Health
Heart attack risk could rise with artificial sweetener consumption, study finds
A common artificial sweetener has been linked to an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes, according to a new study from Cleveland Clinic.
Erythritol, a sugar alcohol that is used to sweeten many low-sugar, reduced-calorie drinks and foods — particularly in low-carb or “keto” diets — was found to cause a spike in blood platelets and blood clot formation, researchers say.
The findings were published in the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology.
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The team’s previous study, which appeared in Nature Medicine, found that heart patients with high levels of erythritol in their system had double the risk of experiencing a major cardiac event within three years.
“In this study, we directly compared drinking a sweetened drink with either 30 grams of glucose, which is sugar, or 30 grams of erythritol,” senior author Stanley Hazen, M.D., PhD, co-section head of preventive cardiology at Cleveland Clinic, said in a video provided to Fox News Digital.
A common artificial sweetener has been linked to an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes, according to a new study from Cleveland Clinic. (iStock)
The small study consisted of 20 healthy volunteers, averaging 30 years of age, whose blood was drawn after an overnight fast.
The participants drank water mixed with either 30 grams of erythritol (comparable to the dose in an artificially sweetened soda or baked good) or 30 grams of glucose.
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After 30 minutes, another blood draw assessed the participants’ plasma levels of erythritol as well as platelet function.
Those who consumed the artificial sweetener were found to have more than 1,000 times the erythritol level of those who consumed sugar.
Erythritol, a sugar alcohol that is used to sweeten many low-sugar, reduced-calorie drinks and foods, was found to cause a spike in blood platelets and blood clot formation. (iStock)
“There is every reason to believe that after drinking the erythritol, there is a heightened risk of clotting, or thrombosis” — which could heighten the chances of heart attack or stroke, Hazen said.
That effect was not seen with the patients who drank glucose.
“It looks like it’s safer to drink a glucose-sweetened drink rather than an erythritol-sweetened drink.”
“Based on the current data, it looks like it’s safer to drink a glucose-sweetened drink rather than an erythritol-sweetened drink,” Hazen said.
“I recommend my patients avoid the artificial sweeteners and sugar substitutes, to try to eat whole foods, to stay away from processed foods and to shop the produce section.”
Approximately 65% of adults in the United States consume sugar-sweetened beverages daily, statistics show. (iStock)
For those who do want to sweeten a food or drink, Hazen would recommend — based on the data — using honey or fruit instead of artificial sweetener.
This same effect has been observed with other sugar alcohols, the doctor noted.
Erythritol is classified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Food Safety Authority as GRAS (“generally recognized as safe”).
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Other than the “bare minimum,” there is no mandate in place for this to be tested for safety, Hazen said.
“I would like to see regulatory bodies reevaluate the safety of the use of sugar alcohols.”
Further clinical studies are needed to measure the long-term cardiovascular safety of erythritol, according to the researchers.
“I recommend my patients avoid the artificial sweeteners and sugar substitutes, to try to eat whole foods, to stay away from processed foods and to shop the produce section,” the lead researcher said. (iStock)
Dr. Bradley Serwer, a cardiologist and chief medical officer at VitalSolution, a Cincinnati, Ohio-based company that offers cardiovascular and anesthesiology services to hospitals, was not involved in the study but said that it raises “significant concerns.”
“Many artificial sweeteners have been studied and historically have been sold as healthy alternatives to sugar, but they have often been found to have significant side effects,” he told Fox News Digital.
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“There have been other studies showing that erythritol increases platelet activity, which leads to abnormal blood clot formation.”
Several other sugar substitutes, such as xylitol, have also been linked to adverse health consequences, according to Serwer.
“In addition to increasing the risk of cardiovascular events, these artificial sugars often trick the body into producing more insulin,” he noted.
Several other sugar substitutes, such as xylitol, have also shown adverse health consequences, according to a cardiologist. (iStock)
“Insulin increases sweet cravings, so people crave more sugar after eating artificial sweeteners, thus causing a negative impact that can lead to metabolic syndrome.”
In his cardiology practice, Serwer said his patients often seek healthier alternatives to high-calorie, sugary foods.
“It is important to inform them that it may be better to avoid these sugar alcohols altogether,” the cardiologist said.
He said he hoped “this data will cause the FDA to reevaluate the safety of erythritol.”
Industry group urges ‘extreme caution’
The Calorie Control Council (CCC), an international association that represents the low- and reduced-calorie food and beverage industry, advised consumers to interpret Cleveland Clinic’s study with “extreme caution.”
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“The limited number of participants were given an excessive amount of erythritol, nearly double to triple the maximum amount approved in any single beverage in the United States based on a standard 8-16 oz serving,” Carla Saunders, president of the Washington, D.C.-based CCC, said in a statement sent to Fox News Digital.
“For 30 years, science has shown that erythritol is a proven safe and effective choice for sugar and calorie reduction,” stated the Calorie Control Council. (iStock)
Erythritol levels were only measured once after consumption, she pointed out.
“The pilot lacked control over lifestyle factors that may affect the outcome, which could introduce confounding variables and impact the reliability of the findings,” Saunders added.
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“Further, as erythritol levels were only measured at baseline and 30 minutes after consumption, there is no way to demonstrate any lasting effect of excessive consumption on any health outcome,” she also said.
“For 30 years, science has shown that erythritol is a proven safe and effective choice for sugar and calorie reduction.”
Fox News Digital contacted Cleveland Clinic for comment on the CCC’s position.
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The latest COVID-19 vaccine (2024-2025) has been linked to fewer serious heart-related events among U.S. veterans.
