Ingredient found in popular low-calorie ice cream can increase your risk of stroke

There’s nothing sweet about this. A new study suggests that a popular sugar substitute found in everything from protein bars to low-calorie ice creams may be messing with the blood vessels in your brain. It’s the latest red flag in a growing body of research linking the common ingredient to a higher risk of stroke and other serious cardiovascular problems.Erythritol is a type of carbohydrate called a sugar alcohol.It’s naturally found in small amounts in fruits and vegetables, and our bodies even produce it in tiny doses during normal metabolism, according to the Mayo Clinic.

But the version added to foods is commercially manufactured by fermenting corn — and it shows up in tons of “keto,” “diabetes-friendly” and “zero sugar” products.With only 6% of the calories of regular sugar and about 70% of the sweetness, erythritol is marketed as a smart choice for weight control.

It also doesn’t raise blood sugar or insulin levels, and even helps fight tooth decay by targeting cavity-causing bacteria.“We decided to study erythritol because it is widely marketed and consumed as a ‘safe’ sugar alternative,” Auburn Berry, lead study author and a graduate student at the University of Colorado Boulder, told Women’s Health.“However, emerging evidence has linked erythritol intake to an increased risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events, particularly ischemic stroke,” she added — noting that how exactly it causes harm hasn’t been fully understood until now.To get a clearer picture, researchers exposed human brain blood vessel cells to an erythritol solution containing about 30 grams — roughly the amount in one can of artificially sweetened soda.Within just three hours, they saw troubling effects: oxidative stress spiked by 75%, which can harm both the cells and nearby tissue.The cells also produced 20% less nitric oxide, a key compound that helps blood vessels relax.Erythritol also triggered more vessel-constricting compounds a...