Aspartame, the commonly used artificial sweetener found in countless food and beverage products, has been linked to significant mental health impacts, including anxiety. Many of us have grown up with it being part of our diets, but recent research has connected its consumption to mental health issues.
Our casual choice to enjoy sugar-free drinks or low-calorie alternative snacks could be having unforeseen consequences on our well-being. Read on as we dive deep into the scientific results that lead us here and look at what it could mean for anyone consuming aspartame regularly.
Advertisement
Aspartame was approved in 1981 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and today, nearly 5,000 metric tons are produced each year. However, mounting evidence shows that aspartame becomes aspartic acid, phenylalanine, and methanol, all of which can have potent effects on the central nervous system.
The new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences involved providing mice with drinking water containing aspartame at approximately 15% of the FDA-approved maximum daily human intake. This was the equivalent of drinking a six to eight-ounce can of diet soda daily for humans.
The mice were analyzed, and anxiety-like behavior was observed.
“It was such a robust anxiety-like trait that I don’t think any of us were anticipating we would see,” said doctoral candidate Sara Jones. “It was completely unexpected. Usually, you see subtle changes.”
Advertisement
This adds to mounting evidence that consuming the popular sweetener may be harmful to health. If you suffer from anxiety, it may be helpful to steer clear of products sweetened with aspartame.
Researchers plan to continue their work focusing on brain function and how aspartame affects memory. Future studies will try to identify the molecular mechanisms that influence the transmission of aspartame’s effect across generations.
Supporting Mental Health
Reducing anxiety can be tough, but with the help of Anxiety Rescue, you can help to support healthy mood balance and cognitive function. Through a variety of ingredients, this unique formula can help to target multiple aspects of stress, mood support, and anxiety. Anxiety Rescue begins to work quickly and improves benefits and support as the weeks go on.
Sarah began her interest in nutritional healing at an early age. After going through health problems and becoming frustrated with the conventional ways doctors wanted to treat her illness (which were not working), she took it upon herself to find alternative treatments. This led her to revolutionize her own diet to help her get healthier and tackle her health problems. She began treating her illness by living a more balanced lifestyle through healthy food choices, exercise and other alternative medicine such as meditation. This total positive lifestyle change led her to earn a diploma in Nutritional Therapy from Health Sciences Academy in London, England. Today, Sarah enjoys helping others by teaching healthy lifestyle changes through her personal consultations and with her regular contributions to the Doctors Health Press. Also, passionate about following her dreams in life, Sarah moved to France and lived in Paris for over 5 years where she earned a certification in beadwork and embroidery from Lesage (an atelier owned by Chanel). She then went on to be a familiar face sitting front row and reporting from Paris Fashion Week. Sarah continues to practice some of the cultural ways of life she learned while in Europe. They enjoy their food, and take the time to relax and enjoy many of life’s little moments. These are life lessons she is glad to have brought back home with her.
