By Miriam Raftery

Photo by Thomas Kniess, CC 4.0 via Wikipedia

March 6, 2023 (San Diego) – Erythritol, an artificial sweetener, substantially increases the risk of death from heart attacks and strokes caused by blood clots, according to a study by the Cleveland Clinic’s Lerner Research Institute published in the journal Nature Medicine.

Erythritol is not required to be listed on food labels, so consumers may not be aware when they are choosing products that contain it.  It’s used as a sugar replacement and is also added to bulk up stevia and monkfruit, two other sweeteners. It’s been found in high levels in some products for diabetics and in low-sugar keto products.

“The degree of risk was not modest,” said Dr. Stanley Hazen, lead author of the study and director of the Center for Cardiovascular Diagnostics and Prevention at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute.