Keto Foods, May Increase Your Risk For Stroke
Obesity medications are set to skyrocket. But how will we afford them?
Sugar Substitute Erythritol, Common In Keto Foods, May Increase Your Risk For Stroke
What’s to blame for Americans’ obesity problem? Start with the system.
Sugar Substitute Erythritol, Common In Keto Foods, May Increase Your Risk For Stroke
What is erythritol?
Erythritol, considered a sugar alcohol, has no calories and is found naturally at low levels in some foods, including grapes, mushrooms, pears, watermelon, beer, cheese, sake, soy sauce and wine.
The sugar substitute is added to many processed foods and beverages and is commonly found in products targeting people on the ketogenic diet because it does not affect blood glucose. Erythritol is also an ingredient in the sweetener Truvia.
Though many sweeteners provide intense flavor and need to be used in small concentrations, erythritol’s sweetness is close to that of sugar, so it can be used as a substitute in baking.
The body actually produces erythritol but at levels well below what’s found with the added sweetener, according to research from Karsten Hiller, a biochemist and specialist in human metabolism at the Braunschweig Institute of Technology in Germany.
Current federal guidelines do not require that erythritol has to be included on a product’s ingredient list, Hazen said. The label might simply say “artificially sweetened with natural products,” or “zero sugar.”
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Study suggests erythritol promotes blood clots
Hazen initially set out to study the factors that lead people to have heart attacks and strokes even when they’re treated for high cholesterol, high blood…