Xylitol can increase the risk for heart attack and stroke

[Poppy451]

I just read there are new articles on the low calorie sweetener xylitol causing increased blood clotting leading to increased risk of heart attack and stroke. I had heard of erythritol doing this but now the news is that xylitol is equally dangerous. I eat xylitol everyday on my yogurt but I am going to have to make some changes. Yikes

[Lowerfield_no_more]

Maybe it's now time to wean yourself off the need for sweeteners and sugars. It certainly can't do you any harm. When you have finally done it you will eventually find 'sweetened' foods and drink can be really sickly sweet as I do. I also have yogurt mostly every day, but its 'natural' yoghurt with some type of fruit, usually reconstituted dried apricots which are plenty sweet enough for me.

[Shabana1974]

I totally agree with lowerfield_no_more. I have used sweetners for well over 25 years but I have realised if you stop all processed foods, dilute drinks, fizzy drinks and any sweet tasting foods by day 3 I could actually tasting the artificial flavourings and the extreme sweet taste. It's amazing how your health improves by not eating processed foods and going back to cooking from scratch.

The actually foods taste way better than the processed version.

Best wishes

Shabana

[devonian186]

I am curious as to why you would want a sweetener on your yoghurt. A little fruit stirred in such as fresh strawberries or blueberries will sweeten it but natural Yoghurt is pretty sweet anyway.

[Poppy451]

Thanks for your replies. But I have a sweet tooth!( I dont eat cakes and pastries all day long)Maybe a teaspoon of honey on my yogurt wouldn't do much harm . And I have just ordered some chickory root syrup online as it is lower carb completely natural . I will give that a go . I wasn't happy to have xylitol in my diet anyway as its very processed and only been around for less than 100 years. And now I have learnt the effects on blood vessels. I do have pure stevia extract powder aswell which does not do harm . Its the stevia plant. I don't have stevia in tea but mint tea I like it sweet.

[Qualipop in reply to Poppy451]

My husband uses sweeteners too but xylitol is one I refuse to have in the house as even a tiny amount would be fatal to my dog. We thought she'd once eaten one single piece of chewing gum with xylitol and the vet had us rush there within 10 minutes to have her stomach pumped. It can cause hypoglycaemia and acute liver failure. If it can do that to a dog, what do these things do to humans?

[Rustylove]

Hi Poppy the best sweetener is Stevia which is taken from the leaves of the Stevia plant ,It’s plant based gluten free and no artificial sweeteners I’ve been using for quite a few years

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[Poppy451 in reply to Rustylove]

Hi Rustylove

Isn't that one mixed with erythritol? Which also causes blood clots. I use stevia aswell and its 100% pure stevia extract powder. No fillers or binders.

[gladliz]

What's wrong with good old sugar? Sure it can cause problems, but so can all the sweeteners and why manufacturers have to put both into drinks and food stuffs nowadays I will never understand. I avoid them like the plague, apart from the health implications I can taste them and they are not nice.

[bluemoon572]

There is some evidence that the anti platelet effect of aspirin negates the increased clotting property of xilitol. Are you taking daily aspirin? I am,and I feel protected against the adverse effects of xilitol and erthritol. Keep an eye on further reports about this issue.

[Poppy451 in reply to bluemoon572]

I do not take aspirin , my stomach cannot tolerate it . I am going to avoid xylitol and erythritol from now on to be safe.

[Barry883]

Oh no, that sounds concerning! I hadn’t heard about xylitol being potentially dangerous before. Have you thought about what you might switch to instead? Maybe something like stevia or monk fruit could be safer alternatives. It’s always tough to find out something you use daily might not be as healthy as you thought.

[Poppy451 in reply to Barry883]

Yes I know I had not heard about it either until now. But I suspected something so processed was not healthy. I do use stevia already in some drinks and things but I have just ordered some chickory root syrup which is supposed to be low glycemic and natural . I will give that a go on my yogurt and stuff.