Cleveland Clinic Research Reveals Potential Dangers Of Erythritol Sugar Substitutes

African Americans are at a greater risk for heart disease and stroke. The new study advises to entirely avoid erythritol-sweetened drinks.

A new study conducted by researchers at the Cleveland Clinic has linked the ingestion of erythritol, a sugar alcohol commonly used as a sweetener, to a heightened risk of heart attack, stroke, and cardiovascular disease.

Erythritol, often used as a sugar-free or reduced sugar additive, is one of the fastest growing Food and Drug Administration–approved and European Food Safety Authority-approved non-nutritive sweeteners, and according to the study published in the American Heart Association’s Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology Journal, the US and European Union regulatory agencies have typically found artificial and non-nutritive sweeteners to be safe. However, recent research has flagged the consumption of drinks with the sugar alternative, erythritol, as a potential enhancer of blood clotting.

Researchers examined 10 healthy volunteers using a prospective interventional study design. The study states, “We tested the impact of erythritol or glucose consumption on multiple indices of stimulus-dependent platelet responsiveness in healthy volunteers.”

The Toronto Star reported that according to Dr. Stanley Hazen, Cleveland Clinic director for the Center for Cardiovascular Diagnostics and Prevention, the risk of blood clotting doubled in the volunteers after consuming a typical portion size, detecting a clear difference in their bodies before and after downing erythritol-sweetened drinks. According to a March report by the American Heart Association, more than any other racial group, African Americans are at a greater risk for heart disease and stroke due to adverse social determinants of health, including lack of access to healthcare and healthy foods and other historical and systemic factors. The report advised to regularly check blood pressure, noting the normal blood pressure is less than 120/80 mm Hg.

Hazen advised individuals with an increased risk of heart disease or blood clotting to consume moderate amounts of glucose, sugar, honey, or fruit and steer clear of sweeteners erythritol and xylitol, another sugar alternative researchers previously linked to an increase in heart attack and cardiovascular disease. “I’m trying to sound the alarm,” Hazen said. “We need to look at the safety of this because I’m concerned that, long-term, we’re seeing, unfortunately, adverse consequences for the very people who are trying to reach for a healthy option or healthy alternative.”

Although erythritol has been used for people with diabetes and those on a Keto diet, Cleveland Clinic researchers suggest reevaluating its safety as a food additive.