4. Amplification of Mood Disorders
Depression affects people regardless of their age, race, or gender. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) defines the symptoms of depression as a depressed mood lasting for a period longer than 2 weeks. Depression drains the color from your life, affecting your mood and robbing you of the simple pleasures in life. People living with depression describe the disorder as a feeling of numbness, where they’re unable to experience positive emotions.
Depression often requires medication such as SSRIs to combat the condition and return the individual suffering from depression to a healthy mental state. Consuming aspartame could cause complications with these depression medications, increasing the intensity and duration of the disorder.
There is no direct link between aspartame and depression. However, medical professionals recommend that anyone feeling depressed should avoid aspartame entirely. Studies of people consuming aspartame as part of their diet for 8 days or longer showed they experienced higher levels of irritability and lousy mood than those that followed an aspartame-free diet.