Xylitol Linked To Strokes and Heart Attacks, Study Finds (theguardian.com)
- Reference: 0185263648
- News link: https://science.slashdot.org/story/26/08/29/0058228/xylitol-linked-to-strokes-and-heart-attacks-study-finds
- Source link: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/aug/28/sweetener-xylitol-used-in-chewing-gum-and-jam-linked-to-strokes-and-heart-attacks-study
> A common sweetener used in products such as chewing gum, toothpaste, jam, yoghurts and ice-cream has been [1]linked to an increased risk of strokes, heart attacks and death . Xylitol is a sugar alcohol present in some natural foods in very low amounts. It is also added -- often in amounts 1,000 times higher -- to artificially sweeten foods, beverages and oral care products. Despite its growing use, the long-term health impacts of xylitol have never been widely studied.
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> In the largest study of its kind, researchers found high blood levels of xylitol were associated with an increased risk of major adverse cardiovascular events. The findings were [2]presented in Munich at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) annual congress , the world's largest heart conference. Researchers looked at 17,710 people and compared the 25% with the highest levels of xylitol in their blood against the 25% with the lowest. Those who had the highest amount were 57% more likely to die or suffer a heart attack or stroke, than those with the least, within six years. Even after 30 years, they were still 18% more likely to have suffered one of these cardiac events.
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> Taken with data from the middle quartiles, the results from both cohorts suggested a dose-dependent relationship: the higher the xylitol blood levels, the higher the cardiovascular event rate. Furthermore, the researchers showed that there was consistent increase in cardiovascular events with xylitol irrespective of baseline characteristics, such as age and sex. The researchers also highlighted that the association was independent of underlying factors such as body mass index, hypertension, diabetes and lipid levels, which might predispose people to low-calorie products.
[1] https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/aug/28/sweetener-xylitol-used-in-chewing-gum-and-jam-linked-to-strokes-and-heart-attacks-study
[2] https://www.escardio.org/news/press/press-releases/xylitol-may-increase-the-risk-of-cardiovascular-events/
But it's natural! (Score:2)
Not possible it's "natural" so it can't be bad for you! /s
Re: (Score:2)
Indeed. A bit more insight required. For those that need a clearer argument, I recommend looking at the effects of some entirely natural cyanides.
In a more general sense, this mental failure comes from people that only can do correlation but fail at causation most times. Which, unfortunately, is most of the human race.
Just do without "sweet" (Score:4, Informative)
It takes a bit of getting used to it, but all forms of sugar and sweeteners are problematic. And they are often used to cover product defects like low-quality ingredients on top of that, making things even worse.
Re: (Score:3)
Fresh fruit is not problematic for healthy people. The levels of sugar are much lower than what is present in candy, and it comes properly mixed with natural fiber which ensures your body can metabolize it in a healthy way (unlike with candy).
Dried fruit is slightly more problematic because you wind eating too much of it (since it takes up less space in your stomach).
Fruit juice is just as problematic as pure soda, since all the fiber is gone and the sugar concentration is much higher.
But fresh fruit is ve
Linked with does not mean caused by (Score:1)
It's so hard to read a story like this and remember that the only thing they have found, is that stroke victims more often had xylitol in their blood.
In another study - and IMHO one of the highlights of scientific achievements - it was found that in countries with a natural population of moose, womens breast size is larger than in those without moose. So the Danish media promptly concluded that moose had a positive effect one breast sizes. Sigh.
Of course, these studies are actually useful, because they hint
Re: (Score:2)
Straight from the article:
> The researchers also highlighted that the association was independent of underlying factors such as body mass index, hypertension, diabetes and lipid levels, which might predispose people to low-calorie products.
1000 times higher (Score:2)
Xylitos has a sweetness comparable to normal sugar. It is misleading to say its concentration is 1000 times higher when the point of reference is "very low amounts". They probably add as much xylitol as they would add normal sugar otherwise.
Weasel words (Score:2)
"Associated with" means correlation without causation.
Re: (Score:3)
And when you look a bit closer, your mindless comment mostly goes out the window. Because the human body neither produces nor craves this crap to any significant degree.
Re: (Score:2)
The article says exactly what you just said:
> It is important to note that this was an observational study, meaning it can only show an association between higher xylitol levels and cardiovascular events, rather than proving that xylitol directly caused them, and further research is needed.
It IS an important thing to remember, as "post hoc ergo propter hoc" is one of the most popular logical fallacies. But on the other hand, it is equally important to pay attention to serious studies like this, because each