The artificial sweetener called Erythritol often used as an alternative to sugar by the people with diabetes, obesity, and those who want to lose weight. It helps control blood sugar levels and achieves weight loss. It has zero calories. Erythritol is a popular artificial sweetener that is widely available in India and abroad.

Erythritol is artificial sweetener made by fermenting corn and is around 70% as sweet as sugar. Erythritol is poorly metabolised by the body after consumption. The experts have noted that because the human body normally produces very little amounts of erythritol, any additional ingestion can accumulate.

However, a recent study from the Cleveland Clinic that was published in the journal Nature Medicine warns that using artificial sweeteners as a replacement for sugar may carry long-term dangers. The study claims that long term use of this particular artificial sweetener is associated with an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. This study involved 4,000 individuals from the US and Europe, some of whom had a high risk of developing cardiovascular problems.

The Researchers also examined the effects of adding Erythritol to either whole blood or isolated platelets, which are cell fragments that clump together to stop bleeding and contribute to blood clots. The results show that erythritol promoted platelet activation and clot formation. Such clusters block blood flow in different parts of the body.

“Sweeteners like erythritol have rapidly increased in popularity in recent years but there needs to be more in-depth research into their long-term effects,” said senior author Stanley Hazen, MD, Ph D, chairman of the Department of Cardiovascular & Metabolic Sciences in Lerner Research Institute and co-section head of Preventive Cardiology at Cleveland Clinic.