A SWEETENER sold in UK supermarkets has been linked to an increased risk of blood clots, heart attacks and strokes. Scientists found a standard serving of erythritol (E968) could increase someone's chances of the deadly events. The study, published in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology , adds to growing evidence that erythritol may not be as safe as food regulators currently say it is.
Senior and corresponding author Dr Stanley Hazen, chair of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences in Cleveland Clinic’s Lerner Research Institute and co-section head of Preventive Cardiology, said: "Many professional societies and clinicians routinely recommend that people at high cardiovascular risk – those with obesity, diabetes or metabolic syndrome – consume foods that contain sugar substitutes rather than sugar. "These findings underscore the importance of further long-term clinical studies to assess the cardiovascular safety of erythritol and other sugar substitutes. "I feel that choosing sugar-sweetened treats occasionally and in small amounts would be preferable to consuming drinks and foods sweetened with these sugar alcohols, especially for people at elevated risk of thrombosis such as those with heart disease, diabetes or metabolic syndrome.
"Cardiovascular disease builds over time, and heart disease is the leading cause of death globally. "We need to make sure the foods we eat aren’t hidden contributors." Erythritol is an artificial sweetener that commonly repl.