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Aug. 9, 2024 – Erythritol and other artificial sweeteners are common replacements for table sugar in low-calorie, low-carbohydrate, and “keto” products. “This research raises some concerns that a standard serving of an erythritol-sweetened food or beverage may acutely stimulate a direct clot-forming effect.” Erythritol is classified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Food Safety Authority as a GRAS (“generally recognized as safe”) ingredient, allowing its use without restriction in food products. This is primarily because it is a sugar alcohol found naturally in fruits and vegetables and a byproduct of glucose metabolism in human tissue, although in small quantities.

However, recent studies by Dr. Hazen’s group, have found evidence that erythritol in typically consumed amounts may increase cardiovascular risk.

The current research builds on the team’s previous study, published last year in Nature Medicine, which revealed that cardiac patients with high erythritol levels were twice as likely to experience a major cardiac event in the following three years compared to those with low levels. The study also discovered that adding erythritol to patients’ blood or platelets increased clot formation. These findings were confirmed by pre-clinical studies.

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