Sugar alcohols (polyols) and mortality/heart disease risk?

#1

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-023-02223-9

I thought they were safe, esp b/c some sugar alcohols (like trehalose) are pro-longevity, but this complicated things…

Also can someone PDF this article?

Subsequent targeted metabolomics analyses in independent US (n = 2,149, NCT00590200) and European (n = 833, DRKS00020915) validation cohorts of stable patients undergoing elective cardiac evaluation confirmed this association (fourth versus first quartile adjusted hazard ratio (95% confidence interval), 1.80 (1.18–2.77) and 2.21 (1.20–4.07), respectively).

Then Hazen’s group conducted other studies that showed that erythritol seemed to cause clotting of blood in laboratory experiments, and that the compound appeared to increase the risk of clotting in certain genetically engineered mice. Heart attacks and strokes generally begin as clots in blood vessels.

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After that, researchers gave eight volunteers 30 grams of erythritol in a drink, about the amount that might be found in a pint of low-sugar ice cream. They found that blood levels of the compound persisted.

“This is not something we found in just a few people,” said Hazen. “This was a very strong signal.” Both the human observational studies and the studies of human platelets, which are involved in clotting, and in animal models all seem to suggest that higher erythritol levels indicate higher risk of clotting.

If it JUST affects clotting, then it’s a short-term rather than long-term thing that only affects those who are already at high risk, and doesn’t necessarily affect core rate of aging, so I am not too concerned yet. I don’t have a high consumption of it, though I occasionally do indulge in keto bread and energy drinks.

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More hype than substance: erythritol and cardiovascular risk
#2

Yikes - I am genetically at high risk for clotting and eat the stuff everyday!!! What a drag :frowning: Back to the drawing board :thinking:

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#3

You can use Scholar if it’s not on sci-hub to request a PDF.

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#4

Seems like the risk is overhyped : More hype than substance: erythritol and cardiovascular risk

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#5
#6

This is an important article because it is a great example of the problem with observational studies.

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#7

What a relief - for a moment there I thought my whole world had collapsed :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

#8

Gonna do a study that shows wearing XL size clothing causes diabetes. Of course it will be observation study.

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#9

Chris Masterjohn agrees that the study is bogus:

Who paid them to do this bad study? Big sugar? Is it really incompetence? Conspiracy theories welcome.

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#10
#11

I ate 6 packs of konjac jelly today. I hope I don’t die…

#12

Partly. The thread grabbed a real paper and inflated it into apocalypse theater.

There really is a 2025 peer-reviewed Journal of Applied Physiology paper from CU Boulder on erythritol. In cultured human brain microvascular endothelial cells, the authors used 6 mM erythritol, roughly their estimate for about 30 g from a sweetened product, and reported higher reactive oxygen species, lower nitric oxide, higher endothelin-1, and a blunted t-PA clot-dissolving response. The published methods describe a 24-hour exposure and n = 5 experimental units. (Exercise Physiology by Dr. López)

What the thread gets wrong is the leap from “isolated cells in a dish changed in a lab” to “one serving damages human brain cells.” These were endothelial cells lining brain blood vessels, not neurons, and not living humans drinking a product. The university writeup and outside experts both say larger human studies are still needed before making direct real-world claims about single-serving harm. Humans do love turning “mechanistic lab signal” into “your pantry is trying to assassinate you.” (Live Science)

There is a broader reason scientists are paying attention, though. A 2023 Nature Medicine study linked higher circulating erythritol with more cardiovascular events, and the NIH summary notes a small pilot in which erythritol ingestion drove blood levels sharply upward and into ranges associated with platelet effects. A 2024 Cleveland Clinic intervention study also reported increased platelet reactivity after a typical erythritol dose. So this is not pure clickbait, but it still does not prove that one normal serving acutely injures a healthy person’s brain. (Nature)

Regulatory status is also messier than the thread implies. FDA currently permits erythritol as a sugar alcohol and has “no questions” on GRAS notices for its use; FDA also says the 2023 observational studies did not establish causality. Separately, WHO advised against using non-sugar sweeteners for weight control, but that WHO guideline explicitly does not apply to sugar alcohols like erythritol. So the clean verdict is: credible lab finding, overstated social-media framing. Worth some caution if you use a lot of erythritol regularly, especially with vascular risk factors, but not solid proof that a single serving rapidly “damages human brain cells.” (FDA CFSAN Apps)

A decent rule is to treat erythritol-heavy products as occasional tools, not health halos in shiny packaging.

#13

Aside from the debate above, there is the aftertaste associated with Erythritol…YUK.
Most artificial sweeteners have some reported health disadvantages… microbiome effects, etc.
I shall stick with Allulose… the only artificial sweetener that I have not seen any health negatives reported on.
In addition, there is the benefit of Allulose slowing the absorption of glucose, thereby reducing glucose spikes
Impact of allulose on blood glucose in type 2 diabetes: A meta-analysis of clinical trials