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 Consuming a drink with erythritol — an artificial sweetener used to add bulk to stevia and monk fruit and to sweeten low-carb keto products — more than doubled the risk of blood clotting in 10 healthy people, according to a new pilot study.

Clots can break off blood vessels and travel to the heart, triggering a heart attack, or to the brain, triggering a stroke. Previous research has linked erythritol to a higher risk of stroke, heart attack and death.

What is remarkable is that in every single subject, every measure of platelet responsiveness (clotting) went up following the erythritol ingestion,” said lead study author Dr. Stanley Hazen, director of the Center for Cardiovascular Diagnostics and Prevention at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute.

Consuming a drink with an equal amount of glucose, or sugar, did not affect blood platelet activity in another group of 10 people, said Hazen, who is also the Jan Bleeksma chair in vascular cell biology and atherosclerosis at the Cleveland Clinic.

“This is the first direct head-to-head comparison of the effects of ingesting glucose versus ingesting erythritol on multiple different measures of platelet function,” Hazen said. “Glucose doesn’t impact clotting, but erythritol does.”

While small, the study was “very intriguing and interesting,” said Dr. Andrew Freeman, director of cardiovascular prevention and wellness at National Jewish Health in Denver.

“I’m not saying we need to cease using these sugar alcohols immediately, but this line of research certainly begs the question: Are they safe or not?” said Freeman, who was not involved in the research.

In response to the study, the Calorie Control Council, an industry association, told CNN that 30 years of science has shown erythritol to be a “proven safe and effective choice” for sugar and calorie reduction.

“Consumers should interpret the results of this pilot with extreme caution. The limited number of participants, a total of 10, were given an excessive amount of erythritol, nearly quadruple the maximum amount approved in any single beverage in the United States,” the council’s president, Carla Saunders, said in an email.

However, the amount of erythritol used in each drink in the study — 30 grams — was the equivalent of what is included in typical sugar-free sodas, ice creams or muffins, of which people often eat more than one, Hazen said.

“This research raises some concerns that a standard serving of an erythritol-sweetened food or beverage may acutely stimulate a direct clot-forming effect,” said study coauthor Dr. Wai Hong Wilson Tang, research director for heart failure and cardiac transplantation at the Cleveland Clinic, in a statement.

It only takes a tiny bit of artificial sweetener to add plenty of taste, so filler substances such as sugar alcohols are used to create the granules. 

 SAINT-DENIS, France — Before her fourth attempt in the Olympic women’s long jump final, Tara Davis-Woodhall spent time near the spectator stands, chatting with her husband. Hunter Woodhall’s seat inside Stade de France was far removed from where the athletes sat and warmed up between their jumps. So after that conversation, Davis-Woodhall had to make the long walk back, past the length of the sand pit. Suddenly, she stopped. She was staring at the sand, pressing her hands together and pointing to a particular mark.

To that point Thursday night, no one but Davis-Woodhall had eclipsed seven meters — and she wasn’t particularly impressed with her performance, even though she had been in medal position from her first attempt and was in the middle of putting down one of the best series of Olympic jumps by an American woman. In that moment, as she pointed toward the sand, Davis-Woodhall visualized her next landing spot. When she took off, sprinting, flying and stretching, her jump was recorded at 7.10 meters (23 feet 3½ inches). Immediately, she turned back to the pit. She was looking at her mark, and even before the official measurement appeared on the jumbo screens, Davis-Woodhall saw gold.

With that leap, Davis-Woodhall became just the fourth U.S. woman to win a gold medal in the long jump. Her performance was so dominant that even her next-best jump — a 7.05 (23-1½) recorded in her second attempt — would have been good enough for gold. Both marks crushed Davis-Woodhall’s winning leap in last year’s U.S. indoor championships, though she was stripped of that title after testing positive for cannabis. In Paris, while reflecting on her life and career, she spoke of her path to redemption.

I’ve been dreaming of this moment for so long, ever since I was 4 years old,” Davis-Woodhall said. “I’ve gone through hell and back. I have, like, faced everything that you can imagine, and I told myself: 8-0-8. That’s the day I win the Olympics.”

If jumping on Aug. 8 wasn’t enough of a sign, that the long jump finals started at 8 p.m. local time cemented it for Davis-Woodhall. She viewed it as kind of destiny, the perfect time and date to make amends for her sixth-place finish at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. She left those Games without a medal, but in the year leading up to Paris, Davis-Woodhall followed a new winning plan: eating red meat and blocking fools on social media. The combination improved her nutrition — and her mental health.

“I try so hard to keep on being positive this year and keep on being motivated,” she said. “That motivation turned into manifestation, and manifestation turned into a reality, and the reality is I’m an Olympic gold medalist.”

Behind Davis-Woodhall stood Malaika Mihambo of Germany (6.98, 22-103/4), the silver medalist, and U.S. teammate Jasmine Moore (6.96, 22-10), who claimed bronze. By the time that trio closed the competition with their sixth and final jumps, all three knew they would be leaving with a medal. The only drama remaining was whether Moore and Mihambo could at least threaten Davis-Woodhall’s mark. But Moore couldn’t beat her previous best, and Mihambo, who won gold in Tokyo, missed the board and instead ran through the pit.

Davis-Woodhall didn’t turn around to watch; she looked only at her coach. She was still looking away, mentally preparing herself for one more jump, as the moan from the crowd informed her of Mihambo’s misfortune.

