Another article critiquing the study:

https://peterattiamd.com/more-hype-..._eid=b3bafe300b

I still prefer to avoid all artificial sweeteners.

PKU patients can't process an amino acid. Yeah, it is in just about everything processed and not processed. Really, really hard to avoid since it is an essential amino acid. It is also found in foods high in protein.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/ar...alanine#sources

I think maybe people didn't catch this pilot study about exogenous erythritol ending up in the blood.


I don't think you can necessarily lay the blame of people's high erythritol measurements on their metabolic condition when you can replicate high erythritol in people simply by feeding it to them.

Put that together with the observation that erythritol stimulates platelets and it looks pretty bad.

https://www.everydayhealth.com/diab...through%20urine.

Everybody and their mother has weighed in on this study, two of my Paleo stalwarts, Mark Sisson and Robb Wolf, advise that the small pilot study does not look good, but neither of them use processed sweeteners in any significant amount.

From Mark's Sunday with Sisson:

I agree with the Robb/Mark reaction to the study; however, it's telling that with the many responses to the erythitol study, it has obviously triggered a nerve, which may be even more telling how many people react to protect the consumption of sweetened food and rail against its criticisms. I've witnessed people who react negatively and dismissively when someone politely declines an offer of dessert, observing that a small amount can hardly be a concern. Something to think about.

I agree. This goes beyond the question of whether or not it is safe to consume erythritol to why people cling so fiercely to the need to ingest sweetened foods to the extent that they become upset when others decline the offer of dessert.

I completely understand the desire not to want this to be true. But I need to be honest with myself and the science looks concerning so far.

I actually have this book! When I asked Dr. Naiman if he had heard of the paleo diet, he said he had and that he had read this book (either in residency or medical school, I can’t remember which). That was sometime around 2009-2010, a long time ago! I agree with much of what I learned about the paleo diet, but I am not very strict with it.

I’ll add Dr. Tro’s post from Twitter today:

Proponents of continued Erythritol use ignore the invivo and mechanistic data, they play to natural pathways as a reason to assume its benign

Opponents of Erythritol use are weighing heavily on composite data.

Nobody is right. I JUST wouldn’t assume its benign

I liberally use sweeteners. It’s just not a problem. I’m a little leery of Nutrasweet/aspartame because when it first came out, I got the Nutrasweet headache. I use a lot of Splenda, and that’s probably not going to change. I’ve lost a ton of weight using it.

Layne Norton has videos out explaining that the research actually supports artificial sweeteners are helpful for weight loss. I agree with that. And while he doesn’t think the research on erythritol supports the conclusions they draw, I don’t care.

I pitched it all!!

That’s a very good way to look at it. It’s one I’ve been following as I struggle to regain my health. We have to take our individual situation into consideration above all.

I think Nancy is absolutely right to note that she already has an issue in this area. Adding unknown risk is just not worth the sweet taste we get.

I use heavy cream and a dash of salt in my (decaf) coffee. That's sweet enough for me. Likewise, my Naked Whey smoothies need no extra sweetener.

AND I've treated fatigue with D-Ribose. This is a Dr. Sarah Myhill tip, which is useful for heart patients. (Helps rebuild distressed mitochondria.) If you can handle a few carbs for a good-for-you bit of sweetener, this might solve that issue.

Nothing tastes as good as healthy feels.

https://youtu.be/tsUpqSE6m0k

The science is POOR.

In another life, I would attend the brown bag lectures where PhD candidates presented their study and findings..... Let me say, there is a right way and a better way in most cases.

As for biases, I overheard a senior researcher counsel ing a younger PhD: phrase the results in a way that more research is needed. Their pay depended on winning research dollars. Oh, and don't make the company putting up the money look bad.

The quality of the study matters.

Salt can kill you.

Water can kill you.

Time to stop eating salt and drinking water?

Saying that the science is poor is a good way to dismiss things you don't want to hear. Yes, sometimes the science is bad. In fact, a lot of time early on. That's why other groups of researchers need to try to replicate or further study. The science on this particular issue is scant and new, yes, but I wouldn't characterize it as poor. I only wish that there was more money available for people to replicate studies as that is often lacking.

Science draws hypotheses from observations and then tests them. The observation was that people with high blood erythritol have strokes and clotting issues. The pilot test was feeding people erythritol to see if that raises their blood levels. It did establish that. You can't really ethically test the hypothesis by feeding lots of erythritol to people with diseases where it might kill them, so you have to study the effect on platelets in mice and the test tube. We'll know more later.

One last thing, I tend to discount what YouTube keto "experts" are saying because that is how they make their money. They've been making a living off erythritol. So if I have to put my life into anyone's hands, it wouldn't be a YouTube influencer with hundreds of videos making sweets with erythritol. Now if Taubes weighs in on it, I'd definitely listen.

Serious Keto has a serious blind spot. If your body needs to make a repair in a blood vessel, it will form a tiny clot to fix it. If it forms a really big clot, that is a problem. Not everyone walking around knows what shape their blood vessels and heart are in. The clotting condition I have isn't a rare one. Lots of people have it and don't know it. We've all heard about super healthy people having strokes or heart attacks.

At any rate, I will stop arguing at this point. We all have to make our own decisions on the matter.

Another critique, from The American Council on Science and Health :

Noticed Cleveland Clinic's popular article About Erythritol

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/erythritol/

Conclusion.