Health
Calorie-free sweetener linked to heart attacks, strokes and blood clots, scientists find in study – Fortune
Artificial sweeteners are growing increasingly prevalent in the U.S.—but according to new research, the impact they’re having on our health might not be so sweet.
In a peer-reviewed paper published in the scientific journal Nature Medicine on Monday, experts from universities in the U.S., Germany, Saudi Arabia and the Czech Republic noted that little was known about the long-term effects of common artificial sweeteners on cardiovascular health.
The research team investigated the impact that erythritol, a commonly used sugar substitute, was having on people’s health.
Their findings suggested that the consumption of vast amounts of the sweetener could have severe consequences—to the point of putting people’s lives at risk.
In the preliminary stage of the study, the team analyzed blood samples from more than 1,100 people that were collected between 2004 and 2011. They found that high levels of erythritol in the blood was linked to experiencing a heart attack, stroke or death within the next three years.
Scientists went on to test blood samples from 2,149 people in the U.S. and 833 people in Europe, confirming the link between higher levels of erythritol and increased risk of heart attack, stroke or death.
In a third round of testing, the research team found that ingesting high levels of erythritol increased the likelihood of developing blood clots—which can be life-threatening if left untreated.
“Our findings suggest the need for further safety studies examining the long-term effects of artificial sweeteners in general, and erythritol specifically, on risks for heart attack and stroke, particularly in patients at higher risk for [cardiovascular disease],” they said in the paper.
However, they noted that their study had a number of limitations. These included the fact that many of their participants had underlying health issues, meaning the relevance of their findings to the general population remained to be determined.
“However, in our sensitivity analyses, it should be noted that the clinical prognostic value of erythritol was widely observed, including numerous lower-risk subgroups,” they added.
What is erythritol?
Erythritol is a food additive and sugar substitute that, unlike sugar itself, contains zero calories.
The substance is one of the most widely used artificial sweeteners in food, and has become increasingly prevalent thanks to its presence in processed and keto-reduced-sugar foods.
Erythritol is not a new or manmade substance, occurring naturally in low amounts in fruits and vegetables. However, when it is used to sweeten processed foods, it is often added at levels 1,000-fold higher than the levels at which it is found naturally.
In the U.S., however, the FDA does not require disclosure of erythritol in food or drink—which the researchers working on the study said made it difficult to track its levels in food as an additive.
They also noted that although the FDA and the EU deemed the sweetener safe, most of the existing studies on the substance looked at its short-term effects on human health.
Artificial sweeteners, although having been linked to type 2 diabetes, cancer and obesity in the past, have become increasingly common in recent decades, being used in yogurt, candy, breakfast cereals and a slew of other foods and beverages.
A previous study found that the consumption of low-calorie sweeteners had jumped by 200% in U.S. children between 1999 and 2012, while research published in 2020 showed Americans were eating less sugar but far more artificial sweeteners.
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Health
MUHC opens Quebec's first multidisciplinary referral centre for endometriosis – McGill University Health Centre
Montreal, March 28, 2023 – The McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) is proud to launch Quebec’s first multidisciplinary referral centre for multisystem endometriosis. EndoCARES, or the Endometriosis Centre for the Advancement of REsearch and Surgery, aims to provide patients suffering from pain and infertility due to endometriosis with timely access to specialized diagnostic imaging, followed by multidisciplinary care based on individual needs.
Endometriosis is an inflammatory condition where endometrial-like tissue (similar to the inner lining of the uterus) grows outside of the uterus. Affecting about 1 in 10 women of reproductive age, it commonly causes infertility and debilitating pelvic pain, often severe enough to limit a woman’ s ability to carry out normal daily activities.
“While half of women with infertility and up to 70 per cent of those with chronic pelvic pain have endometriosis, studies show an average delay of seven years from the start of symptoms to diagnosis,” explains Dr. Togas Tulandi, chief of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the MUHC. “EndoCARES aims to significantly reduce this delay by uniting a team of gynecologic surgeons specialized in minimally invasive surgery – more specifically, in the removal of endometriosis lesions – along with other specialists, such as bowel surgeons, urologists, radiologists and fertility specialists, in a single patient-centered clinic.”
Bottom row, left to right: Dr. Togas Tulandi; Karine Rousseau, operating room nurse; Dr. Jessica Papillon-Smith, and Dr. Srinivasan Krishnamurthy.
EndoCARES specialists come together regularly to discuss complex surgical cases and devise the best treatment strategies to offer patients. Meanwhile, a dedicated nursing staff provides continuity of care for the patients by facilitating the coordination of care between specialists and monitoring post-operative recovery following complex surgeries.
A centre of excellence
Drs. Dong Bach Nguyen and Andrew Zakhari, co-directors of the centre, both pursued additional training at renowned endometriosis hubs in Europe after completing minimally invasive surgery fellowships in Ottawa and Toronto respectively. As a result, patients treated at EndoCARES now benefit from innovative surgeries specific to endometriosis not previously offered in Quebec. “In Europe, several countries have established centres of excellence to provide specialized care to patients affected by endometriosis. Training in these centres allowed us to bring back not only new surgical techniques, but also the foundations to build an endometriosis referral centre for women with multi-organ endometriosis in Quebec,” explains Dr. Nguyen.
