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Protecting families from contaminated food and water
Posted in Our Blog on December 10, 2024
Is that zero calorie sweetener really all that good for you? While it may not impact your blood glucose, it could have a negative impact on other parts of your body. Namely, your heart.
A recent pilot study found that the zero calorie sweetener known as erythritol more than doubled the risk of blood clotting. Other studies have found similar health risks.
You may have heard of erythritol, sorbitol, or even xylitol. But what are they?
They are sugar alcohols.
These sugar alcohols can be found naturally in fruits and vegetables and are even a byproduct of human metabolism (very small amounts).
They do not spike blood sugar, have no lingering aftertaste, and impart about 70% of the sweetness of sugar.
Sounds great, right?
The most commonly used sugar alcohol is erythritol.
By weight, it is usually the largest ingredient in many “natural” zero calorie sweetener products like stevia and monk fruit.
Erythritol and other sugar alcohol zero calorie sweeteners bear the “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
But are they?
Recent studies show certain negative effects from the additive.
Erythritol, commonly used in zero calorie sweeteners for keto products, is the focus of several studies.
Studies revealing startling outcomes.
A recent publication of Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology included research from this study. Ingestion of Non-Nutritive Sweetener Erythritol, but Not Glucose, Enhances Platelet Reactivity and Thrombosis Potential in Healthy Volunteers explains the phenomenon uncovered in research subjects.
Twenty research subjects were asked to fast overnight. During the study, they were given a drink containing either 30 grams of erythritol or 30 grams of sugar.
Blood was drawn before and after beverage consumption.
Levels of erythritol in the blood rose by a thousandfold! In contrast, blood sugars only slightly elevated after consuming glucose.
The biggest concern was not blood sugar in test subjects. But platelet activity. It was the change in platelet activity that was startling, said Hazen.
“What is remarkable is that in every single subject, every measure of platelet responsiveness (clotting) went up following the erythritol ingestion,” said lead study author Dr. Stanley Hazen, director of Center for Cardiovascular Diagnostics and Prevention at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute.
Platelets become “super responsive” when exposed to erythritol. “A mere 10% stimulant produces 90% to 100% of a clot formation.” These effects lasted two to three days.
But do all sugars do this?
They tested that too.
In a group analyzed for platelet reaction in response to glucose (regular old sugar), this did not happen. Consuming an equal amount of glucose (also 30 grams) did not affect platelet activities, said Hazen.
“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.”
If platelets help our body clot blood, isn’t boosting that aspect a good thing?
Unfortunately, this is not the case.
When platelets cause blood to clot on a wound is definitely a good thing. Platelets play an important role in making sure a small wound does not have fatal consequences.
But when these platelets cause excessive clotting while the blood is still in the body trying to circulate…
Not so much.
Clots clinging to blood vessels can break off and make their way to the heart where they can trigger a heart attack. If they block vessels leading to the brain, it could trigger a stroke.
Previous research has linked erythritol consumption to increased risk of stroke, heart attack, and death.
In response to the findings discovered in this study, several criticisms have emerged.
The Calorie Control Council, an industry association said that “consumers should interpret the results of this pilot with extreme caution.” Carla Sauders, the council’s president cited the limited number of participants (10 for erythritol and 10 for glucose) and the “excessive” amount of erythritol in the study. The organization claims that the amount used in the study (30 grams) was nearly quadruple the maximum amount approved in any single beverage in the United States.
To put that in comparison, one Bai brand Antioxidant Infusion Kula Watermelon beverage contains 10 grams erythritol. A typical pint of “reduced sugar” or “zero sugar” ice cream contains between 26 and 45 grams erythritol.
While previous research garnered the GRAS status by the FDA, new research looking at different aspects of the physiological effects of the product may change that standing.
This study was performed with healthy participants without chronic disease. More studies looking at a better snapshot of the population are needed.
“If you look at middle-aged America, the average person has two to three risk factors for heart disease, and 70% of us are going to develop heart disease in our lifetime,” said Hazen.
Many consumers have now made meticulously checking labels a habit. Should you swear off zero calorie sweeteners from your consumer goods for good?
For those with risk factors of cardiovascular disease, the occasional sugar-sweetened treat in moderation may be preferable to consuming those with sugar alcohols like erythritol. Those at highest risk for clotting, heart attack, and stroke like people with existing cardiac disease or diabetes should probably consider those choices strongly.
As for everyone else. Moderation is the key to any healthy diet.
If you’d like to know more about food safety topics in the news, like “Recent Study Shows Zero Calorie Sweetener Is Linked to Blood Clots and Heart Disease,” check out the Make Food Safe Blog. We regularly update trending topics, foodborne infections in the news, recalls, and more! Stay tuned for quality information to help keep your family safe, while The Lange Law Firm, PLLC strives to Make Food Safe!
By: Heather Van Tassell (contributing writer, non-lawyer)