(My own personal rule is that humans did not evolve easting highly processed foods or chemicals, and therefore I consider foods that falls into those categories to be unhealthy.)

Researchers investigated the link between the common artificial sweetener erythritol and cardiovascular risk.
They found that erythritol is linked to increased cardiovascular risk.
Further studies are needed to confirm the results. 

Individuals with metabolic conditions such as type 2 diabetes and obesity are often advisedTrusted Source to consume products that replace sugars with artificial sweeteners to improve blood sugar levels and facilitate weight loss.

However, there are no long-term clinical trials examining the safety of most sweeteners. Some studies suggest that certain sweeteners may be linked to weight gain, cardiovascular diseaseTrusted Source, and type 2 diabetesTrusted Source.

Erythritol is a commonly used artificial sweetener. Although naturally present in small amounts in fruits and vegetables, it is often added to processed foods in 1,000 times higher quantities.

While some studies show that erythritol may have antioxidant effects in animal modelsTrusted Source of diabetes, others show that it may be linked to increased weight gain in college students, and to the onset of type 2 diabetesTrusted Source.

Further study of the effects of erythritol on cardiometabolic risk could inform healthful dietary practices.
‘A convincing argument’

Recently, researchers examined the link between erythritol consumption and cardiovascular risk.

They found that erythritol consumption increases cardiovascular risk, including the risk of a heart attack or stroke, thrombosis (blood clotting), and death related to a cardiovascular event.

The results appear in NatureTrusted Source.

Dr. John Alan Galat, a cardiac surgeon with Novant Health in Charlotte, NC, not involved in the study, commented about its findings to Medical News Today. According to him:

“This article [makes] a convincing argument that one of the more common sugar substitutes — erythritol — may very well increase the risk for heart attack and stroke. [The authors nevertheless] concede that much more investigation needs to be done. The important question is whether the benefits of reduced sugar and caloric intake outweigh the risk of consuming products with these sugar substitutes.”