Study finds common low-calorie sweetener may be linked to heart attacks, strokes

(CNN) - A new study finds xylitol may be linked to heart attack and stroke.

The research was published Thursday in the “European Heart Journal.”

The study finds the common low-calorie sweetener may be linked to nearly twice the risk of heart attacks, stroke, and death in people who consume the highest levels of it.

Xylitol is used in many reduced-sugar foods and consumer products such as sugarless gum, breath mints, toothpaste, mouthwash, cough syrup, and chewable vitamins.

It’s a sugar alcohol, a carbohydrate found naturally in only tiny amounts in certain vegetables such as cauliflower, as well as berries.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recognizes sugar alcohols as “generally recognized as safe.”

Xylitol in commercial use is made from corncobs, birch trees or genetically engineered bacteria.

Last year, the same researchers found similar results for another low-calorie sweetener called erythritol.

That sweetener is used as a bulking sugar in Stevia, Monk Fruit and keto-reduced-sugar products.

Additional lab and animal research revealed the two sugar alcohols may cause blood platelets to clot more readily, which can lead to a stroke.