{"id":2832,"date":"2019-01-07T07:13:42","date_gmt":"2019-01-07T07:13:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/veryhealthy.life\/?p=2832"},"modified":"2021-08-03T04:04:25","modified_gmt":"2021-08-03T04:04:25","slug":"10-possible-aspartame-side-effects-worth-knowing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/veryhealthy.life\/10-possible-aspartame-side-effects-worth-knowing\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Possible Aspartame Side Effects Worth Knowing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Modern nutritional science has uncovered the ugly truth about refined carbohydrates. Consuming to much sugar leads to obesity, diabetes, diminished cardiovascular health, and reduced cognitive function. Every month, there’s more research published on the links between sugar and chronic inflammatory disease. Therefore, it would make sense to wean yourself off sugar, and sugary foods, to improve your health and prevent the onset of adverse health effects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Food sweeteners are a multi-billion-dollar industry. People in every country, all over the world consume sugar substitutes. You can find sweeteners in soft drinks and food products that are labeled \u201cdiet\u201d or \u201clow-calorie.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Substituting sugar for a sweetener in your morning coffee may seem like a logical and healthy alternative. However, most sweeteners contain a compound called aspartame. Research into this specific sugar-replacement shows startling results. Aspartame may be more damaging to your health than sugar, here are 10 aspartame side-effects that you should know about before you use this artificial sweetener.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Migraines and Cluster Headaches<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Migraines <\/a>and tension headaches are severe, recurring, and painful conditions. Sensory warning signals precede these events, such as confusion, and disorientation. Almost 12% of the American population experience these disabling conditions that can last for days on end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Environmental or dietary triggers cause the majority of headaches and migraines. Red wine, chocolate, and cheese are examples of foods that trigger these painful events. The Mayo Clinic recently published evidence suggesting that aspartame is another trigger of tension headaches and migraines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The research shows that it only takes a small quantity of the sweetener to create a severe adverse reaction in the body. Doctors recommend removing any trace of alcohol or caffeine from your diet to reduce trigger events. Diet soda is another foodstuff that could cause a potential trigger event resulting in migraines or a tension headache. Diet soda contains aspartame to replace sugar; the sweetener can create low blood sugar episodes that trigger migraines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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2. Diabetic Complications<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Over 30 million Americans live with diabetes<\/a>. An individual may develop this adverse blood-sugar disorder if their pancreas is unable to secrete enough insulin to counter the effects of sugar on the blood and body. People with diabetes require medication to control their disease, with people with type 2 diabetes needing regular insulin shots before meals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Artificial sweeteners offer an alternative to sugar for people with diabetes. However, research on sweetener compounds such as aspartame concludes that it may be a wise idea to avoid aspartame if you are living with diabetes. Aspartame decreases insulin sensitivity, a study done by the American Diabetes Association voices concerns over people with diabetes that eat or drink food products containing aspartame may experience a sudden drop in blood glucose levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further research from the ADA concludes that artificial sweeteners, especially aspartame, do have a negative impact on the body\u2019s insulin response to sugar. This response can affect diabetes risk, even with the consumption of zero-calorie, sugar-free sodas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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3. Vision Problems<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Aspartame consumption has links to vision disorders. Dry eyes, blurred vision, and the inability to retain focus. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) discovered connections between aspartame consumption and vision problems. The test results of controlled studies between two groups of individuals. One group consumed aspartame while the other did not. The results of the research show that aspartame does indeed, cause issues with vision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aspartame is made up of aspartic acid, phenylalanine, and methanol. There is research that suggests methanol could be toxic to your optic nerve <\/a>and retina. The elevation in toxicity creates numerous vision issues. If aspartame is stored for an extended period, or exposed to high temperatures, the chemicals in the compound break down into toxic components that can damage your eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drinking diet soda regularly, especially if you already have eye problems, could further exasperate existing vision disorders. Remove all foods and drink containing aspartame from our diet and replace it with a natural sweetener like stevia instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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4. Amplification of Mood Disorders<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Depression <\/a>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\u2019re unable to experience positive emotions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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5. Hearing Issues<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you are experiencing hearing issues, it could be because of excess aspartame consumption. The Food and Drug Administration lists 90 different health disorders and diseases linked to aspartame. The hearing disorders related to aspartame include tinnitus (a severe ringing in the ears that doesn\u2019t stop, even at night, and in quiet places), as well as sensitivity to loud noises. Hearing loss and disorder such as tinnitus, associated with aspartame consumption, could be a permanent condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Studies show that aspartame consumption affects the normal function of the cochlea and vestibular system<\/a>, a series of there canals located behind the ears. The vestibular system processes sound and balances the body during movement. Aspartame disrupts the signals from the vestibular system to the brain, causing hearing loss and balance issues.