New research confirmed a small reduction in COVID-related cardiovascular events, or COVID-19-associated MACE, due to the vaccine.
MACE (major adverse cardiovascular events) is a composite measure of serious heart-related outcomes. It typically includes cardiovascular death, heart attack and stroke, and may also include hospitalization for heart failure.
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Using health records from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the researchers compared two groups of veterans — one that received the COVID and flu vaccine on the same day (nearly 350,000 people) and another group that received only the flu vaccine (nearly 700,000 people).
For people older than 75, vaccine effectiveness against COVID-associated MACE was 50.7%. (iStock)
Out of more than one million veterans studied, the average age was about 70 and 92% were male, according to a press release.
Within about eight months, the results showed that those who received the 2024-2025 COVID vaccine had a lower risk of COVID-associated major cardiovascular events, with a relative vaccine effectiveness of 37.7%.
The COVID vaccine was linked to a 57.9% lower risk of cardiovascular death, 38.5% lower risk of heart attack and 41.9% lower risk of hospitalization for heart failure, the researchers stated. The result for stroke was not statistically significant.
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The benefit was greatest among adults ages 75 and older and those with underlying health conditions. In people over 75, the vaccine was 50.7% effective at preventing COVID-associated MACE.
As the study was observational, it could not prove cause and effect between the COVID-19 vaccine and lower risk of cardiovascular events, but only highlighted an association.
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Dr. Glenn Hirsch, cardiologist at National Jewish Health in Denver, Colorado, called these results “not overall surprising” in an interview with Fox News Digital.
After eight months, those who received the 2024-2025 COVID vaccine had a lower risk of COVID-associated major cardiovascular events. (iStock)
“This result is consistent with previous studies of the COVID-19 vaccine and other vaccines against infectious diseases [in] preventing cardiovascular events, including heart attack, cardiovascular cause of death or hospitalizations,” he said.
Acute inflammation in the body from infections like COVID-19 increases the risk of cardiovascular events and can cause further complications, according to the doctor.
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“This can lead to a higher risk of blood clotting, but can also make arterial plaques susceptible to rupture, which then leads to clot formation to heal a ruptured plaque,” he said. “This clotting can cause a near-total or complete occlusion of an artery, leading to these cardiovascular events.”
“Vaccines either prevent infection or reduce the severity of infection and subsequent inflammation, lowering the cardiovascular risk.”
Acute inflammation in the body from infections like COVID-19 can increase the risk of cardiovascular events, the study suggests. (iStock)
Despite the positive outcome, the overall benefit of the vaccine in this study was less than in previous studies, according to Hirsch, who was not involved in the research.
This could be due to the lower severity of illness seen in more recent COVID-19 variants, as well as immunity from prior infections among unvaccinated people, he noted. There has also been a decline in COVID testing, making it more difficult to link cardiovascular events to the virus.
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“The bottom line [is] that there is still evidence of benefit from COVID-19 vaccination like many other infectious disease vaccinations, and people should be encouraged to discuss these with their healthcare team annually,” Hirsch advised.
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“This is an observational trial and there can always be some confounding after necessary statistical adjustments and other potential benefits or harms, including adverse effects from vaccines that were not investigated in this study,” he added.
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A former “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star is speaking out about a fresh wave of health issues.
Brandi Glanville, 53, has been speaking publicly about ongoing swelling, lumps and paralysis of her face since 2023.
At the time, the reality star shared that she believed she had been infected with a parasite during a trip to Morocco, Fox News Digital previously reported.
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After the initial diagnosis, she suspected she contracted a parasite in Morocco and said she could feel it moving within her face.
Brandi Glanville attends the grand opening of Beverly Hills Rejuvenation Clinic West Hollywood in West Hollywood, Calif., on April 25, 2024. (Paul Archuleta/Getty Images)
Glanville was first diagnosed with stress-induced angioedema, a sudden swelling of the deeper layers of the skin and mucous membranes, according to Cleveland Clinic.
Angioedema “is a reaction similar to hives that affects deeper layers of the skin. It can appear with hives or alone,” Mayo Clinic states.
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Most recently, in a June 18 episode of her podcast “Brandi Glanville Unfiltered,” Glanville revealed that doctors discovered a “benign tumor” in one of her facial lymph nodes.
The reality star, who has previously speculated that a parasite may be contributing to her facial symptoms, said the finding could help explain the swelling and fluid buildup she has experienced and noted that she has had a lump in her face for “years.”
Brandi Glanville, 53, has been speaking publicly about ongoing swelling, lumps and paralysis of her face since 2023. (Mega/GC Images)
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me, guys. I thought I was fixed, and then it happened again and now it’s sinking in again,” Glanville said in another June podcast.
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“It could be why the fluid is going around my face and why I’m having a hard time,” she added.
While benign tumors of the face have been known to arise from fat tissue, blood vessels, skin structures, salivary glands or lymphatic tissue, Glanville has not publicly disclosed the specific type of diagnosis she received.
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Prior to learning of the tumor, Glanville said she saw dozens of doctors and spent over $100,000 trying to pinpoint the source of the issue.
Brandi Glanville shares images of painful facial burns caused by Nair hair removal cream in a viral TikTok video. (Brandi Glanville/TikTok)
The reality star emphasized that the tumor is “not cancerous.”
“I haven’t had a face lift yet!” she added.
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Glanville also said she suspected her ruptured breast implants could have played a role in her health issues, claiming the leaking silicone had clogged her lymph nodes.
Fox News Digital reached out to Glanville for comment.
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