Effect of the Natural Sweeteners Erythritol and Xylitol on Vascular Function in Obese Volunteers

Effect of the Natural Sweeteners Erythritol and Xylitol on Vascular Function in Obese Volunteers: A Pilot Study

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT02821923

Enrollment

Registered

2016-07-04

Start date

2016-11-07

Completion date

2022-03-10

Last updated

2022-05-18

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Obesity

Brief summary

Sugar alcohols such as xylitol and erythritol are increasingly popular as sugar substitutes in the food industry and are also recommended to diabetic patients. Both substances are already in use in the food industry and are freely available. Since the 1970s, beneficial effects on oral health could be demonstrated as oral bacteria were influenced positively. A pilot study recently undertaken in the US (Flint N, 2014) has shown that diabetics profit from a daily intake of erythritol, as this natural sweetener enhances the elasticity of the blood vessels. In this trial, investigators aim to examine whether this effect can be found in a non-diabetic but obese cohort, and whether also xylitol improves vascular function.

Interventions

DIETARY_SUPPLEMENTE967-Xylitol

24g xylitol/d

DIETARY_SUPPLEMENTE968-Erythritol

36g erythritol/d

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

DOUBLE (Subject, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to 55 Years

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* Obese volunteers (BMI \> 30kg/m2) * Aged 18- max. 55 years * Otherwise healthy.

Exclusion criteria

* Known cardiovascular disease * Diabetes mellitus * Smoking and drug abuse * Arterial hypertension with antihypertensive treatment * Dyslipidaemia with statin therapy * Known chronic hepatic disease (NASH, hepatitis). * Known renal disease: kidney failure * Pregnancy * Chronical diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, history of gastrointestinal surgery with major changes to the gastrointestinal tract * Substance abuse, alcohol abuse. * Inability to follow procedures due to psychological disorders, dementia or insufficient knowledge of project language (German).

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Central arterial stiffness measured by sonography	Change from baseline to 5 weeks after intake of polyol

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Glucose tolerance measured by oral glucose tolerance test	Change from baseline to 5 weeks after intake of polyol

Countries

Switzerland

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 8, 2026