\u00a0 There is good news for anyone living with the hearing disorders associated with excessive aspartame consumption. Most of the hearing disorders disappear after discontinuing the use of the artificial sweetener.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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6. Chronic Inflammation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you suffer from diseases related to chronic inflammation, such as rheumatoid arthritis<\/a>, it\u2019s critical that you avoid foods containing aspartame. There are many cases linking aspartame consumption to increased symptoms of chronic inflammatory disease. Inflammatory conditions associated with the use of aspartame include Joint pain, swelling, and skeletal ache.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When aspartame is consumed it creates an inflammatory response in the gut similar to an allergic reaction. The chemicals found in aspartame penetrate cells in the walls of your GI tract. The cells become irritated, swelling due to the onslaught of inflammation in the soft tissues. It\u2019s possible that you are allergic to aspartame, visit your doctor for an allergen test to confirm if aspartame is the culprit of your systemic inflammation. If diagnosed with aspartame allergy, immediately discontinue any use of foods that contain it. Similarly, if you are living with a chronic inflammatory disease, such as arthritis, avoid aspartame in your diet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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7. Weight Loss Prevention<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Are you struggling to lose weight, even with a calorie-restricted diet? The cause of your stagnant weight-loss<\/a> could be related to the over-consumption of aspartame. Although there are no calories in the artificial sweetener, it could still be sabotaging your fat loss results. Aspartame creates inflammation in the walls of the intestines. This systemic inflammation spreads from the gut into every other biological system in the body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inflammation is responsible for over 80% of chronic diseases experienced by Americans, and it\u2019s also the reason why you can\u2019t lose fat in your diet. The digestive inflammation prevents your body from absorbing the nutrition in your food, disrupting the efficiency of the gastrointestinal tract.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you eat aspartame food products, such as diet soda, the body expects an influx of calories. When no food enters the stomach, the body increases levels of ghrelin, the hunger hormone. Excess ghrelin creates cravings and hunger pangs, tempting you to break away from your diet and binge eat until ghrelin levels return to normal. Put down that diet soda if you want the best results from your fat loss diet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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8. Seizure Risk<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES), are thought to be a form of psychosomatic <\/a>illness experienced by people that endure persistent stressful situations. Exposure to excessive stress creates somatization of unconscious mental processes. The condition is widely misdiagnosed as epilepsy, creating complications with the treatment of the disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research from the FDA suggests that up to 30% of Americans are sensitive to consuming aspartame. In fact, of the 1,000 pilot complaints received by the FDA, the majority are related to adverse aspartame reactions. Top of the list for harmful health conditions caused by aspartame is psychogenic non-epileptic seizures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research suggests that the breakdown of chemical compounds comprising aspartame is responsible for this adverse health condition. The methanol in aspartame creates severe toxic reactions in the body when placed under heat, which may be accountable for manifesting PNES symptoms. Consuming aspartame products, like diet soda, at high altitudes may also trigger seizures, which is why the FAA recommends against pilots drinking diet soda before, or during, flights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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9. Abdominal Pain and Cramping<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are links between aspartame consumption and gastrointestinal irritation. Consuming aspartame products, such as diet soda, inflames GI disorders like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS.) When aspartame launched in the early \u201980s, complaints from the public regarding stomach cramps inundated the FDA, particularly in the first year of its release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sheer volume of complaints pressured the FDA to launch a research campaign into the compound. The results of the studies found that diets containing a high level of aspartame were more susceptible to developing gastric disorders like IBS. When the test subjects discontinued the use of the artificial sweetener, their gastric disorders subsided. The studies noted that the side-effects didn\u2019t return after stopping the use of aspartame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research from the University of Iowa discovered that that high aspartame diets <\/a>have a biphasic result on appetite. After consuming aspartame, individuals experienced a reduction in hunger levels followed by an uncontrollable surge in hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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10. Possible Cancer Antagonist<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In 2018, an estimated 609,640 people will die from cancer. Breast cancer, bronchus and lung cancer, colon cancer and prostate cancer <\/a>are the most common forms of this chronic disease. The cancer mortality risk is more significant for men than women, with 196.8 new cases diagnosed for every 100,000 men in the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research suggests that consumption of aspartame may show links to specific forms of the colon and intestinal cancer. While the FDA has approved aspartame as safe for use in humans, there are concerns of aspartame absorption by the body and its resultant effects on metabolism and cognitive function.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike other artificial sweeteners, such as sucralose, the body changes the compounds of aspartame during metabolism. There is little government research that shows links between aspartame and cancer. However, there is a body of privately funded research that states otherwise. A study cited by the American Cancer Association links aspartame consumption to risk of developing blood-related cancer such as leukemia and lymphoma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\r\n

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