Reverse Insulin Resistance: Is Erythritol Going to Give Me a Heart Attack?
New publicity about an old study has people worried about erythritol and heart attach risk.
Erythritol, the zero-calorie sugar substitute, has become a staple in the diet of those looking for a healthier alternative to sugar. However, a recent study suggests that consuming erythritol may increase the risk of heart attack, stroke, and cardiovascular death. In this blog post, we will take a closer look at the study and explore whether erythritol is as dangerous as it seems.
The Study: A Game of "Let's See What Gives People Heart Attacks"
In a study conducted by researchers, over a thousand participants in their "discovery cohort" were tested to identify possible causes of MACE - death, heart attack, or stroke. They found that erythritol was one of the top suspects. To confirm their suspicions, they roped in another couple of thousand folks from the US and Europe and ran some erythritol-specific tests on their plasma samples.
They tested different amounts of erythritol and a control substance on plasma with lots of platelets from humans. They saw that erythritol made the platelets stick together and form clumps, which is the first step in making a blood clot. The more erythritol they used, the more the platelets stuck together. They also gave mice erythritol and saw that it made clots form faster than the control substance.
The study pointed a finger at erythritol as a possible culprit for MACE, with hazard ratios that would make your head spin. However, the effects on platelet clumping were only seen at very high levels of erythritol in humans, as in 30x higher than the average consumption.
Erythritol: The Sweet Little Friend or the Enemy?
So, should we start tossing out all our erythritol-sweetened treats and start munching on raw kale? Not so fast. The amount of erythritol they used in mice was much more than the highest levels found in humans.
Our own bodies are to blame as well. Yes, our body produces erythritol on its own. It’s like trying to accuse a suspect of theft without even knowing if they were in the vicinity of the crime. How are we supposed to tell if it’s dietary erythritol or our own production process?
The investigators didn't even ask the participants about their erythritol consumption habits. So, we can't even use that information to connect the dots. It's like trying to solve a puzzle with missing pieces - how frustrating! The only thing we do know is that the participants probably weren't popping erythritol like candy since the majority were enrolled before erythritol became a popular food additive.
Our bodies are sneaky little devils that can produce erythritol all on their own through the pentose phosphate pathway. This means that even if you avoid erythritol like the plague, you might still have high levels of it floating around in your bloodstream.
Don't Freak Out Just Yet
Before you go tossing out all of your erythritol-sweetened goodies, just remember that this study might not be the smoking gun we thought it was. Mice are about as reliable for cardiovascular disease research as a magic 8-ball, and in vitro experiments are basically like playing with toy blood.
It seems like every day there's a new study claiming that something we love is going to kill us. It's enough to make you want to throw in the towel and just eat a tub of ice cream. But, fear not my sweet-toothed friends, because there is still hope.
Conclusion
We still don’t have long-term data on erythritol, but this study did little if anything to increase concern about using it. Between the sky-high levels needed, the mouse models for the experiments, and the lack of critical information gathering, the best this study does is say that yes if you inject mice with erythritol they have a higher chance of having blood clots. And if we are completely honest, erythritol is not one of the tastier sweeteners and is high on the list of artificial sweeteners that cause GI distress. There are so many other sweeteners to choose from if this study does cause you to take pause…stevia, allulose, and xylitol are not only better tasting and have better “mouth-feel” they have some good side effects too.
Needless to say, I am not running into my kitchen to search all my food for erythritol so I can toss it. Instead, I will keep reminding myself as always that just because it says KETO doesn’t mean it is and I find just not buying that KETO processed food all but eliminates the question anyway!
