That minty-fresh stick of gum may come with a cardiovascular asterisk. A large study out of Europe has linked high levels of xylitol—a low-calorie sweetener common in gum, toothpaste, jams, yogurts, and ice cream—in the blood to a higher risk of heart attack, stroke, and death, reports the Guardian. Researchers followed more than 17,000 individuals and found that those with the highest xylitol levels were 57% more likely to experience a serious stroke or heart event or die within six years than those with the lowest levels; after 30 years, the risk for the first group was still 18% higher. The association held regardless of age, sex, weight, blood pressure, or diabetes and cholesterol status, and it appeared dose-related.
Experts stress the work is observational—meaning they can't prove xylitol is to blame—but they say it underlines how little is known about the long-term heart effects. Gizmodo notes that, unlike some urban legends on the matter, such as claims that aspartame was originally created as ant poison, recent scientific studies like this may lend credence to suggestions that artificial sweeteners may not be completely harmless after all. They're "consumed by people who think they are healthier than sugar and they are generally regarded as safe by regulatory agencies," study author Marco Witkowski says in a release from the European Society of Cardiology. "Our long-term findings in the general population highlight how little we know about the cardiovascular safety of xylitol and indicate that further studies are warranted, especially as the amount of xylitol in products continues to increase."
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