What Is Erythritol?
By John Schloss, PhD, Chair of Pharmaceutical Science, Associate Dean of Research, Professor
At a recent gathering of the School of Pharmacy the question was asked, “What is erythritol?” The simple answer is that erythritol is a polyol (four-carbon), or a reduced simple sugar, like sorbitol (six-carbon reduction product of glucose or fructose), glycerol (three-carbon) or xylitol (five-carbon). However, dietary erythritol,1 unlike sorbitol, glycerol, or xylitol, does not get converted by metabolism into glucose, the essential sugar required for brain function. This means that erythritol has a glycemic index of 0—i.e., none of the erythritol consumed gets turned into glucose—although a small fraction of erythritol (about 10%) gets oxidized to erythrose (an aldose like glucose) and then further oxidized to erythronate (a sugar acid). Most of the erythritol is excreted unchanged in the urine (90%). From the standpoint of weight control and diabetes, this sounds ideal, right? Wrong. The biggest problem with erythritol is the effect it has on platelets. Erythritol potentiates platelet aggregation and may increase the risk of strokes and cardiovascular events.2 Besides its use as a single-component sweetener, erythritol is combined with other sweeteners like stevia, monk fruit, and sucralose in a wide variety of commercial products. Erythritol also occurs naturally in many foods, such as grapes, pears, watermelon, and mushrooms, along with other polyols, simple and complex sugars, sugar acids, and conjugated sugars. Interestingly, erythritol is present at higher levels in obese individuals, raising the question whether it may contribute to some of the pathologies associated with obesity.3
- Mazi TA, Stanhope KL (2023) Erythritol: An in-depth discussion of its potential to be a beneficial dietary component. Nutrients 15(1):204.
- Witkowski M, Wilcox J, Province V, Wang Z, Nemet I, Tang WHW, Hazen SL (2024) Ingestion of the non-nutritive sweetener erythritol, but not glucose, enhances platelet reactivity and thrombosis potential in healthy volunteers-brief report. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 44(9):2136-2141.
- Hootman KC, Trezzi J-P, Kraemer L, Burwell LS, Dong X, Guertin KA, Jaeger C, Stover PJ, Hiller K, Cassano PA (2017) Erythritol is a pentose-phosphate pathway metabolite and associated with adiposity gain in young adults. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 114(21):E4233–E4240.
Thank you, Dr. Schloss! I look forward to your next ‘installment’. I concur about the newest findings. I will add my anecdotal experience. Erythritol was once in a dark chocolate bar with or without almonds and sold exclusively by Trader Joe’s in a brown wrapper with yellow writing on it – I cannot recall the name. It tasted great, and it never changed my glucose. However, all of a sudden, about 6 or 7 years ago, TJ’s pulled it off of its shelves and quit selling the bar. About 6 months later, it returned with a slightly different wrapper, still brown, but Simply Lite with green writing on it. And the new bar is made with a substitute for erythritol: maltitol and a Splenda/sucralose combination, which does not have the same great taste. Splenda/sucralose alone does not cause GI issues in most people. Maltitol causes GI issues, specifically flatulence and diarrhea, in some people. Sorbitol does the same. Sugar alcohols, such as maltitol & sorbitol, have a cooling sensation on the tongue, which can interfere with the taste of the product or pleasantly enhance the cooling effect of a mint product. Sugar affects blood sugar levels and contributes to tooth decay, whereas sugar alcohols do not. In any case, I am enlightened by you that I am better off without the erythritol due to the potential increase in antiplatelet aggregation and subsequent possible clots or strokes. I will stop looking for a chocolate bar that uses erythritol and sucralose. Thank you! Jeanetta Mastron
I wrote my comment at ~ 6 PM on 2-27-2025.
I have no clue what it states 2-28-2025 at 1:59 am.
I think the program has been set up in a different ‘time zone’.
I will report it to our IT department.