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FDA has warned consumers about elevated levels of lead in ground cinnamon products for the third time this year, in today's bite-sized hospital and health industry news from Illinois, Maryland, and Ohio.
- Illinois: Late last month, Abbott warned consumers that sensors on some of its blood sugar monitoring systems may lead to inaccurate readings and need to be replaced. According to the company, testing found that some sensors on its FreeStyle Libre 3 system may incorrectly show high blood sugar levels, which can lead patients to taking insulin when it's not needed. The affected devices were distributed in the United States in the first half of May, and Abbott estimates that less than 1% of U.S. users are impacted. Consumers should check Abbott's website to see if their sensor is affected. The company also said that it will replace the faulty sensors at no charge. (Associated Press, 7/25)
- Maryland: FDA is warning consumers that more ground cinnamon products contain "elevated levels of lead" that could be unsafe. According to Axios, this is the agency's third public health alert about ground cinnamon this year. In the latest alert, FDA recommended recalls for at least 10 types of packaged ground cinnamon sold in stores across several states, including Dollar Tree and Patel Brothers. Consumers have been advised to "stop using and dispose of" the affected products. Although no product-related illnesses have been reported, consuming products with elevated levels of lead could lead to higher levels of lead in the blood, and long-term exposure could lead to adverse health effects. According to FDA, the health alert could be updated with additional products as the agency continues to "analyze cinnamon and review sample results received from state partners." (Tyko, Axios, 7/30; Aleccia, Associated Press/TIME, 7/31)
- Ohio: According to a recent study led by a team at the Cleveland Clinic and published in the European Heart Journal, a popular sugar substitute called xylitol is associated with an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and even death. For the study, researchers analyzed data from over 3,000 people in the United States and Europe. Around half the participants had a history of heart disease, and almost all of them had at least a few risk factors for heart disease. Participants were followed for several years. When the researchers measured levels of xylitol in participants' blood after an overnight fast, they found that those with the highest levels had a two-fold greater risk of having a heart attack, stroke, or dying over the next three years. The researchers also injected xylitol in mice and found that it increased blood clotting by triggering the activation of platelets. The researchers also tested this in humans by giving people a xylitol-based drink and a glucose-based drink. When people drank the xylitol drink, their levels of clotting factors jumped significantly, but that didn't happen with the glucose drink. "I think it is much more prudent to avoid those [artificial sweeteners] and be more judicious about the amount of sugar you use," said Stanley Hazen, chairman of cardiovascular and metabolic sciences at the Cleveland Clinic and the study's senior author. "The very people who are most at risk—those who are diabetic, obese or have metabolic syndrome—are the ones who are inadvertently reaching for an unhealthy option. I am absolutely convinced that sugar alcohols are a risk for cardiovascular disease based on all of the clinical and mechanistic data we are seeing." (Park, TIME, 6/6; Phend, MedPage Today, 6/7)
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