Health snacks loved by young people shockingly linked to risk of sudden strokes, heart attacks
Researchers at the University of Colorado, Boulder, exposed human cells found in the brain to erythritol in amounts they claimed mirrored a diet soda.
The cells showed worrying changes within hours, including a decrease in the amount of clot-busting proteins they released, which is key for preventing strokes.
Auburn Berry, a graduate student who led the research, said: 'While erythritol is widely used in sugar-free products marketed as healthier alternatives, more research is needed to fully understand its impact on vascular health.
'In general, people should be conscious of the amount of erythritol they are consuming on a daily basis.'
It comes amid a mystery rise in strokes in young people, which have surged almost 15 percent among under-45s since 2011 — according to CDC data.
Erythritol is a wildly popular sweetener, used in drinks including Vitaminwater Zero sugar, Monster Zero and Arizona Iced Tea, and in Quest protein bars. It is also found in the sweetener truvia, which is often added to coffee as a sugar replacement.
Although the new study was small and used isolated cells, it adds to the growing body of evidence raising concern about the sweetener.
A 2023 Cleveland Clinic study tracked 4,000 people found those who consume erythritol were more likely to suffer a heart attack, stroke or early death.
The new study was published in the Journal of Applied Physiology.
Researchers isolated human cerebral microvascular endothelial cells — cells that line blood vessels in the brain.
After exposing them to erythritol for three hours in a lab, the researchers identified several damaging changes.
These included the cells producing 75 percent more compounds that can damage them and surrounding tissue.
And they also produced about 20 percent less of a compound used to help blood vessels relax, allowing more blood to flow through and minimizing the risk of a clot.
Researchers also noted that erythritol decreased the production of a clot-busting protein called t-PA, which can dissolve clots and help prevent strokes.
In their conclusion, they said the sweetener 'potentially contributes to [an] increased risk of ischemic stroke'.
An ischemic stroke occurs when a blood clot blocks a blood vessel in the brain, preventing blood and oxygen from reaching brain tissue.
This can cause brain cells to die within minutes.
Limitations of the study include that it was carried out in a lab outside the human body, which may not mirror internal conditions.
For example, it was not clear how much of the sweetener is typically absorbed by these cells in people.
The study also exposed the cells to the equivalent of 30 grams of erythritol.
The researchers claimed this was 'equivalent to the typical amount... in an artificially sweetened beverage.'
But the stated amount of sweetener in the beverages typically falls below this threshold.
For example, Monster Energy Zero contains about two grams of erythritol — according to consumer website Open Food Facts.
Meanwhile Vitaminwater says less than one percent of its 500 milliliter (ml) bottles contain erythritol, or less than five grams.
Quest protein bars also contain up to five grams of erythritol each, according to the company's website.
Erythritol is about 70 percent as sweet as sugar but contains six percent of the calories.
It can be found in small amounts naturally in some foods, but in diet sodas is often made from processing corn.
It also isn't easily processed by the body, meaning it is often passed out through urine. Some may, however, be stored in the body — where its effects can build-up overtime. It was approved by the FDA as safe for foods in 2001
The study comes amid a concerning rise in strokes among young Americans, with previous work blaming this on increased stress, a more sedentary lifestyle and higher drug use than past generations.
Obesity, high cholesterol and diabetes also play a role — all three are more prevalent in young people today than historically.
In previous research from last year, scientists also found that when people are given the sweetener erythritol, cells in their blood that cause clotting become more active.
Specifically, they found the sweetener caused platelets in the blood to become activated and stick together, forming clots.
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