Mar. 1st, 2023

thewayne: (Default)
The Slashdot summary:
Erythritol, a zero-calorie sugar substitute used to sweeten low-cal, low-carb and "keto" products, is linked to higher risk of heart attack, stroke and death, according to a new study. Researchers at the Cleveland Clinic studied over 4,000 people in the U.S. and Europe and found those with higher blood erythritol levels were at elevated risk of experiencing these major adverse cardiac events. The research, published Monday in the journal Nature Medicine, also found erythritol made blood platelets easier to form a clot.

"Our study shows that when participants consumed an artificially sweetened beverage with an amount of erythritol found in many processed foods, markedly elevated levels in the blood are observed for days -- levels well above those observed to enhance clotting risks," said Dr. Stanley Hazen, senior author of the study and chairman for the department of cardiovascular and metabolic sciences at Cleveland Clinic, in a press release.

While the study doesn't definitively show causation, CBS News medical contributor Dr. David Agus says there's "certainly enough data to make you very worried." "Most artificial sweeteners bind to your sweet receptors but aren't absorbed. Erythritol is absorbed and has significant effects, as we see in the study," Agus explains. Sweeteners like erythritol have "rapidly increased in popularity in recent years," Hazen noted, and the researchers say more in-depth study is needed to understand their long-term health effects. "Cardiovascular disease builds over time, and heart disease is the leading cause of death globally. We need to make sure the foods we eat aren't hidden contributors," he said.
"In the study, researchers looked at the levels of erythritol in the blood of around 4,000 people from the United States and Europe and found that those with the highest blood concentration of the sugar substitute were more likely to have a stroke or heart attack," adds the New York Times in their reporting. "The participants, who mostly were over the age of 60, either already had or were at high risk for cardiovascular diseases because of conditions like diabetes and hypertension."

"The researchers also found that when they fed mice erythritol, that promoted blood clot formation. Erythritol appeared to induce clotting in human blood and plasma as well. Among eight people who consumed erythritol at levels typical in a pint of keto ice cream or a can of an artificially sweetened beverage, the sugar alcohol lingered in their blood for longer than two days."

Dr. Hazen said: "Every way we looked at it, it kept showing the same signal."


The Nature link below is semi-paywalled. You can read part of the PDF for free.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-023-02223-9.epdf

https://science.slashdot.org/story/23/03/01/0258247/artificial-sweetener-erythritol-linked-to-heart-attack-and-stroke-study-finds

I couldn't find a commercial name for erythritol, apparently it is labeled and sold directly under that name.
thewayne: (Default)
From the web site:
The devastating earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria have created an urgent humanitarian crisis. Hundreds of thousands of people are in immediate need of medical supplies, food, water, and shelter, and the road to recovery will continue to be extremely challenging for the people of the region. To lend a hand how we can, we’ve joined forces with game makers & book publishers for a bundle 100% dedicated to supporting Türkiye-Syria quake relief efforts.

The Türkiye-Syria earthquake relief bundle features over 70 items worth over $1,000, including:

Gotham Knights, the 2022 open-world action-RPG featuring Batgirl, Nightwing, Red Hood, and Robin; cyberpunk slasher Ghostrunner; epic RPG Pathfinder: Kingmaker Enhanced Plus Edition; action-packed heist game PAYDAY 2; and acclaimed sim Euro Truck Simulator 2.
All 10 current digital volumes of Image Comics’ Eisner Award-winning series Saga, plus the Starfinder tabletop RPG from Paizo.

100% of the proceeds will go to Direct Relief, International Medical Corps, and Save the Children in support of their ongoing Türkiye-Syria quake relief efforts.


The package also includes the Pathfinder computer game that was Kickstarted and PDFs of the Starfinder core rulebook and a scenario book.

Sometimes the stuff available on packages like this for relief efforts get added to, so more things may become available before the bundle ends, which is in seven days.

https://www.humblebundle.com/games/turkiye-syria-earthquake-relief-bundle

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