Artificial Sweetener Linked to Heart Attack, Stroke

Higher amounts of the artificial sweetener xylitol might raise the risk of heart attack and stroke, a new study warns.
Xylitol is a zero-calorie sugar alcohol commonly used in many products, including sugar-free candy, chewing gum, baked goods and toothpastes, researchers said.
But high blood levels of the sweetener is associated with an increased risk of suffering a heart attack, stroke or other heart event within three years, according to analysis of more than 3,000 patients in the United States and Europe, researchers reported June 6 in the European Heart Journal.

In the lab, the investigators discovered that xylitol causes platelets to clot, increasing the risk of blood clots.  Every measure of a person’s clotting ability increased immediately after a test subject downed a xylitol-sweetened drink, but not after they sipped a sugar-sweetened product.
from https://www.healthday.com/health-news/nutrition/artificial-sweetener-xylitol-linked-to-heart-attack-stroke