High Blood Xylitol Levels Linked to Greater Risk of Stroke and Heart Attack
A large observational study presented at the ESC congress found that people with the highest blood concentrations of the sweetener xylitol faced a markedly higher chance of dying, having a heart attack or suffering a stroke over six years.
At the European Society of Cardiology’s annual meeting in Munich, investigators reported that elevated blood xylitol—a sugar alcohol used in gum, toothpaste, jam and other low-calorie products—correlates with a higher incidence of major cardiovascular outcomes. The analysis of 17,710 adults showed the highest-exposed quarter had a 57% increased risk of death, heart attack or stroke over a six-year span, and an 18% elevated risk persisted over 30 years.
A dose-response pattern emerged, with risk rising alongside blood xylitol levels regardless of age, gender or baseline health metrics. Marco Witkowski of Charité university hospital in Berlin noted prior findings that xylitol can promote platelet aggregation, and the current data extend those concerns to real-world populations. Dan Atar of the ESC and Dell Stanford of the British Heart Foundation emphasized the need for more research, warning that sweeteners long deemed safe may have unrecognized cardiovascular effects. The study underscores uncertainty about the long-term safety of widely used artificial sweeteners.
Why it matters
Consumers may be unknowingly increasing heart-disease risk by eating products high in the sweetener xylitol.
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