“The primary objective of this centre is to provide women with severe endometriosis affecting other organs like the bladder,bowel or diaphragm, with dedicated surgical and radiological expertise,” says Dr. Zakhari. Along with Drs. Srinivasan Krishnamurthy, Fady Mansour, Jessica Papillon-Smith and Togas Tulandi, this team of surgical gynecologists is committed to improving the care of Quebec women suffering from endometriosis.
Many questions remain unanswered
“Today, we still do not understand the exact cause of endometriosis, nor do we have a cure,” explains Dr. Tulandi, who is also an associate investigator at the Child Health and Human Development Program at the Research Institute of the MUHC.
Moving forward, EndoCARES aims to enhance basic, epidemiological and clinical research in endometriosis with the establishment of a patient registry that will function as a database for future research. Additionally, the program will facilitate international networking, collaborative research and the standardization of clinical practice through the exchange of ideas and experiences.
EndoCARES’ state-of-the-art clinical care and forthcoming research are made possible in part by generous donations made to the MUHC Foundation, which has pledged to raise $700,000 in support of personnel and equipment for the EndoCARES program.
“Endometriosis is very common and yet, so many women endure years of pain before receiving a diagnosis. This is completely unacceptable. The MUHC Foundation is proud to support the EndoCARES program, because it will change women’s health care for the better and reduce the pain and uncertainty so many women endure,” says Julie Quenneville, president and CEO of the MUHC Foundation.
Someone to reach out to
It took five long years before Anisa Gjoka was referred to Dr. Andrew Zakhari and diagnosed with stage 4 endometriosis at 25 years old. “On February 8, 2021, in the middle of a pandemic, I finally had my surgery,” recounts Anisa. “After a four-hour surgery, and with only four small incisions, they were able to carefully remove the endometriosis lesions, leaving all of my organs intact!”
Today, at 28 years old, Anisa maintains a pain-free lifestyle, something that seemed unimaginable before entering under the expert care of Dr. Zakhari. “It gives me great peace of mind to know that EndoCARES exists – that there is finally someone for me to reach out to whenever I’m in need, and that the young women experiencing their first symptoms will be spared years of suffering and will be cared for by a multidisciplinary team of experts, all in one place.”
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About the McGill University Health Centre
The McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) is one of the world’s foremost academic health facilities. Building on the tradition of medical leadership of its founding hospitals, the MUHC provides exceptional multidisciplinary patient-centric care in French and in English. Affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of McGill University, the MUHC continues to shape the course of adult and pediatric medicine by attracting clinical and research expertise from around the world, assessing the latest in medical technology, and training the next generation of medical professionals. In collaboration with our network partners, we are building a better future for our patients and their families; for our employees, professionals, researchers and students; for our community and above all, for life. www.muhc.ca
Media contact:
Rebecca Burns
McGill University Health Centre
[email protected]
514-929-1329
Several public health units in southwestern Ontario say there’s been a rise in cases of whooping cough across the region.
Residents in the Southwestern Public Health region are being urged to get vaccinated against the respiratory illness after 82 cases of whooping cough were recorded from January 2022 to the end of February.
Meantime, Huron Perth Public Health has confirmed at least 21 cases of the illness so far this year, compared to only three cases last year. The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit said last week that it counted 18 cases since November, 2022.
Written by: Ian McCallum
NEWS RELEASE
NIAGARA HEALTH
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Niagara Health’s COVID-19 assessment centre and COVID, cold and flu care clinics (CCFCC) will permanently close on Friday, March 31.
COVID-19 testing will be available at select pharmacies across the region, and the prescription drug Paxlovid will continue to be available through family physicians and at select pharmacies across the region. Remdesivir infusion therapy, which aids in treating COVID-19, will be available in the community.
Niagara Health’s first assessment centre opened on March 17, 2020, at our Niagara Falls Site and has since administered more than 327,000 swabs. The centres served as the primary screening and testing locations for COVID-19 in the region. The Niagara Falls centre is the final of the three to close.
Closing these operations will help our health human resources efforts by allowing teams to return to their regular work or to NH priorities and help address staffing pressures and support for those providing frontline care.
“Working with our partners, we also opened an additional temporary location in Niagara Falls to test hospitality and tourism sector workers,” says Zeau Ismail, director of interprofessional practice, research and education; director lead at COVID-19 assessment centre and COVID, cold and flu care clinic. “Community health-care professionals, including family physicians, stepped up to work at these centres, in addition to a number of redeployed hospital staff and physicians.”
Niagara Health, along with partnering members of the Niagara Ontario Health Team-Équipe Santé Ontario Niagara (NOHT-ÉSON), operated five CCFCCs to test, assess and provide treatment for people with COVID-19 and other cold and flu-like illnesses. Since opening in 2022, the CCFCCs and Niagara Health’s clinical assessment centre have had more than 1,900 visits.
After March 31:
- If a person has symptoms of a respiratory illness, they are encouraged to call their primary care provider if they have one as the first option for guidance and care.
- If someone develops severe symptoms, they are urged to go to their nearest emergency department or call 9-1-1.
“We are incredibly grateful to our staff, physicians and partners, both on the frontlines and behind the scenes, who helped make the ACs and CCFCCs possible throughout our fight against COVID-19,” says Ismail.
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