A study published in the journal natural medicine shed light on the effects of sweeteners on the body, especially at the vascular level.

Researchers, led by Stanley Hazen, from the Cleveland Clinic (USA), evaluated 1,157 people who had cardiovascular problems over three years, where they found evidence that erythritol was associated with the possibility of heart attack or stroke.

Sweetener or natural sugar, which is healthier for your body, and which should you not consume?

Erythritol is a sweetener obtained by fermentation of sugar, and is also used to sweeten stevia and replace sugar.

Within the study, it was observed that, unlike other treated patients, the risk of seizures was higher in patients who consumed it, which increased if they had a pre-existing medical condition. Similarly, experiments conducted on animals confirmed that it favors the formation of thrombus.

“Our findings reveal that erythritol is associated with a risk of serious adverse cardiovascular events and promotes increased thrombosis. Studies evaluating the long-term safety of erythritol are warranted,” the study says.

Despite the findings, the researchers acknowledge that the study has several limitations, including that the erythritol measurements in the clinical studies were performed at night and that the patients had a prevalence of cardiovascular disease and traditional risk factors. “It is necessary to establish the translatability of our findings to the general population,” they specify.

Similarly, they feel they can only show association, not causation, with the sweetener. “In summary, the current studies suggest that trials are needed to investigate the effect of erythritol in particular and artificial sweeteners in general, with appropriate duration of follow-up for clinically relevant outcomes.”