A landmark 30-year study involving more than 17,000 participants in Canada and the UK has linked high consumption of the artificial sweetener xylitol to an increased risk of cardiovascular events, including heart attacks and strokes.
Researchers found that people who consumed xylitol — an artificial sweetener found in diet foods, drinks, chewing gum, and toothpaste — were up to 57 percent more likely to suffer such events.
Study findings across two cohorts
Scientists presented their findings this week, reporting that 'the risk of a major adverse cardiovascular event was 57 percent higher in those with the highest levels vs. the lowest levels' of xylitol in the Canadian study group. In the British cohort, based in Norfolk, the 'risk of major adverse cardiovascular events was 18 percent higher in those with the highest levels vs. the lowest levels'.
This has led experts to conclude that the higher the xylitol blood levels, the higher the cardiovascular event rate.
Expert reaction and calls for more research
Dr Marco Witkowski, from the Charité University Hospital in Berlin, said: "Artificial sweeteners are consumed by people who think they are healthier than sugar and they are generally regarded as safe by regulatory agencies."
Xylitol was first discovered in 1891 and entered mass production in the 1960s. It has remained popular because it is a sugar alcohol — meaning it tastes sweet but does not have the same calories as normal sugar, making it a popular choice for diet foods. Despite its widespread use, its long-term effects on cardiovascular health had not been studied.
Dr Witkowski added: "Our 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."
Prof Dan Atar agreed more work needs to be done to understand the impacts of the sweeteners. He said: "Artificial sweeteners are widely embraced by modern society, and the safety ratings had been good and granted by regulatory authorities.
"In this observational work, however, it appears that xylitol has a negative long-term effect on cardiovascular events in the general population. As with all observational studies, causalities are difficult to infer, but this work shows that further studies are mandated into this societally important topic."
