Xylitol is often marketed as a “natural” way to sweeten drinks and foods.
Pixelshot/Alamy
Xylitol, a sweetener commonly found in sugar-free drinks, chewing gum and toothpaste, has been shown to increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Often marketed as “low carb,” “natural,” or “keto-friendly,” xylitol is a sugar alcohol found in fruits and vegetables, but at levels roughly 1,000 times lower than what’s added to commercial products. It can also be prepared artificially. Chemical reactions from plant materials.
last year, Stanley Hazen Hazen and his colleagues at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio found that the sweetener erythritol was associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Suspecting that xylitol might also affect heart health, Hazen surveyed 3,306 adults in the United States and Europe.
The researchers took a single blood sample from participants to measure their xylitol levels after an overnight fast, and found that over a three-year follow-up, those with the highest blood xylitol levels were one-third more likely to develop cardiovascular disease, such as a heart attack or stroke.
To better understand this trend, the researchers looked at the effects of xylitol in the lab on human blood cells called platelets, and on platelet activity in mice. Platelets crowd together at the site of an injury to prevent bleeding, but they can also clot within blood vessels. This can affect blood supply to the heart and brain, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
The researchers found that human platelets cultured in xylitol showed signs of being more likely to clot than those cultured in saline, and blood clots formed significantly more quickly in the veins of mice injected with xylitol.
Finally, the team tracked platelet activity in 10 subjects after they drank the same amount of water sweetened with xylitol. Within 30 minutes, plasma xylitol levels increased 1000-fold, and all indicators of platelet clotting readiness improved, especially in subjects with the highest levels of xylitol in their blood.
“This study highlights the urgent need to investigate sugar alcohols and artificial sweeteners,” Hazen said. “While there’s no need to throw away your toothpaste just because it contains xylitol, people should be aware that consuming products high in xylitol may increase their risk of developing blood clot-related conditions.”
Combined with previous research on erythritol, the findings “emphasize the need for systematic research into the effects of artificial sweeteners on cardiovascular disease risk,” the researchers say. Silvia Radenkovic At the University Medical Center Utrecht, Netherlands.
topic:
Source: www.newscientist.com
