Xylitol, an artificial sweetener widely used in foods, beverages, chewing gum and oral care products, may come with some health risks.
In a study, presented at the ESC Congress cardiology conference in Germany that ran from Aug. 28-31, researchers found people with high blood levels of the sweetener were associated with increased risk of major adverse cardiovascular events, including heart attack, stroke or death, compared to those with the lowest levels.
Over a six-year follow-up period, the risk was 57% higher in those with the highest levels versus the lowest levels after correcting for known cardiovascular risk factors, including age, sex, smoking status, lipid levels, diabetes and hypertension. Over a follow-up period of 30 years, the risk was 18%
higher, the study found.
The researchers noted these findings suggest a dose-dependent relationship, meaning the higher the xylitol levels, the higher the cardiovascular event rate. The study, which used data from 17,710 participants in two prospective observational cohorts, is not yet published in a peer-reviewed journal. It is also an observational study, meaning it does not prove cause and effect.
"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," presenter Dr. Marco Witkowski from the Charité University Hospital in Berlin, Germany, noted in a news release.
The findings build on prior studies that pointed to increased heart risks.
On the latest findings, Dan Atar, professor and member of the ESC Communication Committee, said more research is important to confirm potential long-term health effects.
"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," Atar noted in the release. "As with all observational studies, causalities are difficult to infer, but this work shows that further studies are mandated into this societally important topic."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: This popular sweetener may raise your heart attack, stroke risk
