According to recent studies, erythritol has been linked to a host of deadly health conditions. In this post, I will detail what foods it’s added to, health problems that are reported to be linked to this artificial sweetener, and helpful ways to avoid consuming erythritol.
If you regularly consumed erythritol and believe you suffered a related health issue, you can call the Allen Law Firm for a free and confidential case evaluation.
What is erythritol?
Though erythritol is found naturally in trace amounts in both fruits and vegetables, it’s commercially produced via fermentation. Our bodies also create a very small amount of erythritol when we metabolize glucose. It’s widely used as an artificial sweetener by fermenting corn, and is a type of sugar alcohol. Other types of sugar alcohol may sound familiar if you read labels. They include:
- Xylitol
- Sorbitol
- Maltitol
- Mannitol
- Isomalt
- Lactitol
- Hydrogenated starch hydrolysates
What health issues are related to erythritol?
“The degree of risk was not modest,” said lead study author Dr. Stanley Hazen, who serves as the director of the Center for Cardiovascular Diagnostics and Prevention at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute. Related health issues include:
- Blood clotting
- Stroke
- Heart attack
- Death
Who is most at risk for health problems?
People with existing risk factors for heart disease, such as obesity and diabetes were twice as likely to experience a heart attack or stroke if they had significant amounts of erythritol in their blood. “If your blood level of erythritol was in the top 25% compared to the bottom 25%, there was about a two-fold higher risk for heart attack and stroke. It’s on par with the strongest of cardiac risk factors, like diabetes,” Hazen added.
According to lab and animal research, erythritol causes blood platelets to clot more regularly. If the clot breaks off and goes to the heart, it can cause a heart attack. If the blood clot travels to the brain, it could cause a stroke.
What foods include erythritol?
This food is a sugar replacement and is mixed with stevia and monkfruit to add bulk and sweetness. It’s also used in a variety of reduced-sugar products for keto diets.
Red flags that your food may contain erythritol:
- Naturally sweetened or sweetened with natural compounds
- No sugar (or low sugar)
- Low calorie (or no calories)
- Contains sugar alcohol
- Keto-safe or diabetes-safe
- Artificially sweetened
Erythritol became the sweetheart of the food industry since it has no lingering aftertaste, tastes like sugar, and consumers are able to bake with it. Erythritol is now mass-produced in factories since it’s a popular additive to low-carb and keto-friendly products.
Unfortunately, it’s marketed to high-risk consumers, such as diabetics. In fact, erythritol is the largest ingredient by weight in many “natural” monkfruit and stevia products, because it adds a crystalline sugar-like appearance to stevia and monkfruit. Since these sweeteners are 200-400 times sweeter than sugar, only a small about is needed. Erythritol is added for bulk and the sugar-like appearance.
The Calorie Control Council weighs in
The Calorie Control Council responded to the study, saying that the results “should not be extrapolated to the general population, as the participants in the intervention were already at increased risk for cardiovascular events.”
The council’s executive director Robert Rankin said, “The results of this study are contrary to decades of scientific research showing reduced-calorie sweeteners like erythritol are safe, as evidenced by global regulatory permissions for their use in foods and beverages,” said Rankin. He has not addressed the study’s recent data.
While the FDA generally considers erythritol safe because it’s a naturally occurring compound, they are not taking into account the sheer levels of erythritol people are consuming with commercially-produced foods.
Healthy volunteers – and the findings
Two-thirds of the people in the study were in a high-risk group for heart disease, but the final part of the study included eight healthy volunteers. They each drank a beverage that contained 30 grams of erythritol, which is a typical amount that people in the U.S. consume. Over the next three days, they were given blood tests to assess their erythritol levels and clotting risks.
The result? “Thirty grams was enough to make blood levels of erythritol go up a thousandfold,” Hazen said. “It remained elevated above the threshold necessary to trigger and heighten the clotting risk for the following two to three days.”
The data keeps coming, and it isn’t good
While the focus of this article has covered the controversy of the main study, further testing shows troubling numbers. As lawsuits mount across the country, U.S. News & World Report published further evidence of erythritol’s heart risk. In August 2024, they introduced new evidence to combat the FDA’s “GRAS” rating. This translates to “generally recognized as safe.”
A new study through the Cleveland Clinic shared the findings of 20 healthy adult volunteers. When they consumed small doses of erythritol via snacks such as muffins or sodas, the sweetener was linked to higher activity of blood platelets, which could make blood clotting more likely. When the same experiment was conducted with sugar, no such effects were recorded.
You consumed food containing erythritol – what next?
Based on these findings, it’s recommended that consumers limit or eradicate erythritol from their diets. If consumers are likely to purchase stevia sweeteners, monkfruit sweeteners, or keto-based products, read the labels carefully. “Natural” does not mean erythritol-free.
Depending on the health event you experienced, those who have suffered from the use of erythritol may recover damages for things such as:
- Medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Emotional anguish
- Pain and suffering
- Punitive damages
Erythritol is a relatively new product, and the scientific findings are even more recent. Lawsuits are in the early stages, and more information may become available as research continues. We still cannot say we know the full impact erythritol has on human health.
If you believe that you suffered a stroke or heart attack from a diet containing erythritol, call the experienced product liability attorneys at Allen & Allen. Your case consultation is free, and we are here to help. Call 866-388-1307 today.
