Erythritol Sources, Health Concerns, and How it Compares

Discover what erythritol is, its benefits, and how it compares to other artificial sweeteners for a healthier sugar alternative.

In a world increasingly seeking alternatives to sugar, erythritol has emerged as a popular low-calorie sweetener, touted for its sugar-like taste and minimal impact on blood sugar levels. However, recent studies have sparked a wave of curiosity about its potential heart health implications.

Here’s what you need to know about erythritol, including where to find it, cardiovascular concerns, and how it compares to some other popular artificial sweeteners.

What is Erythritol?

Erythritol is a type of sugar alcohol used as a low-calorie sweetener in various food products.

Sugar alcohols have a chemical structure similar to sugar and alcohol, but they don’t contain ethanol like alcoholic beverages. They’re commonly used as low-calorie sweeteners in sugar-free and reduced-sugar foods. Sugar alcohols also don’t cause the same spikes in blood sugar or insulin levels.

Erythritol provides about 70% of the sweetness of sugar but with almost no calories.

Erythritol is rapidly absorbed in your small intestine and then travels to your bloodstream, at a higher and faster rate than the larger sugar alcohols.

From here, most of it leaves your body (when you pee) without being metabolized. This also allows it to provide a sweet flavor with nearly no calories or effect on your glucose metabolism (blood sugar and insulin levels).

While sugar alcohols are generally known for promoting digestive effects (usually when consumed in large amounts), erythritol is also known to be less problematic in that department because most of it doesn’t reach your colon.

Where are you most likely to find erythritol? It can be both naturally occurring in certain foods and added to commercial products, including:

• Naturally Occurring: Found in small amounts in certain fruits like grapes, melons, and pears.
• Fermented Foods: Soy sauce, wine, and cheese due to fermentation processes.
• Commercial Production: Produced by fermenting glucose from corn or wheat starch using yeast or other microorganisms.
• Sugar-Free and Low-Calorie Products: Commonly added to sugar-free candies, gum, jams and jellies, chocolates, baked goods, and beverages as a sweetener (like zero-calorie sodas and energy drinks).
• Tabletop Sweeteners: Available as a granulated or powdered sweetener in products like Truvia or Swerve for use in cooking and baking.

Pretty much anywhere you’d expect to find artificial, low- or no-calorie sweeteners (like “diet” or “light” products or items marketed for people living with diabetes), you may expect erythritol or another similar option.

The best way to know whether a candy, food, or beverage has erythritol is to look at the nutrition facts and ingredient panel on the product. However, the FDA doesn’t require that manufacturers explicitly list sugar alcohols unless they make a statement or claim about the health effects of sugar alcohols or sugar when sugar alcohols are present.

Does Erythritol Pose Health Risks?

Erythritol is widely used as a low-calorie sweetener, but recent research raises concerns about potential health risks, particularly related to cardiovascular health.

Some recent studies have suggested that high levels of erythritol in the blood may be linked to an increased risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), such as heart attacks and strokes.

Erythritol may also enhance platelet reactivity and promote thrombosis (blood clots), which could contribute to these risks.

While more research is needed to fully understand its long-term safety, we prefer to veer on the side of caution if you’re someone who regularly consumes erythritol (or any non-nutritive sweetener, for that matter).

How It Compares to Other Artificial Sweeteners

Erythritol is one of many artificial sweeteners used to bring sweetness to products without the calories or metabolic effects of table sugar. Here’s how it compares to some other widely used options in terms of origin, sweetness scale, and potential health effects.

Erythritol vs Stevia

Erythritol is a sugar alcohol derived from fermented glucose, while stevia comes from the leaves of the stevia plant. Stevia is much sweeter than erythritol, sometimes up to 300 times sweeter than sugar, but it can have a slight aftertaste. Erythritol, on the other hand, has a milder sweetness and a taste more similar to sugar, making it a preferred option for some people.

Allulose vs Erythritol

Allulose is about 70% as sweet as sugar and is absorbed by the body, though not metabolized, resulting in almost zero calories. Erythritol is also around 70% as sweet as sugar but passes through the body without absorption, contributing no calories. Both are gentle on blood sugar levels, but erythritol is less likely to cause digestive discomfort compared to allulose in large amounts.

Erythritol vs Monk Fruit

Erythritol is a sugar alcohol. Monk fruit, derived from the monk fruit plant, is much sweeter—up to 200 times sweeter than sugar—though it often has a slightly fruity aftertaste. Erythritol has a more sugar-like taste and texture, while monk fruit is often mixed with other sweeteners like erythritol to balance its intense sweetness.

Erythritol vs Xylitol

Erythritol has almost zero calories and is well-tolerated by most people, with minimal digestive issues. Xylitol, while slightly sweeter, contains about 40% fewer calories than sugar and can cause digestive discomfort in large amounts. Unlike erythritol, xylitol is also toxic to pets, particularly dogs, making erythritol a safer option in households with pets.

Erythritol vs Aspartame

Erythritol is a sugar alcohol with a mild sweetness similar to sugar, while aspartame is an artificial sweetener that is about 200 times sweeter than sugar. Unlike erythritol, which is heat-stable and ideal for baking, aspartame breaks down at high temperatures, limiting its use in cooking. Additionally, erythritol is better tolerated in terms of digestive health, whereas aspartame has faced controversy over potential health risks, though it’s widely considered safe in regulated amounts.

Final Thoughts on Erythritol

Like many artificial sweeteners, erythritol is lacking in definitive long-term human health data. Personally, we suggest reigning in your erythritol intake if you have existing heart conditions or have other cardiovascular risk factors. Better safe than sorry. Awareness of what regularly occurring erythritol sources may be in your diet is a good first step.

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