Is going sugar-free really good advice for patients with cardiometabolic risk factors?
That's the question raised by new Cleveland Clinic research, which suggests that consuming erythritol, a sweetener widely found in sugar-free and keto food products, could spur a prothrombotic response.
In the study, published in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, 10 healthy participants ate 30 grams of erythritol. Thirty minutes later, their blood showed enhanced platelet aggregation and increased markers of platelet responsiveness and activation.
Specifically, the researchers saw enhanced stimulus-dependent release of serotonin (a marker of platelet dense granules) and CXCL4 (a platelet alpha-granule marker).
