"This is Killing Your Gut & Heart!" - How to Prevent Heart Disease | Dr. William Li

Artificial Sweeteners and Heart/Brain Health [00:00]

• "Sugar-free," "zero-calorie," and "keto-friendly" labels may not indicate healthier choices.
• Substances and additives in ultra-processed foods can negatively impact health.
• Erythritol is an artificial sweetener found in sugar-free drinks, candy, keto snacks, low-carb baked goods, flavored waters, protein powders, and dietary supplements.
• A study from Cleveland Clinic's Learner Institute found that erythritol can significantly increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.
• In healthy volunteers, blood levels of erythritol spiked a thousandfold after consumption, indicating it enters the bloodstream.
• Erythritol can activate blood platelets, which are cell fragments that help form blood clots.
• Activated platelets can form clots in the body, potentially interfering with blood flow to organs, which can lead to heart attack (clots in the heart) or stroke (clots in the brain).
• This platelet activation was found in people consuming erythritol, but not in those consuming regular sugar.
• Individuals consuming the most erythritol had twice the risk of having a heart attack or stroke over three years.
• The body does not metabolize erythritol well; it enters the bloodstream, lingers in tissues, and is excreted through urine, but repeated exposure can cause it to build up.

This is a big statement to make, but it's a big finding.

Activated platelets form clots. People who ate a lot of erythritol actually had activation of their platelets. Now, to me, that is a red flag.

So, we hear about all the so-called harms of regular sugar. Here is a sugar substitute that really should open your eyes to maybe a problem that you want to actually dodge.

Artificial Sweeteners and Gut Health [11:13]

• The gut microbiome, composed of trillions of bacteria, is crucial for digestion, immunity, and overall health.
• Certain food additives and artificial sweeteners in ultra-processed foods can harm healthy gut bacteria.
• Examples of problematic additives include potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate, sodium sulfite, saccharine, and polysorbate 80.
• These substances can reduce the population of beneficial bacteria and impair the function of those that remain.
• Saccharine and potassium sorbate significantly reduce the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) by gut bacteria.
• SCFAs are important for lowering inflammation, supporting gut lining strength, and boosting immune health.
• Polysorbate 80, an emulsifier or thickener, has been linked to increased intestinal permeability, or "leaky gut."
• A leaky gut allows harmful substances to enter the body, leading to chronic inflammation, weakened immunity, and increased vulnerability to chronic diseases.

They didn't just reduce the population of good bacteria, but the ones that they didn't knock out, they actually impaired their function. They reduced the number and then they crippled the ones that were left. Not good, right?

When the gut is leaky, all that stuff comes out into your body. Really bad.

Artificial Sweeteners and Brain Function [19:14]

• Sucralose, also known as Splenda, is an artificial sweetener about 600 times sweeter than sugar.
• It is approved by the FDA and found in numerous products like diet sodas, coffee syrups, sugar-free ketchup and barbecue sauce, salad dressings, protein powders, chewing gum, and some breads and cereals.
• Sucralose contains zero calories and lingers in the body, particularly in body fat. It has even been detected in breast milk.
• A study from the KEK School of Medicine at the University of Southern California found that sucralose can affect the brain's control of appetite.
• In a study using functional MRI, sucralose alone did not activate the brain's reward center as much as real sugar.
• However, sucralose combined with carbohydrates blunted the brain's ability to signal fullness, potentially leading to overeating.
• This effect can contribute to weight gain, insulin resistance, and metabolic dysfunction.
• Sucralose also damages the gut microbiome, increases inflammation, and puts stress on healthy gut bacteria.

By the way, what else has sucralose? Low-calorie salad dressings, protein powders, chewing gum, even some whole wheat breads and cereals and things you might want. Even that, make sure you look at the ingredient label.

Sucralose plus carbs actually blunted the brain's ability to say that you're full. That's interesting, right?

So, sucralose can affect the part of your brain that affects hunger and then you can actually easily overeat.