A study published February 27, 2023, in the journal Nature Medicine has purportedly found possible links between erythritol and major adverse cardiovascular events such as heart attack or stroke. Erythritol is an artificial sweetener frequently used in “zero-calorie” and keto-friendly prepared foods and beverages.

“Following exposure to dietary erythritol, a prolonged period of potentially heightened thrombotic risk may occur,” the study’s authors said. “This is of concern given that the very subjects for whom artificial sweeteners are marketed (patients with diabetes, obesity, history of [cardiovascular disease (CVD)] and impaired kidney function) are those typically at higher risk for future CVD events.” They said that more studies investigating the impact of erythritol specifically, as well as artificial sweeteners in general, are needed.

In response to the study, the Calorie Control Council, an industry group, issued a statement that the results of the study “are contrary to decades of scientific research showing reduced-calorie sweeteners like erythritol are safe, as evidenced by global regulatory permissions for their use in foods and beverages."