The not-so-sweet truth about artificial sweeteners

Artificial sweeteners can contain an ingredient, erythritol, that humans produce in our bodies naturally at very low levels, according to Dr. Herb Aronow, Heart and Vascular Director at Henry Ford Health. But, Aronow says that when erythritol is used as an artificial sweetener, the dose is 1,000 times higher than what our bodies might produce on their own. New research has shown a concerning association between intake of this ingredient and heart attack and stroke.