Xylitol, the popular sugar substitute used in all sorts of foods, from gum to jelly and even toothpaste, might be helping you keep off the pounds. But it comes with a downside: a possible increased risk of major cardiovascular events like heart attack, stroke, and death, according to research presented by the European Society of Cardiology.
The study, which looked at 17,710 people, found that those with the highest blood levels of xylitol had higher rates of major cardiovascular events than those with the lowest levels. Over six years, the highest-xylitol group had a 57 percent higher risk of heart events.
Another group followed for 30 years had an 18 percent higher risk.
This Popular Sweetener May Come With a Serious Heart Health Risk
Sounds like a pretty terrible trade-off for sweetening your gum without sugar, but it’s important to keep in mind that the research, while taken from an expansive set of people, is still only observational, meaning it can point out a link, but it can’t prove that xylitol is directly causing heart attacks and strokes. The findings have not yet undergone peer review.
That said, it’s not like this is coming out of nowhere. Previous researchers found that xylitol can make platelets more likely to form blood clots. Earlier work even linked elevated xylitol levels with cardiovascular events among people already at risk. Something is brewing, but nothing can be stated definitively just yet.
While no definitive association has been established yet, it’s always good to keep in mind that just because something is a sugar substitute doesn’t mean it’s free of consequences.
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