LOS ANGELES - A new study published on Monday found that the sugar replacement called erythritol which is used to sweeten stevia, monkfruit has links to blood clotting, stroke, heart attack and death.
According to the study published in the journal Nature Medicine, people with existing risk factors for heart disease are twice as likely to experience heart failure when having high levels of erythritol in their system.
Researchers also noted that erythritol appeared to cause blood clots more readily in animal testing. Patients with metabolic diseases, including type 2 diabetes and obesity, are frequently advised that the use of artificial sweeteners in place of sugar can improve glycemic control and help achieve weight loss.
However, there is growing epidemiological evidence linking the consumption of artificial sweeteners to adverse cardiometabolic phenotypes, such as weight gain9, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD), including atherothrombotic complications12 and cardiovascular mortality," study authors wrote.