{"id":7833,"date":"2026-09-01T12:07:10","date_gmt":"2026-09-01T12:07:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=7833"},"modified":"2026-09-01T12:07:10","modified_gmt":"2026-09-01T12:07:10","slug":"popular-sugar-substitute-linked-to-increased-heart-attack-and-stroke-risk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=7833","title":{"rendered":"Popular sugar substitute linked to increased heart attack and stroke risk"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

People who consume greater amounts of a popular artificial sweetener could face a greater risk of\u00a0heart attack\u00a0and stroke, a new study suggests.<\/p>\n

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The research, which was presented at the ESC Cardiology Congress in Germany this week, showed that higher levels of xylitol in the blood were associated with an increased risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE).<\/p>\n

Xylitol is a sugar alcohol that is commonly used as a\u00a0low-calorie sweetener\u00a0and sugar substitute, according to the National Institutes of Health. It is often used in higher amounts to sweeten foods, drinks, chewing gum and dental care products.<\/p>\n

The researchers followed two large study cohorts of more than 17,700 Canadian and British participants.<\/p>\n

Over a six-year follow-up, people in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging with the highest xylitol levels had a 57% higher risk of death, myocardial infarction or\u00a0stroke\u00a0related to cardiovascular events compared to those with the lowest levels.<\/p>\n

Over 30 years, participants in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer (EPIC)-Norfolk group with the highest xylitol levels had an 18% greater risk of MACE.<\/p>\n

Both cohorts showed evidence of a dose-dependent association, in which higher blood xylitol concentrations corresponded to higher rates of cardiovascular events.<\/p>\n

These higher risks persisted even after the researchers adjusted for other factors like age, gender, body mass index,\u00a0hypertension, diabetes and lipid levels.<\/p>\n

The study follows previous research that showed xylitol can enhance the ability of platelets to form clots, according to Dr. Marco Witkowski, the study presenter from Charit\u00e9 University Hospital in Berlin, Germany.<\/p>\n

\u201cArtificial sweeteners\u00a0are consumed by people who think they are healthier than sugar, and they are generally regarded as safe by regulatory agencies,\u201d the doctor said in a statement.<\/p>\n

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\u201cOur long-term findings in the general population highlight how little we know about the cardiovascular safety of xylitol and indicate that further studies are warranted, especially as the amount of xylitol in products continues to increase.\u201d<\/p>\n

The study was observational and does not prove that xylitol causes cardiovascular events, as the researchers noted that more studies are needed to confirm the findings.<\/p>\n

The report also does not establish whether high levels of xylitol in the blood necessarily reflect\u00a0dietary consumption, as the sugar alcohol can also be produced naturally in the body as part of glucose metabolism.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese disturbing findings with [a] plausible mechanism of xylitol increasing cardiovascular risk should be taken very seriously,\u201d Dr. Aseem Malhotra, a cardiologist and\u00a0public health\u00a0campaigner based in London, told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cAs a practicing cardiologist, I see many patients suffering from anxiety and palpitations that resolve as soon as they stop taking artificial sweeteners.\u201d<\/p>\n

Malhotra, who was not involved in the study, noted that one of the most important dietary changes to reduce cardiovascular risk is to \u201cunsweeten your sweet tooth.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why I advise all my patients to avoid all processed sugars and\u00a0artificial sweeteners\u00a0for six weeks to break the addiction,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Fox News Digital reached out to several food and beverage trade groups for comment.<\/p>\n

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People who consume greater amounts of xylitol, a popular artificial sweetener, could face a greater risk of\u00a0heart attack\u00a0and stroke, a new study presented at the ESC Cardiology Congress in Germany revealed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7832,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7833","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"yoast_head":"\nPopular sugar substitute linked to increased heart attack and stroke risk - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=7833\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Popular sugar substitute linked to increased heart attack and stroke risk - 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