Consumption of artificial sweetener 'Erythritol' may increase risk of heart attack, stroke: Study

The consumption of foods and drinks flavoured by a popular artificial sweetener may increase a person's risk of heart attack and stroke, claims a recently published Nature Medicine study.

"Erythritol" – made from fermented corn and is mostly absorbed into the bloodstream upon consumption – is a sugar substitute commonly found in Splenda packets, diet drinks, and low-calorie snacks. 

Researchers at Cleveland Clinic, US, checked the blood Erythritol levels of more than 4,000 people in the US and Europe and found that those with relatively high amounts of Erythritol in their blood had an elevated risk of a major cardiac event, such as heart attack or stroke.

Artificial sweeteners are widely used in sugar-free products recommended for people who have diabetes or obesity, the study notes. 

Addressing the findings, senior author of the study Stanley Hazen said, "Cardiovascular disease builds over time, and heart disease is the leading cause of death globally. 

"We need to make sure the foods we eat aren't hidden contributors."

Artificial sweetener Erythritol is only 70% as sweet as sugar. It contains about 6% of the calories found in an equal amount of sugar making it technically a sugar alcohol which is found naturally in some fruits and manufactured by fermenting corn with yeast.

Sugar alcohols are able to stimulate the taste buds without affecting blood sugar, which is great for diabetics but Cleveland Clinic researchers have found that some sugar alcohols – namely erythritol – may contribute to blood clots.

To be sure, the researchers added erythritol to blood outside of the body and watched it clot and found that the addition was associated with enhanced clotting, which raises the risk of heart attack and stroke.

However, the study authors said that their findings are preliminary and cannot prove that erythritol directly causes blood clots adding that more research is needed to evaluate the safety of the sweetener, which is currently recognised as safe by the Food and Drug Association of the US.