"Our study adds to the evidence suggesting that non-nutritive sweeteners that have generally been purported to be safe, may not come without negative health consequences," said senior author Christopher DeSouza, Professor of Integrative Physiology at the University of Colorado, Boulder, in a press release.
Erythritol is a sugar alcohol made by fermenting corn. Approved by the FDA in 2001, it is around 80% as sweet as sugar, has no calories, and has a minimal effect on insulin levels. Due to to this, it is commonly used by people seeking to lose weight, manage blood sugar or reduce their intake of carbohydrates.
Recently however, questions have arisen surrounding the sweetener’s safety. In 2023, researchers reported a link between circulating levels of erythritol and a higher risk of heart attack or stroke within three years. In the current study, researchers sought to examine how this may happen.
To do so, they exposed human cells that line blood vessels in the brain to an amount of erythritol similar to that found in a typical sugar-free drink for three hours. Ultimately, cells produced significantly less nitric oxide, which helps blood vessels relax and widen. They also produced more endothelin-1, which make vessels tighten.
When exposed to thrombin, which promotes clotting, the cells were less able to produce t-PA, which helps break down clots. The cells also produced higher levels of reactive oxygen species which can damage cells and trigger inflammation.
"Big picture, if your vessels are more constricted and your ability to break down blood clots is lowered, your risk of stroke goes up. Our research demonstrates not only that, but how erythritol has the potential to increase stroke risk,” lead author of the study, Auburn Berry, a graduate student in DeSouza’s lab, said in a press release.
More research is needed to know whether these findings translate to real-word settings. Nevertheless, DeSouza recommended people monitor their consumption of non-nutrient-sweeteneers such as erythritol. He emphasized that the study used a single serving amount of erythritol meaning the observed effects could be more pronounced in those consuming multiple servings per day.
Sources: Science Daily, Journal of Applied Physiology
