A new study on a popular artificial sweetener suggests some people could be twice as likely to experience serious medical issues if they ingest the substance regularly.

Researchers wrote in the journal Nature Medicine that studies "assessing the long-term safety of erythritol are warranted" given their findings.

They say people with diabetes are twice as likely to experience heart attacks or strokes if they have high levels of that particular sugar substitute in their blood.

They added that while erythritol is naturally present in fruits and vegetables, it is typically added to processed foods "at levels 1,000-fold higher."