Is it good for you?
There has been a lot of press recently re: Xylitol, a sugar substitute.
The question is this, is sugar free ok for people with heart risk factors? Or any of us for that matter.
A recent study by the Cleveland Clinic research team suggests that consuming erythritol, a sweetener widely found in sugar free and keto free food products could spur a prothrombotic response.
In the study, 10 healthy participants ate 30 grams of erythritol. Thirty minutes later, their blood showed enhanced platelet aggregation, clumping with markers of platelet activation.
The erythritol itself does not activate the platelets, but it lowers the threshhold for triggering a response. This could make someone more prone to clotting raising the risk for a heart attack.
More testing needs to be done, but it gives us a glimpse of things that we might want to screen for in our food items, especially if you have cardiovascular disease.
I will keep you posted as more studies unfold. Further studies are in progress.
What does it mean? Read your labels and know what you are ingesting.