E968 / Glazing agents, gases & sweeteners
Erythritol
Safety in brief
Safe in moderation
Recorded EatMatrix rating, not a new clinical review. The amount, your sensitivities and country rules still matter.
- Watch for
- Recorded sensitivities: May cause mild digestive upset at very high intake..
- Our advice
- There are cardiovascular signals and conflicting small experiments. That uncertainty should remain visible. Neither a blood-marker association nor a null short trial establishes that all ordinary uses are dangerous or that unlimited intake is safe.
What it is
Erythritol is a sugar alcohol that occurs naturally in some fruits and fermented foods, about 60-80% as sweet as sucrose but with nearly zero calories. Unlike most sugar alcohols, it is largely absorbed in the small intestine and excreted unchanged in urine, so it typically causes less digestive upset than xylitol or sorbitol, and it does not raise blood sugar or insulin. It's widely used in sugar-free and keto-friendly products. A 2023 study linked higher blood erythritol levels to increased cardiovascular risk in some populations, an association still being investigated and not yet reflected in regulatory limits.
Also appears on labels as: Erythritol, E968, E 968, E-968, Erythrite, Mesoxalate, 1,2,3,4-Butanetetrol, Tetritol, Natural sugar alcohol erythritol, Polyol erythritol, Sugar substitute erythritol, Sweetener E968.
Dietary information
- Vegan
- Yes
- Halal
- Yes
- Gluten-free
- Yes
- Allergens
- Caution
Recorded ingredient information. Check the product label or certification: sources, other ingredients and cross-contact can vary.
Research & body effects
What human studies mean for E968
Erythritol: distinguish a blood marker from eating the sweetener
A 2023 study associated higher fasting blood erythritol with more cardiovascular events in people undergoing cardiac assessment. The body can make erythritol, so a high blood level does not directly reveal how much someone ate. The erythritol and later xylitol cohorts come from the same research programme. Complete participant overlap has not been checked here; do not assume independent replication.
In a 2024 acute intervention, 10 healthy volunteers drank 30 g erythritol and 10 drank glucose. The erythritol group had increased platelet reactivity in laboratory testing after ingestion. This was not a long-term trial of heart attacks or strokes; the abstract does not establish random allocation.
Blood erythritol and cardiovascular event risk. Indexed abstract read; complete main text, supplements and declarations remain pending.
Acute erythritol ingestion and platelet reactivity in healthy volunteers. Indexed abstract read; random allocation was not established from the abstract. Full methods and declarations remain pending.
A September 2026 study measured predicted risk, not new heart attacks
A secondary analysis of a weight-loss diet trial measured blood erythritol in 802 people at baseline, with 664 paired measurements after six months. Falling erythritol levels were associated with improvements in estimated 10-year cardiovascular risk and some blood-fat measures.
People were randomized to diets, not to erythritol. The endpoint was a calculated risk score, not observed heart attacks. The result cannot show that removing erythritol from a food would produce the same change.
Blood erythritol during weight loss and estimated cardiovascular risk. Indexed abstract read; full methods and declarations remain pending. This secondary analysis did not randomly assign erythritol intake.
A five-week pilot found no difference in other body measures
Forty-two adults with obesity completed a randomized pilot using erythritol at 36 g/day, xylitol at 24 g/day, or no supplement for five weeks. Vascular function, abdominal fat and glucose tolerance did not significantly differ between groups. The no-supplement group was not blinded; the sample and follow-up were small.
These were different outcomes from the acute platelet studies. A null pilot does not prove long-term safety, and it cannot tell us whether heart attacks or strokes become more or less likely.
Five-week erythritol and xylitol pilot: vascular and metabolic measures. Selected main-text methods, results, limitations and funding read; complete declarations and supplements remain pending. Published online in November 2023, although the indexed record appeared later.
September 2026 update: a conflicting result, still a preprint
A newly indexed preprint reports a randomized crossover experiment in 14 healthy people using 50 g erythritol, 33.5 g xylitol or water. It found no increase in the measured platelet or clotting-related markers. Platelets are blood cells involved in clotting.
This is a small, short experiment that has not been treated here as peer-reviewed evidence. Its differing result deserves follow-up; it does not automatically overturn earlier work or settle long-term cardiovascular risk.
Preprint: no increased platelet reactivity in a small polyol crossover study. Indexed author abstract read. Listed as a preprint when checked; not treated as peer-reviewed evidence. Complete methods, declarations and any later version remain to be checked.
Related whole-diet evidence: a benefit and a trade-off
The 2025 SWEET trial compared low-sugar diets that allowed or excluded products with many sweeteners after an initial weight-loss phase. The analysis of 277 adults who reached the initial loss target favoured allowing these products by about 1.6 kg at one year. The difference was not statistically significant when only completers were analysed.
