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Erythritol, a commonly used sugar substitute often marketed as "healthy," may impair blood vessel health by disrupting the brain's ability to produce a critical compound, according to new research. Erythritol is a low-calorie sugar substitute found in many sugar-free products, including energy drinks, snack foods and protein bars. Like other sugar alcohols, erythritol is popular because it does not affect blood glucose and insulin levels as much as sugar. However, previous research links consumption of erythritol to a higher risk of adverse cardiac events, including stroke. In a new study, researchers treated human cerebral microvascular endothelial cells—cells from the tiny...

(CNN) — 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. “What is remarkable is that in every single subject, every measure of platelet responsiveness (clotting) went up following...

The suspected health harms of artificial sweeteners are piling up – and now a new study has linked one kind of sugar substitute to higher risks of heart health problems. Physician-scientist Stanley Hazen and colleagues at the Cleveland Clinic's Lerner Research Institute wanted to see if they could find any signs that could warn people they were at greater risk of heart attack and stroke. They found it in blood levels of organic compounds used as sweeteners, specifically erythritol; a sweetener commonly used in low sugar, sugar-free, and no-carb foods. Among a group of 1,157 patients undergoing tests at a...