Cleveland Clinic study adds to increasing evidence that sugar substitute erythritol raises cardiovascular risk

CLEVELAND, Ohio – New Cleveland Clinic research shows that consuming foods with erythritol, a popular artificial sweetener, increases risk of cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke.

The findings, from a new intervention study in healthy volunteers, show erythritol made platelets (a type of blood cell) more active, which can raise the risk of blood clots. Sugar (glucose) did not have this effect.

Published in “Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology,” the research adds to increasing evidence that erythritol may not be as safe as currently classified by food regulatory a...