About 40% of recruited adults did not complete the study. The sweetener group reported more abdominal pain, loose stools and gas. Many products and ingredients varied together: neither the weight result nor the symptoms can be attributed to this one additive.
Related whole-diet SWEET trial: weight maintenance and gut symptoms. Selected main-text methods, results, limitations and declarations read; supplements not fully appraised. EU Horizon 2020 funding; several authors disclose food-industry relationships.
EatMatrix’s reading
There are cardiovascular signals and conflicting small experiments. That uncertainty should remain visible. Neither a blood-marker association nor a null short trial establishes that all ordinary uses are dangerous or that unlimited intake is safe.
A practical choice
Compare the whole food and your usual alternative, including free sugars, fibre and how often you eat it. Water or an unsweetened drink is a straightforward option. A sweetener name alone cannot tell you the dose in a serving or predict your personal response.
WHO’s 2023 recommendation on non-sugar sweeteners for weight control excludes sugar alcohols such as xylitol and erythritol. It should not be presented as a verdict on these polyols. Read WHO’s scope and limits.
Selected sources checked . The reading scope is stated beside each source. These are selected findings, not an exhaustive clinical review or a personal diet prescription. Indexed notices were checked where accessible; missing notices do not prove that no correction or later version exists. The research does not by itself change recorded ratings or country permissions. Use the country section for the separate legal question.
Selected research on E968
How to read study types- Preprint, not peer-reviewedPreprint: no increased platelet reactivity in a small polyol crossover study
Not peer-reviewed in this check. A 14-person acute crossover experiment found no increased platelet reactivity with erythritol or xylitol versus water. The result differs from earlier work but does not settle long-term cardiovascular safety.
- Observational studyBlood erythritol during weight loss and estimated cardiovascular risk
Observational secondary analysis of a diet trial: changes in blood erythritol tracked estimated 10-year cardiovascular risk. Erythritol intake was not randomized and the endpoint was a risk calculation, not new heart attacks.
- Randomized trialRelated whole-diet SWEET trial: weight maintenance and gut symptoms
Related whole-diet trial favoured sweetener-containing products for weight maintenance in one analysis, but not the completer analysis. Dropout was high and gut symptoms were more frequent. Many ingredients varied together; no individual-additive effect was isolated.
- Human interventionAcute erythritol ingestion and platelet reactivity in healthy volunteers
Ten volunteers received erythritol and ten glucose. Erythritol increased laboratory platelet reactivity after ingestion. Random allocation was not established from the abstract; this was not a long-term trial of cardiovascular events.
- Randomized trialFive-week erythritol and xylitol pilot: vascular and metabolic measures
Five-week pilot in 42 adults with obesity found no significant differences in vascular function, abdominal fat or glucose tolerance. Small, short and partly unblinded; not a trial of heart attacks or strokes.
- Observational studyBlood erythritol and cardiovascular event risk
Higher fasting blood erythritol was associated with cardiovascular events in cardiac-assessment cohorts. Endogenous production complicates dietary interpretation. The related xylitol paper is from the same research programme; independent replication must not be assumed.
Earlier source summaries checked ; latest additions checked . See the detailed research section for what was read and the remaining limits. This is a selection of sources, not a complete literature review. Authority assessments apply to the uses and places they cover.
Health notes from our ingredient record
- A 2023 observational study associated higher blood erythritol levels with increased risk of blood clotting and cardiovascular events; this is an emerging area of research and causation has not been established.
- Can still cause digestive discomfort (bloating, gas) in some people at high doses, though generally milder than other sugar alcohols.
- Not fully calorie-free, though the calorie contribution is negligible.
Other references from our ingredient record
These links come from the original ingredient record. They are separate from the source reviews above and have not all been checked for the exact ingredient, amount consumed or claim. Dates are shown newest first.
- Re‐evaluation of erythritol (E 968) as a food additive — EFSA Panel on Food Additives, EFSA Journal (2023). Official EFSA scientific opinion (bibliographic reference, imported 2026-10-13). It covers the additive as a group assessment and is not an individual human study; read the opinion for its findings.
Country rules
Country checks for E968
Permission depends on the market, type of food, amount and conditions. A scientific opinion or an E-number alone does not establish a legal use. These checks are separate from the stored EatMatrix rating.
