Hidden artificial sweeteners used in sugar-free products and diet drinks could lead to increased risk of a heart attack or stroke, US researchers said.
Erythritol is a naturally occurring substance in many fruits such as peaches, grapes, pears and watermelons, but is also added as a sweetener to food and drinks.
Commonly found in diet foods, frozen desserts, protein bars, chewing gum and fruit spreads, erythritol has become increasingly used as a ‘less harmful’ alternative to sugar by providing sweetness without triggering a spike in blood glucose.
But the research found it can make platelets in the blood more likely to “activate” — release molecules into the blood — and form a clot.
Cardiovascular disease builds over time, and we need to make sure the foods we eat aren’t hidden contributors
Dr Stanley Hazen of Cleveland Clinic
As erythritol is low on the glycemic index, it is ideal for diabetics and people following low-carb diets and is much lower in calories than regular sugar.
Cleveland Clinic researchers studied 4,000 people to assess the health impact of erythritol and published the results in the Nature Medicine journal.
The study found those with higher blood erythritol levels were at elevated risk of experiencing a major adverse cardiac event such as a heart attack, stroke or death.
“Cardiovascular disease builds over time, and heart disease is the leading cause of death globally,” said Dr Stanley Hazen, chairman of the department of cardiovascular and metabolic sciences at Lerner Research Institute and co-section head of preventive cardiology at Cleveland Clinic.
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Foods that affect your lifespan — in pictures
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“We need to make sure the foods we eat aren’t hidden contributors.
“Our study shows that when participants consumed an artificially sweetened beverage with an amount of erythritol found in many processed foods, markedly elevated levels in the blood are observed for days — levels well above those observed to enhance clotting risks.”
He encouraged further research into the long-term effects of erythritol.
Researchers examined the effects of adding erythritol to either whole blood or isolated platelets, which are cell fragments that clump together to stop bleeding and contribute to blood clots.
Results revealed that erythritol made platelets easier to activate and form a clot, while preclinical studies confirmed ingestion of erythritol heightened clot formation.
Erythritol is about 70 per cent as sweet as sugar and is produced through fermenting corn.
It is often recommended to people looking for an alternative to sugar to manage body weight.
Erythritol is generally recognised as safe by the US Food and Drug Administration which means there is no requirement for long-term studies into its effects, despite the recommendation from doctors.
“It is important that further safety studies are conducted to examine the long-term effects of artificial sweeteners in general, and erythritol specifically, on risks for heart attack and stroke, particularly in people at higher risk for cardiovascular disease,” said Dr Hazen.
Name: Colm McLoughlin
Country: Galway, Ireland
Job: Executive vice chairman and chief executive of Dubai Duty Free
Favourite golf course: Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club
Favourite part of Dubai: Palm Jumeirah
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
Hydrogen: Market potential
Hydrogen has an estimated $11 trillion market potential, according to Bank of America Securities and is expected to generate $2.5tn in direct revenues and $11tn of indirect infrastructure by 2050 as its production increases six-fold.
"We believe we are reaching the point of harnessing the element that comprises 90 per cent of the universe, effectively and economically,” the bank said in a recent report.
Falling costs of renewable energy and electrolysers used in green hydrogen production is one of the main catalysts for the increasingly bullish sentiment over the element.
The cost of electrolysers used in green hydrogen production has halved over the last five years and will fall to 60 to 90 per cent by the end of the decade, acceding to Haim Israel, equity strategist at Merrill Lynch. A global focus on decarbonisation and sustainability is also a big driver in its development.
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Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
AndhaDhun
Director: Sriram Raghavan
Producer: Matchbox Pictures, Viacom18
Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu, Radhika Apte, Anil Dhawan
Rating: 3.5/5
Other ways to buy used products in the UAE
UAE insurance firm Al Wathba National Insurance Company (AWNIC) last year launched an e-commerce website with a facility enabling users to buy car wrecks.
Bidders and potential buyers register on the online salvage car auction portal to view vehicles, review condition reports, or arrange physical surveys, and then start bidding for motors they plan to restore or harvest for parts.
Physical salvage car auctions are a common method for insurers around the world to move on heavily damaged vehicles, but AWNIC is one of the few UAE insurers to offer such services online.
For cars and less sizeable items such as bicycles and furniture, Dubizzle is arguably the best-known marketplace for pre-loved.
Founded in 2005, in recent years it has been joined by a plethora of Facebook community pages for shifting used goods, including Abu Dhabi Marketplace, Flea Market UAE and Arabian Ranches Souq Market while sites such as The Luxury Closet and Riot deal largely in second-hand fashion.
At the high-end of the pre-used spectrum, resellers such as Timepiece360.ae, WatchBox Middle East and Watches Market Dubai deal in authenticated second-hand luxury timepieces from brands such as Rolex, Hublot and Tag Heuer, with a warranty.
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