Erythritol

Studies in people

• Benefit

  Tooth decay and blood sugar²

  Erythritol is a sweetener that may cut tooth decay and does not raise blood sugar.

• Benefit

  Blood sugar control³

  Erythritol is a sweetener studied for helping keep blood sugar levels steady in people and animals.

• Concern

  Gut side effects⁴

  Eating a lot of erythritol can cause diarrhoea, and some people may eat more than the level experts consider safe.

• Concern

  Blood clotting risk⁵

  In healthy people, eating erythritol made their blood platelets stickier, which may raise clotting risk.

• Open question

  Heart and diabetes risk⁶

  Erythritol is a sweetener, and high levels in the blood may predict future diabetes and weight gain.

• Open question

  How the body handles sweeteners⁸

  In people, erythritol is taken up by the body and turned into erythronate, but what that means for health is still unknown.

• Benefit

  Tooth decay in children⁹

  In schoolchildren, eating erythritol candies daily meant fewer holes in their teeth than xylitol or sorbitol candies.

• No harm found

  Blood sugar and insulin¹⁰

  Erythritol did not change blood sugar or insulin levels in people who ate it.

• Open question

  Stroke risk¹¹

  A study linked genetically predicted erythritol levels to stroke, but this does not show that eating erythritol causes stroke.

• No harm found

  Blood sugar and digestion¹²

  Erythritol did not change blood sugar or insulin, and people's stomachs handled it as well as sugar.

• Benefit

  Tooth decay risk¹³

  Teens who used erythritol had less plaque and fewer decay-causing bacteria in their mouths.

Animal and lab studies only

• Concern

  Blood vessel health in the brain¹⁶

  In lab studies, erythritol raised oxidative stress and lowered nitric oxide in human brain blood vessel cells.

• Benefit

  Blood sugar after meals¹⁷

  In animal studies, erythritol lowered blood sugar after eating in diabetic mice.

• Benefit

  Sweetener and gut health¹⁸

  Erythritol helped gut bacteria from people make more butyrate.

• No harm found

  Gut bacteria and gas¹⁹

  In lab studies, erythritol was not broken down by gut bacteria, so it likely makes no gas or energy.

• Benefit

  Blood vessel lining in diabetes²⁰

  In lab studies, erythritol protected blood vessel lining cells from dying when glucose was high.

Study type not stated

• Open question

  Heart and blood clotting¹⁵

  Scientists do not yet know whether eating erythritol raises the risk of heart problems.

Single cases of misuse or overdose

One person or one incident, such as an accidental overdose or a mistake in a kitchen or factory. They are real, but a single case does not show what happens at normal amounts, so the signal does not count them.

• Allergic reaction to a sweetener¹⁴

  A woman had a severe allergic reaction after drinking a diet beverage containing erythritol.

How it’s made and used

• Sweet drink cravings⁷

  In people, drinks paired with erythritol ended up just as liked as those paired with sugar.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.