The “Healthy” Food DESTROYING Your Heart
Today, I have an important PSA for my readers.
It’s a WARNING about a compound that could send your risk of having a major cardiovascular event—or dying from it—skyrocketing.
The worst part?
It’s a so-called health food you could be consuming to REDUCE your risk of… can you guess it?… heart disease!
You know that sugar is bad for you. And if you’ve taken steps to cut it out of your life, I applaud you.
But what I hope you haven’t done is substitute one problem food for another.
Artificial Sweeteners Linked to Health Problems
I’m talking about artificial sweeteners. When it comes to causing health problems, these chemicals are like jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.
Over the years, various artificial sweeteners have been connected to everything from weight gain to brain tumors.
Now, a recent study has identified a particular sweetener that could be DEADLY for your heart.
Researchers tested the blood levels of patients at a cardiovascular clinic. They found that those with the highest blood levels of erythritol had TWICE the risk of dying from or experiencing a major cardiovascular event over the next three years.
The reason why, they found, is because adding erythritol to blood samples increased the stickiness of the blood and other measures linked to blood clotting.
Erythritol Levels 1000-Fold HIGHER
Erythritol is a sugar alcohol that’s used as a low-calorie sweetener.
And while it can also be found in natural foods like grapes, watermelon, and mushrooms, levels can be about 1,000-fold higher in processed foods labeled as “sugar-free” or “low-calorie.”
This study didn’t specifically link the sweetener to the higher blood levels. But when you follow the trail, you don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to see that it leads back to the foods with the highest amounts of the chemical.
In fact, the researchers found that blood levels of erythritol stayed high for up to THREE days after drinking just ONE erythritol-sweetened drink.
Of course, the irony is that people typically choose foods labeled as “sugar-free” or “low-calorie” specifically because they’re trying to REDUCE their risk of heart disease and diabetes!
I’m sorry, my friend, but there are no shortcuts to good health.
Processed food is processed food, no matter how the manufacturers try to spin it.
The next time you see no sugar, or no calories on a label, just say, “no, thank you.”
P.S. Artificial sweeteners not only could be sabotaging your best diet efforts. They could also be sending your risk of THIS devastating disease skyrocketing. CLICK HERE for the scoop.
SOURCE:
“The artificial sweetener erythritol and cardiovascular event risk.” Nat Med 29, 710–718 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-023-02223-9