“I’ve had first place taken away from me multiple times. I wanted to just keep on staying in the moment,” Davis-Woodhall said, “and when I heard the crowd Oooo! I was like, ‘Oh no!’ Like, I wish I would’ve paid attention and watched her jump, and I wish she would’ve gotten that jump in, but on the upside, I’ve got an Olympic gold medal.”

Give Davis-Woodhall a camera and a microphone, and the charismatic and charming YouTube sensation will sprinkle in viral-ready moments throughout a 4½-minute media session. When asked how she felt about eclipsing seven meters twice, she quipped: “The fact that I jumped a 7.10, holy sheee-!” When she was told that Simone Biles and Snoop Dogg watched the track and field session as part of a near-capacity crowd of 80,000, Davis-Woodhall’s eyes widen and her jaw dropped. “What? Shut up!”

But give her a runway and a sandpit, and that’s when Davis-Woodhall truly becomes a star. No one quite commanded the crowd Thursday night like she did. Before every jump, Davis-Woodhall spread her arms and slowly, dramatically, began to clap. Even when she wasn’t shown on the big screen, the crowd followed her lead, clapping right along. Before that epic fourth jump, she raised her arms and flashed a heart gesture. Then she seemed to land just about at the spot she had previously located on her walk back down the runway. The spot that won gold.

“Is this real, am I dreaming?” she said. “Someone pinch me.”

Paris Olympics 2024 so far

The Paris Olympics are officially underway after the daring Opening Ceremonies. Keep up with all the action by following us live, subscribing to our newsletter and listening to our podcast.

How to watch: Follow all the Olympic events and TV listings with our daily schedule and find out how to tune in or where to subscribe to watch. If you’re new to the Olympics, we’ve got a guide for that.

Medals: We’re tracking all the Olympic medals country by country, including firsts and comparisons to the 2020 Olympics. See the U.S. medals broken down by athletes, too.

U.S. athletes: Top Team USA athletes like Noah Lyles, Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky are some of the athletes to watch, but there are some familiar faces that are missing this year.

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 PARIS — Breaking — more commonly called breakdancing — is making its Olympic debut here at the 2024 Paris Games. The competition opens with the B-girls, and medals will be decided by the end of the day today. The B-boys will then close it out on Saturday.

USA TODAY Sports is bringing you everything you need to know, live updates and highlights as the competition unfolds. Follow along.

Logan Edra, known as "B-Girl Logistx," brought it. She won all nine votes in each round of her first battle against an Australian competitor, Rachael “B-Girl Raygun” Gunn. Logistx knew she had it in the bag and made the Vince Carter “it’s over” throat slas at the conclusion of the second round.

2024 Olympic medals: Who is leading the medal count? Follow along as we track the medals for every sport.

Breaking at Olympics results, scores

Here are the round robin battle results as they come in. There are two rounds per battle, nine votes up for grabs per round.

• Lithuania’s Nicka 1 (11 votes) vs. France’s Syssy 1 (7 votes), Group B
• USA’s Logistx 2 (18) vs. Australia’s Raygun 0 (0), Group B
• Japan’s Ami 2 (17) vs. Italy’s Anti 0 (1), Group C
• China’s Ying Zi 2 (18) vs. Morocco’s Elmamouny 0 (0), Group C
• Japan’s Ayumi 1 (10) vs. Ukraine’s Stefani 1 (8), Group D
• Ukraine’s Kate 2 (15) vs. France’s Carlota 0 (3), Group D

Team Refugee athlete wears ‘Free Afghan Women’ cape 

Manizha Talash, or “B-Girl Talash,” represented the Refugee Olympic Team at these Games and participated in the first battle in Olympic history during a pre-tournament qualifier. During the third round, Talash – who now resides in Spain – donned a “Free Afghan Women” cape.

The cape appeared to be a blatant violation of Rule 50 of the Olympic charter, which prohibits political protests or messaging on the field of play. The IOC, which created the Refugee Olympic Team, did not immediately reply to a request for comment. And Talash was whisked past print reporters in the mixed zone without taking questions.

"What she did on stage I think is enough," a man accompanying her said.

The Netherlands’ India Sardjoe, or “B-Girl India,” defeated Talash in the three-round pre-qualifier to eliminate the Refugee Olympic Team breaker from the competition.

Netherlands' India wins opening breaking battle

Manizha Talash, “B-Girl Talash,” represented the refugee team at these Games and participated in the first battle in Olympic history during a pre-tournament qualifier. During the third round, Talash – who now resides in Spain – donned a “Free Afghan Women” cape. 

The Netherlands’ India Sardjoe, “B-Girl India,” defeated her 27-0 in the three-round event. 

Snoop Dogg opens up breaking competition

The inaugural breaking competition began in a most fitting way: With Snoop Dogg banging a staff into the ground thrice. Before every event in Paris, a guest of honor is brought out to do what has is called the “les trois coups, s'il vous plait,” which directly translates to “three hits, please.” The ritual is a celebration of France’s theater culture, according to Eurosport. Snoop performed his duties with aplomb before the b-girls were introduced. 

Why is breakdancing an Olympic sport?

Yes. Breaking is part of the new wave of sports that the International Olympic Committee has ushered in as part of a broader effort to appeal to younger fans and add an urban flair to the Summer Games. It follows the addition of sports such as skateboarding and surfing, which debuted at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

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