Aspartame causes heightened anxiety in mice (allergy, doctors, foods, treat)

[rjshae]

New research links common sweetener with anxiety

Florida State University College of Medicine researchers have linked aspartame, an artificial sweetener found in nearly 5,000 diet foods and drinks, to anxiety-like behavior in mice.

Along with producing anxiety in the mice who consumed aspartame, the effects extended up to two generations from the males exposed to the sweetener. The study is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

When given diazepam, a drug used to treat anxiety disorder in humans, mice in all generations ceased to show anxiety-like behavior.

I know this study is only using mice, but perhaps this finding might explain a few things about the modern world? Extrapolating, this stuff may be causing epigenetic changes that can last multiple generations. I think it needs further study.

Pronounced anxiety-like behavior was observed in the mice through a variety of maze tests across multiple generations descending from the aspartame-exposed males.

[Tall Traveler]

So many friends and family females have debilitating anxiety, are there solutions? My closest family suffering with anxiety doesn't take aspartame, I asked after I saw this. I tend to think it's diet and possibly related to too much plastic and other chemicals seeping into bodies.

[Ghaati]

Originally Posted by Tall Traveler

So many friends and family females have debilitating anxiety, are there solutions? My closest family suffering with anxiety doesn't take aspartame, I asked after I saw this. I tend to think it's diet and possibly related to too much plastic and other chemicals seeping into bodies.

Because it can't possibly be the pressures of society, politics, the constant barrage of information coming at us via the internet - that's just causing people to frazzle and flip a switch in their brains telling them to do something different.

[ocnjgirl]

Originally Posted by Ghaati

Because it can't possibly be the pressures of society, politics, the constant barrage of information coming at us via the internet - that's just causing people to frazzle and flip a switch in their brains telling them to do something different.

I'm sure it's both. I remember when Aspartame first came out. Multiple doctors were warning people about a link to brain tumors. So if it can affect one part of the brain, why not others? Aspartame is the artificial sweetener I trust the least, and unfortunately that's the one in almost all diet soda. Both Pepsi and Coke used to have versions with Splenda but discontinued both of them.

I have a feeling one day we will find a lot of our physical ailments are caused by either chemicals we use (fabric softener sheets, propellents in spray deodorants, pesticides and processed foods) are behind them. There is a reason Autism, Alzheimer's etc numbers are steadily rising.

I used to take Children's Benadryl to help me sleep, then read studies a few years ago linking it (and other anticholinergic drugs like overactive bladder meds, allergy meds, etc) with increased risk of dementia.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-...-with-dementia