This caught my attention too. Seems like it’s just an additive to these natural sweets to make them look more sugar like. My guess is if your stevia looks like sugar it probably has it? If it’s an addition to a non-pure sweetener product then they probably didn’t bother to make it look like sugar?
Gotta love when health issues arise just for the “look” of a product…
I am glad I’ve stuck with good old sugar in moderation. Never did trust these no calorie sweeteners. Although admittedly, primarily it was because the taste just never cut it for me.
From what I gather, many of these artificial sweeteners are much more potent than sugar, so they are cut with erythritol to make them more or less a 1:1 substitute.
I contracted Hammer Nutrition. They said their Stevia additives do not contain any erythritol sugars. They will send you an analysis if you need it.
At least in the US, as the labeling info I shared above shows, if a product contains Erythritol the nutrition label will show the presence of sugar alcohol. So if you are concerned, that would be the first thing to look for
Peter Attia published a response to the recent news. In short, he doesn’t think the research is sufficient to draw a hard conclusion that Erythritol from additives is a threat to cardio health. I can’t speak to any of the science but here are his conclusions.
Regardless, I’m not a fan of too many additives. I’m reluctantly agreeing to use products that have some Stevia, but I don’t seek it out. I wouldn’t use a sugar substitute otherwise — either use the real thing or eliminate the need for all that sweetening.
Good video from Layne Norton (who has been on Attia’s podcast several times) breaking down they study: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ad8_scQtHFM
All the usual keto and IM fasting youtube guys have out out response/evaluation videos in the last few days that relate to the video in the OP, since a lot of the premade keto snacks have erythritol in them.
Yup, I trust Lanes’ opinion on this.
Thanks for that link. He raises good questions on why the data may be misleading or maybe better said, incomplete. If so, I’d argue that this may be a case of the press getting us spun up from the extrapolation/simplification of incomplete research. It certainly got my attention, but that’s partly due to not being happy with Stevia in part of my diet.
While I agree to an extent, I think it’s also important to remember who Attia is and where his interests lie. I don’t know who’s right here, but I think it’s clear we need to keep an open mind and let the science lead the way.
What do you think his blind spots here are?
I think it’s in his best interest to promote things that are good for the keto industry. I find it very hard to believe that the doctors who wrote the paper didn’t consider naturally occurring bodily functions, but I could be wrong. I have no dog in this fight. I just know Stevia in all it’s forms is in a lot of “health foods”, so wanted to share the article and let people make their own decisions. That’s why I said I think we should keep an open mind and watch the science.
What this article caused me to do was a bit deeper dive on the range of these non-sugar sweeteners, to better understand them. I’d prefer not to use them but as @Pbase mentions, they are everywhere. So, what is the range and what uses do I find acceptable. I’m ok with Stevia leaf extract, based on what I’ve learned, but I’d skip Erythritol completely, even without the article — it’s a sweet “filler”, IMO.
This is where I currently sit too. Even if it turns out all the people in the study had nothing but naturally produced Erythritol, until someone shows it’s not bad for us, I’m not going to intentionally take more of it in through consumption.
Agreed, especially since it’s a relatively easy thing to cut out of my diet.
I would suggest reading Peter Attia’s critique of the study. It turns out that we produce our own erythritol, as a product of the pentose phosphate shunt. This pathway is apparently more active in people with increased levels of inflammation, diabetes, hypertension, etc. Net result that folks with these diseases will naturally have higher levels of erythritol in their blood. I would guess that it is in general best to avoid artificial sweetners unless you are diabetic, but the risk is probably overplayed in the study in question.
I have not found him to be someone who pushes keto these days, maybe that was true 4-5 years ago. I find him to be more on the Layne Norton train. You would be surprised at the number of poorly written studies.
+1
Neither Layne Norton nor Peter Attia are on ketogenic diets, and neither of them are strong advocate for or against the diet if you delve into into their content. If anything, they seems to bias towards that fact that things like dietary fiber, many micronutrients, and overall ease/quality of life are are uphill battles on a ketogenic diet - but also that if it helps you meet your goals, have at it.
From the horses’ mouths:
Even if Attia were still “pushing” keto, he never really pushed junk food substitutes for carb-laden snacks and desserts. He’s focused on longevity, more than weight loss.