Study finds link between artificial sweetener and heart attacks and strokes

Artificial sweeteners that you see at your grocery store often have this as the ingredient: erythritol.
It is something that some foods naturally have, but this added sweetener is what a new study is worried about especially since it’s often targeted towards diabetics and people trying to lose weight.
The study published in Nature Medicine looked at more than 4,000 people in the U.S. and Europe and found that those with higher erythritol levels in their blood had a 2 times higher risk of major cardiac events like a heart attack or stroke or even death.
“This study with erythritol is really really interesting because it does sort of go beyond body weight,” Magnano said.
Dr. Magnano says more research needs to be done, but for now focus on cutting sugar and not simply replacing it with artificial sweeteners.
There are some artificial sweeteners without erythritol.
It’s important to note this study found a link and not causation.
Magnano says more research would be needed to prove that this ingredient causes heart attack or strokes.