Chem Sweetener Erythritol Links, Higher Risk Stroke, Heart Attack; Aspartame Sweetener, Cancer Risk

Zero Calorie Sweetener Linked to Blood Clots and Risk of Heart Disease, Study Finds, CNN, Aug. 8, 2024.

Consuming a drink with erythritol — an artificial sweetener used to add bulk to stevia and monk fruit and to sweeten low-carb keto products — more than doubled the risk of blood clotting in 10 healthy people, according to a new pilot study. Clots can break off blood vessels and travel to the heart, triggering a heart attack, or to the brain, triggering a stroke. 

Previous research has linked erythritol to a higher risk of stroke, heart attack and death.

Consuming a drink with an equal amount of glucose, or sugar, did not affect blood platelet activity in another group of 10 people, said Hazen, who is also the Jan Bleeksma chair in vascular cell biology and atherosclerosis at the Cleveland Clinic. “This is the first direct head-to-head comparison of the effects of ingesting glucose versus ingesting erythritol on multiple different measures of platelet function,” Hazen said. “Glucose doesn’t impact clotting, but erythritol does.”

While small, the study was “very intriguing and interesting,” said Dr. Andrew Freeman, director of cardiovascular prevention and wellness at National Jewish Health in Denver. “I’m not saying we need to cease using these sugar alcohols immediately, but this line of research certainly begs the question: Are they safe or not?” said Freeman, who was not involved in the research...
https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/08/health/erythritol-blood-clotting-wellness

Cleveland Clinic Study Finds Common Artificial Sweetener Linked to Higher Rates of Heart Attack and Stroke, Feb. 27, 2023, Edit.

.. Sweeteners like erythritol, have rapidly increased in popularity in recent years but there needs to be more in-depth research into their long-term effects,” said senior author Stanley Hazen, M.D., Ph.D., chairman for the Department of Cardiovascular & Metabolic Sciences in Lerner Research Institute and co-section head of Preventive Cardiology at Cleveland Clinic. “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 sweeteners, such as erythritol, are common replacements for table sugar in low-calorie, low-carbohydrate and “keto” products. Sugar-free products containing erythritol are often recommended for people who have obesity, diabetes or metabolic syndrome and are looking for options to help manage their sugar or calorie intake. People with these conditions also are at higher risk for adverse cardiovascular events like heart attack and stroke.

Erythritol is about 70% as sweet as sugar and is produced through fermenting corn. After ingestion, erythritol is poorly metabolized by the body. Instead, it goes into the bloodstream and leaves the body mainly through urine. The human body creates low amounts of erythritol naturally, so any additional consumption can accumulate. Measuring artificial sweeteners is difficult and labeling requirements are minimal and often do not list individual compounds. Erythritol is “Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS)” by the FDA, which means there is no requirement for long-term safety studies...
https://newsroom.clevelandclinic.org/2023/02/27/cleveland-clinic-study-finds-common-artificial-sweetener-linked-to-higher-rates-of-heart-attack-and-stroke

CBS, Aug. 8, 2024. Stevia, Trulia..

NIH, Erythritol, Cardiovascular Events, March 14, 2023. https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/erythritol-cardiovascular-events
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- World Health Organization/WHO, Aspartame hazard and risk assessment results released, July 14, 2023,

Assessments of the health impacts of the non-sugar sweetener aspartame are released today by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA). Citing “limited evidence” for carcinogenicity in humans, IARC classified aspartame as possibly carcinogenic to humans (IARC Group 2B) and JECFA reaffirmed the acceptable daily intake of 40 mg/kg body weight.

Aspartame is an artificial (chemical) sweetener widely used in various food and beverage products since the 1980s, including diet drinks, chewing gum, gelatin, ice cream, dairy products such as yogurt, breakfast cereal, toothpaste and medications such as cough drops and chewable vitamins...
https://www.who.int/news/item/14-07-2023-aspartame-hazard-and-risk-assessment-results-released