Compare all eight markets and their sources
| Market | What is checked |
|---|---|
| European Union | Regulation (EC) 1333/2008, Annex II Part B, version , contains the exact code E968: Erythritol. Listing alone does not allow every food use. Part E food categories, limits, specifications and applicable later acts still need a product-specific check. Source read: . |
| Great Britain | The FSA register record for E968 (Erythritol) lists “Authorised” in England, Scotland and Wales. Register updated: 01 April 2025; record checked: . Food-specific conditions and specifications still need a separate legal check. |
| United States | Complete current-use review pending. Any scoped provision in the label guide above applies only to the stated use. FDA explains the applicable food-additive and GRAS framework. |
| Northern Ireland | Review pending. Check the applicable EU rules and territory arrangements; the GB register alone does not establish this status. FSA guidance is a starting source, not a verified permission for this entry. |
| Canada | Named food-use records located. Health Canada lists the preparations below for specified foods and purposes. This is conditional permission for those uses, not approval of every product or a personal safety verdict. Only the named records and conditions below were located. Exact composition and specifications still need matching. Source tables captured . List publication dates are shown separately. Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) is a condition of use, not an unlimited amount or a recommended intake. Food and Drug Regulations B.16.003 requires the listed source, purpose, amount and other conditions to match. The official consolidation read was current to 21 September 2026; product specifications and applicable later changes still need checking. Read 21 listed food-use conditionsErythritolHealth Canada: List of Permitted Sweeteners. List published ; item E.1.
EatMatrix reading: match the exact preparation and food first. A manufacturing limit is not an acceptable daily intake (ADI). A label without the amount cannot establish exposure, and an unlisted name here does not establish a ban. |
| Australia | Review pending. Food Standards Code permissions and conditions need an additive-specific check. FSANZ food-additive rules is a starting source, not a verified permission for this entry. |
| New Zealand | Review pending. Food Standards Code permissions and conditions need an additive-specific check. FSANZ food-additive rules is a starting source, not a verified permission for this entry. |
| Japan | Review pending. The relevant list, identity and use standards need an additive-specific check. CAA food-additive lists is a starting source, not a verified permission for this entry. |
Sources & review status
Check what each source covers: an authority’s conclusion, a research finding and a country’s legal permission answer different questions.
What this guide covers
- Selected research
- 6 source summaries, with publication dates and study types. Several publications may describe the same study population.
- Official assessment sources
- Commission-listed EFSA references for E968. Bibliographic identity checked; latest findings and current use rules need separate review.
- Original ingredient record
- 1 research link; newest recorded date: . Sources added separately to this guide are not included in this count.
This guide brings together our ingredient record and the dated sources shown here. Missing information describes a gap in this guide; it does not mean an ingredient is untested, safe or harmful. This is not a complete review of every study, preparation or current country rule. The amount in a product and how it is used still matter.
How to read the ratings, research and country checksAgency labels recorded by EatMatrix
These are imported database classifications, not verified current statements from each authority. Use the dated official sources below for their actual scope and conclusions.
| Authority | Database label |
|---|---|
| FDA | Safe |
| WHO | Safe |
| EFSA | Safe in moderation |
| FSANZ | Safe |
| UK FSA | Safe in moderation |
Official assessment sources for E968
The European Commission’s re-evaluation table lists official EFSA documents for this additive. Their identifiers and subjects were checked against publisher bibliographic records. A missing research link in the EatMatrix database does not mean the additive has never been assessed.
Name in the Commission table: Erythritol.
- Re‐evaluation of erythritol (E 968) as a food additive
EFSA scientific opinion. Publication month: .
These are assessment references, including historical or group assessments. They do not establish the latest scientific conclusion, a human health benefit or risk, or current permission to use the additive in a particular food. Later assessments, corrections and food-use conditions need separate review. The recorded EatMatrix rating above is unchanged.
European Commission re-evaluation table, status as of . EatMatrix checked this bibliography on .
Database updated: . What does an E number mean on a food label?
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
What is EatMatrix's recorded rating for E968?
The recorded EatMatrix rating for E968 (Erythritol) is “Safe in moderation”. It is calculated from labels stored in our ingredient database. These labels are not verified current regulator decisions or country permissions. A database update date is not a scientific review date.
Is E968 vegan, halal or gluten-free?
According to our ingredient data for Erythritol — vegan: yes, vegetarian: yes, halal: yes, kosher: yes, gluten-free: yes, dairy-free: yes. Manufacturing sources can vary between products; check the label if it matters to you.
What is E968 and why is it used?
Erythritol is a sugar alcohol that occurs naturally in some fruits and fermented foods, about 60-80% as sweet as sucrose but with nearly zero calories. Unlike most sugar alcohols, it is largely absorbed in the small intestine and excreted unchanged in urine, so it typically causes less digestive upset than xylitol or sorbitol, and it does not raise blood sugar or insulin. It's widely used in sugar-free and keto-friendly products. A 2023 study linked higher blood erythritol levels to increased cardiovascular risk in some populations, an association still being investigated and not yet reflected in regulatory limits.
Does E968 contain allergens?
No known allergens are recorded for Erythritol, with a caution: May cause mild digestive upset at very high intake..
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This page shows information and classifications recorded in our ingredient database. Current scientific and market-specific verification remains pending as described above. It is general information, not medical advice.