SUGAR SUBSTITUTE MAY HARM THE BRAIN

-

 SUGAR SUBSTITUTE MAY HARM THE BRAIN







A new study from the University of Colorado Boulder is raising concerns about erythritol, a sugar substitute found in products ranging from low-carb ice cream to “sugar-free” sodas. Once marketed as a safe choice for people with obesity and diabetes, erythritol may pose unexpected dangers to brain health—even in small amounts.

Researchers discovered that exposing brain blood vessel cells to levels of erythritol similar to those found in a typical sugar-free beverage resulted in several harmful changes. The treated cells produced less nitric oxide, a compound that helps keep blood vessels relaxed and open. At the same time, they made more endothelin-1, a protein that tightens blood vessels. When researchers introduced a substance that would usually trigger a clot, cells exposed to erythritol were less able to produce t-PA, a natural enzyme that helps break down clots. The cells also generated more reactive oxygen species—free radicals that can damage and inflame tissues.

All of this, the researchers say, could add up to a higher risk of stroke. “Big picture, if your vessels are more constricted and your ability to break down blood clots is lowered, your risk of stroke goes up,” explained graduate student Auburn Berry, who led the research with Professor Christopher DeSouza.

Erythritol is a sugar alcohol first approved by the FDA in 2001 and now found in hundreds of products. Because it’s low in calories, about 80% as sweet as sugar, and doesn’t spike insulin, it’s become a go-to for people looking to cut calories or control blood sugar. But an earlier study tracking 4,000 people in the U.S. and Europe found those with higher levels of erythritol in their blood were more likely to have a heart attack or stroke within the next three years.

The new study, published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, aimed to investigate the cellular mechanisms underlying this pattern. The results suggest that even a single serving of erythritol may have an impact on brain blood vessel health. For individuals who consume multiple servings daily, the effects may be more pronounced.

The researchers caution that their findings are from a laboratory study using human cells, not live human subjects, and note that larger studies in people are needed to confirm these risks. Still, they recommend consumers check product labels for erythritol or “sugar alcohol,” and consider limiting intake.

“Given the epidemiological study that inspired our work, and now our cellular findings, we believe it would be prudent for people to monitor their consumption of non-nutrient-sweeteners such as this one,” said DeSouza.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Diabetes drugs may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s.

-
Image
    Diabetes drugs may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s. The study finds people taking the drugs have fewer biomarkers, slower cognitive decline. People taking certain drugs to lower blood sugar for type 2 diabetes had less amyloid in the brain, a biomarker of Alzheimer's disease compared to people with type 2 diabetes who are not taking the drugs and those without diabetes. The new study, published in the August 11, 2021, online issue of  Neurology , the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, also found people taking these drugs, called dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors, showed slower cognitive decline than people in the other two groups. In people with type 2 diabetes, the body no longer efficiently uses insulin to control blood sugar. Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors, also known as gliptins, can be prescribed when other diabetes drugs do not work. They help control blood sugar when combined with diet and exercise. "People with diabetes have been shown to ...
Read more

EXTREME HEAT MAY NEGATIVELY IMPACT COGNITIVE HEALTH

-
Image
  EXTREME HEAT MAY NEGATIVELY IMPACT COGNITIVE HEALTH          July 2023 was the hottest month, with cities like Phoenix experiencing record-breaking heat waves for weeks. A new study finds that ongoing extreme heat can worsen cognitive decline among vulnerable groups -- particularly Black older adults and those living in poor neighborhoods. "Our research finds that cumulative exposure to extreme heat can undermine cognitive health, but it does so unequally across the population," said Eunyoung Choi, a postdoctoral associate at the NYU School of Global Public Health and the first author of the study, published in the  Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health . Extreme heat is the leading cause of weather-related deaths in the U.S., claiming more lives each year than hurricanes, tornadoes, and lightning combined. Young children and older adults are particularly vulnerable to heat-related illnesses such as heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Recent stud...
Read more

B12 MAY HELP PREVENT ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE.

-
Image
  B12 MAY HELP PREVENT ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE. Worms don't wiggle when they have Alzheimer's disease. Yet something helped worms with the disease hold onto their wiggle in Professor Jessica Tanis's lab at the University of Delaware. In solving the mystery, Tanis and her team have yielded new clues into the potential impact of diet on Alzheimer's, the dreaded degenerative brain disease afflicting more than 6 million Americans. A few years ago, Tanis and her team began investigating factors affecting the onset and progression of Alzheimer's disease. They were doing genetic research with  C. elegans , a tiny soil-dwelling worm subject of numerous studies. Expression of amyloid-beta, a toxic protein implicated in Alzheimer's disease, paralyzes worms within 36 hours of reaching adulthood. While the worms in one petri dish in Tanis's lab were rendered completely immobile, the worms of the same age in the adjacent petri dish still had their wiggle, documented as ...
Read more