Additional lab and animal research presented in both papers revealed erythritol and xylitol may cause blood platelets to clot more readily. Clots can break off and travel to the heart, triggering a heart attack, or to the brain, triggering a stroke. “It’s sold as a so-called natural sweetener, and because xylitol doesn’t spike blood sugar levels, it’s also marketed as low carb and keto friendly,” Hazen said. The February 2023 erythritol in study found the risk of heart attack and stroke nearly doubled within three years when people had the highest levels of erythritol in their blood. For the new study on xylitol, the results were basically the same — people with the highest levels of xylitol compared to those with the lowest levels had nearly twice the risk of heart attack, stroke and death, Hazen said.

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Persons: “, ”, Stanley Hazen, Hazen, erythritol, Matthew Tomey, Tomey, Andrew Freeman, Freeman, xylitol, It’s, ” Hazen, you’re, Erythritol, Sinai’s Tomey Organizations: CNN, Center for Cardiovascular Diagnostics, Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic’s Center, Human, Icahn School of Medicine, American Heart Association, Jewish Health, Getty, Food and Drug Administration, Heart Journal, World Health Organization Locations: stevia, Mount, New York City, Mount Sinai, Denver