The Study
Abstract MP28: Declines in Plasma Levels of Nonnutritive Sweetener Erythritol Are Related to Two-Year Improvements in Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Risk Estimates Among Adults With Overweight and Obesity
This study noticed that when people lost weight, their blood levels of a sweetener called erythritol went down, and their heart risk scores also got better. But it didn’t make people change their erythritol intake on purpose — so we can’t say the sweetener itself caused the improvement. It’s like noticing that people who eat more ice cream also have more sunburns — they’re connected, but ice cream doesn’t cause sunburn.
Analysis score
Maximum 72 for a cohort study.
Where the score came from
Scientists found that people with more erythritol (a sugar substitute) in their blood had higher heart disease risk. When people lost weight and their erythritol levels dropped, their heart risk went down too—even if they didn’t lose much weight.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 568 / 100
Quality score
Groups of people are followed over time to see who develops an outcome. Strong for identifying risk factors and associations, but cannot prove causation as firmly as RCTs.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes—this suggests erythritol levels may be a useful sign of heart health improvement during weight loss, even beyond weight loss itself.
- 2Higher erythritol = 1.1% higher heart risk per SD.
- 3Lowering erythritol by 1 SD = 0.3% lower heart risk after 2 years.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Circulation
Year
2024
Authors
Yoriko Heianza, Jennifer C. Rood, Catherine M. Champagne, J. Manson, G. Bray, F. Sacks, Lu Qi
Related Content
Claims (5)
Adults with overweight or obesity who have higher levels of erythritol and erythronate in their blood have higher calculated 10-year risks of developing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, and each standard deviation increase in erythritol corresponds to a 1.1% increase in this risk estimate after accounting for body mass index.
In adults with overweight or obesity, a larger drop in blood erythritol levels over six months is linked to a 0.3% greater decrease in estimated 10-year heart disease risk after two years, even when accounting for changes in body weight and initial risk level.
When people lose weight through diet, their blood levels of a substance called erythritol decrease, and this change is linked to lower levels of specific cholesterol-carrying particles that increase the risk of heart disease.
In adults with overweight or obesity, higher blood levels of certain sugar alcohols like erythritol and related compounds are linked to a higher estimated risk of cardiovascular disease over 10 years; saccharin shows a weaker link, and acesulfame shows no link.
In adults with overweight and obesity, changes in plasma erythritol levels after dietary changes correlate more closely with improved cardiovascular risk markers than changes in body weight.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.