A study was recently released that claimed erythritol increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.
The claim was based on the finding that people with the highest levels of erythritol in the blood had double the risk of having a heart attack or stroke. However, erythritol is considered a biomarker. Anytime sugar or refined carbs are consumed, our bodies convert them into erythritol. That makes me question whether it's truly the erythritol causing strokes, or if it's the fact that the people with the highest levels of erythritol are also the people who are consuming the highest amount of sugar, which we already know increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Research has shown that people with the highest levels of blood sugar have erythritol levels that are 21 times higher than those with low blood sugar levels. So it's like high blood sugar, rather than erythritol, that is causing health risks. The research I’ve read suggests erythritol acts as an antioxidant and helps protect our blood vessels and prevent damage.[1],[2]
Unlike artificial sweeteners, erythritol is a sweetener that already exists in the body that we normally produce. The compound is not something considered foreign to the body. Other preliminary research has also found erythritol consumption is associated with:[3]
â—‹ Improved body weight
â—‹ Improved blood glucose levels
â—‹ Improved energy expenditure
â—‹ Lower levels of inflammation
â—‹ Had no harmful impacts to liver, blood or longevity
â—‹ No harmful changes to the blood[4]
â—‹ No harmful impacts on survival[5]
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7504156/ [2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3673924/ [3] https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/22/11/5558 [4] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0273230096901063 [5] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0273230096901087