Low-Calorie Sweetener Sold Across Minnesota Linked To Serious Heart Issues

A new study recently surfaced that shed light on a heightened risk of heart attack and stroke in connection to one particular low-calorie sweetener that can be found on grocery store shelves across Minnesota . According to the European Heart Journal , Xylitol , one of a few low-calorie sweeteners present in popular food and hygiene products, has the potential to increase consumer risk of serious heart issues including heart attack and stroke.

The popular sugar alcohol can be found in a handful of products including (but not limited to) toothpaste, sugar-free gum, pastries, and many "keto-friendly" products. Dr. Stanley Hazen , director of the Center for Cardiovascular Diagnostics and Prevention at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute, conducted a study to prove this information and found his hypothesis to be true.

“We gave healthy volunteers a typical drink with xylitol to see how high the levels would get and they went up 1,000-fold. When you eat sugar, your glucose level may go up 10% or 20% but it doesn’t go up a 1,000-fold."

He continued:

“Humankind has not experienced levels of xylitol this high except within the last couple of decades when we began ingesting completely contrived and sugar-substituted processed foods.”

According to CNN , it is predicted that 61% of American adults will have cardiovascular disease within the next 25 years. So how exactly do sugar alcohols like Xylitol and Erythritol interact with the body?

Dr. Andrew Freeman , director of cardiovascular prevention and wellness at National Jewish Health in Denver, explained that consumption of these potentially harmful ingredients could cause blood clots.

“When someone has a heart attack, we give them aspirin or drugs like clopidogrel, or Plavix, to counter platelet activity. These sugar alcohols appear to be enhancing platelet activity, which is concerning.”

For more information visit: Low-Calorie Sweetener Linked To Increased Risk Of Heart Attack And Stroke .