Sweeteners
Erythritol
Definition
What it is
Erythritol: sugar alcohol marketed as a safe alternative sweetener; a 2023 Cleveland Clinic study linked elevated blood erythritol to significantly increased risk of cardiovascular events including heart attack and stroke.
On the label
How it appears on labels
- erythritol
Regulation
Regulatory status
No bans or restrictions are recorded for this ingredient in the jurisdictions clearlabel tracks (US, EU, UK, Canada, Japan, Australia/NZ, Brazil).
Explainer
In plain language
Erythritol is a sugar alcohol used as a low-calorie sweetener, about 60 to 70 percent as sweet as sugar with almost no calories. It occurs naturally in small amounts in some fruits and fermented foods, but the commercial version is produced by fermenting glucose from corn. It is popular in keto, sugar-free, and diabetic-friendly products because it has little effect on blood sugar and is often blended with stevia or monk fruit.
Assessment
Why it is flagged
A 2023 study from the Cleveland Clinic, published in Nature Medicine, associated higher blood levels of erythritol with an increased risk of cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke, and reported that erythritol appeared to make platelets more prone to clotting in laboratory and short-term human tests. This research is observational and mechanistic rather than a controlled long-term trial, and one open question is how much of the measured erythritol came from food versus the body's own production. Regulators including the FDA and EFSA have long treated erythritol as permitted, and it has an established record of causing digestive upset like gas and bloating at higher doses, which some users notice quickly. Clear Label flags erythritol because the cardiovascular findings are new and contested rather than settled, and because it is a clear pattern to log if you consume it regularly. The picture here is genuinely unresolved, so this is a case of watching the evidence rather than reaching a conclusion.
In the aisle
Where it commonly shows up
- Keto and low-carb sweets and baked goods
- Sugar-free candy and chocolate
- Stevia and monk fruit blends
- Protein bars and shakes
- Sugar-free ice cream and frozen desserts
- Powdered sugar substitutes and drink mixes
Practical
Reading the label
Erythritol is usually named outright on US labels and may appear as E968 in the EU. It is often hidden inside branded sweetener blends marketed as stevia or monk fruit, where it is the bulk ingredient by weight, so it is worth reading past the headline sweetener name.
Alternatives
If you want to avoid it
Some people who want to limit erythritol while the research develops choose other sweeteners such as allulose or small amounts of regular sugar, or reduce sweetness overall. Each alternative has its own trade-offs, so comparing labels is the practical step.
FAQ
Common questions
Does erythritol cause heart attacks?
A 2023 Cleveland Clinic study associated higher blood erythritol with increased cardiovascular events and observed effects on platelet clotting, but this was observational and mechanistic work, not a long-term controlled trial. The finding is contested and unresolved, so it is best treated as an emerging signal to watch.
Why does erythritol upset some people's stomachs?
Like other sugar alcohols, erythritol can draw water into the gut and ferment, which some people associate with gas and bloating at higher doses. It is generally better tolerated than sorbitol or maltitol, but individual tolerance varies.
Is erythritol still allowed in food?
Yes. The FDA and EFSA permit erythritol as a sweetener. The 2023 cardiovascular research has prompted further study but has not changed its regulatory status as of 2026.
Citations
Sources
Citation
Primary reference
About this page: the definition, label names, severity, and regulatory chips come from the clearlabel ingredient taxonomy, the same data the scanner uses to score products. Research summaries describe associations reported in published studies, not diagnoses; individual responses vary. Scan any product with clearlabel to see which of its ingredients carry flags.