Sweetener sold in Tesco and Asda and found in low-calorie snacks “may increase risk of heart attack and stroke”

A SWEETENER sold in UK supermarkets has been linked to an increased risk of blood clots, heart attacks and strokes.

Scientists discovered that a standard serving of erythritol (E968) could increase someone’s chances of suffering deadly events.

The study, published in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biologyadds to growing evidence that erythritol may not be as safe as food regulators currently claim.

Senior and corresponding author Dr. Stanley Hazen, chair of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences at Cleveland Clinic’s Lerner Research Institute and chief of the Preventive Cardiology co-section, said, “Many professional societies and physicians routinely recommend that people at high cardiovascular risk – those with obesity, diabetes or metabolic syndrome – consume foods that contain sugar substitutes instead of sugar.

“These findings highlight the importance of more long-term clinical studies to evaluate the cardiovascular safety of erythritol and other sugar substitutes.

“I think choosing sugary treats occasionally and in small amounts would be preferable to consuming drinks and foods sweetened with these sugar alcohols, especially for people at high risk of thrombosis, such as those with heart disease, diabetes or metabolic syndrome.

“Cardiovascular diseases increase over time and heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide.

“We need to make sure the foods we eat are not hidden contributors.”

Erythritol is an artificial sweetener that commonly replaces sugar in low-calorie, low-carb, and keto products.

It’s also available to buy in bags from stores like Tesco, Asda and Waitrose, and is an ingredient in some energy drinks like Monster Ultra, Quest protein bars, low-calorie ice creams like Halo Top and ‘healthy’ vitamin water.

Erythritol is said to be about 70% sweet like sugar and is produced through the fermentation of corn.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recognize it as safe, which means it can be used without restrictions in foods and drinks.

This is mainly because it is a sugar alcohol (polyol) found naturally in fruits and vegetables and a byproduct of glucose metabolism in human tissue, albeit in small quantities, the scientists said.

But new research, based on a small sample, suggests that erythritol in “normally consumed amounts” may increase someone’s cardiovascular risk.

Scientists studied the effect that sugar-free soft drinks, muffins and ice cream containing erythritol could have on the body.

They asked 20 healthy volunteers to fast overnight before taking a blood test the next morning.

Participants were then given a drink with 30g of erythritol or 30g of sugar – almost the amount contained in the products above.

After 30 minutes, blood was collected again.

Erythritol levels increased on average more than 1,000-fold in the first group, while blood sugar levels increased only a small amount in the second.

But researchers found the change in platelet activity to be most concerning.

“We saw improved clotting using measures of how quickly clots clog a vessel or stop blood flow, which is like a model of a heart attack or stroke,” Dr. Hazen said.

He got similar results after a study last year in which eight healthy people consumed the same amount of erythritol and saw a thousandfold increase in the substance in their blood.

“Erythritol remained elevated above the threshold necessary to trigger and increase the risk of clotting for the next two to three days,” he added.

That study also looked at the blood of more than 4,000 people in the United States and Europe and found that people with the highest levels of erythritol were twice as likely to have a heart attack or stroke.

“What is remarkable is that in each individual, all measures of platelet response (clotting) increased after ingestion of erythritol,” said Dr. Hazen.

“Glucose doesn’t affect clotting, but erythritol does.”

Co-author Dr. Wai Hong Wilson Tang, research director of Heart Failure and Heart Transplant Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, added: “This research raises some concerns that a standard serving of a food or drink sweetened with erythritol may stimulate acute form direct clot formation effect.

“Erythritol and other sugar alcohols that are commonly used as sugar substitutes should be evaluated for potential long-term health effects, especially when such effects are not seen with glucose itself.”

‘EXTREME CAUTION’

Previous research, published in Nature Medicine, found that heart patients with high erythritol levels were twice as likely to suffer a serious cardiac event over the next three years, compared to those with low levels.

The study also found that adding erythritol to patients’ blood or platelets increased clot formation.

A separate investigation found that xylitol, another common artificial sweetener, produced similar increases in plasma levels, associated with an increased risk of heart attack, stroke or death over the next three years.

Other studies have linked other sweeteners, including aspartame, acesulfame potassium and sucralose, to heart disease.

But talking to CNNCarla Saunders of the Calorie Control Council urged consumers to interpret all results with “extreme caution” as 30 years of science has demonstrated that erythritol is a “proven safe and effective choice” for reducing sugar and calories.

Before any sweetener can be sold here, it must undergo an extensive safety assessment

Adam HardgraveFood Standards Agency

There is no officially accepted daily intake defined by EFSA, but the Food Additives and Flavorings Panel (FAF) suggests a daily intake of no more than 0.5g per kilogram of body weight per day to avoid laxative effects.

When a polyol such as erythritol is used in a product in concentrations greater than 10 percent, it must include a warning that excessive consumption may produce laxative effects.

An EFSA spokesperson added: “Current evidence does not show a link (i.e. cause and effect) between the consumption of foods containing erythritol and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and related risk factors.

“However, further research may be helpful in clarifying the nature of the association found in some observational studies.”

Up to 100,000 Brits are hospitalized for heart attacks and the same number suffer strokes every year.

High blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, smoking and obesity are known risk factors.

Sweeteners are often recommended for people suffering from obesity and diabetes as sugar substitutes.

Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, said: “Food safety is of the utmost importance to retailers, and they follow detailed regulations to ensure the food they sell is safe.

“Manufacturers only use sweeteners approved by the government regulator, the Food Standards Agency, which regularly reviews the safety of foods and ingredients.”

Adam Hardgrave, head of food additives, flavorings and food contact materials at the FSA, added: “Before any sweetener can go on sale here, it must undergo an extensive safety assessment.

“We keep all sweeteners approved for sale under rigorous review and if there are any concerns regarding safety, we will consider whether any action needs to be taken to protect consumers.”

All brands and supermarkets mentioned have been contacted for comment.