BRAIN HEALTH : Pass on the Aspartame-Laden Foods and Beverages

Eliminate the artificial sweetener that has been linked to brain tumors and other brain health
issues.
Before you take another sip of that aspartame-laden diet soda or other “diet” food or beverage,
here are seven brain health reasons to rethink that drink.
1. Only 1 year after aspartame was approved by the FDA, its own task force learned that some
of the original data showcasing aspartame’s safety had been falsified to hide results showing
that animals fed aspartame had experienced seizures and developed brain tumors.4 The
artificial sweetener was never recalled. Aspartame has also been linked to the formation of
various types of cancer, including brain cancer.
2. There is a 43 percent increased risk of experiencing a stroke or heart attack when a person
drinks more than one diet soda daily.
3. According to the authors of the book Hard to Swallow, when a diet drink containing
aspartame is stored at 85°F for a week or longer, “There is no aspartame left in the soft
drinks, just the components it breaks down into, like formaldehyde, formic acid, and
diketopiperazine, a chemical that can cause brain tumors. All of these substances are known
to be toxic to humans.”
4. According to researchers at the American Academy of Neurology, if you drink four or more
cans of soda daily, you’re 30 percent more likely to suffer from depression.
5. Research shows that aspartame in diet soda causes an imbalance in brain hormones,
specifically dopamine and serotonin.7 Dopamine is a brain chemical that helps us feel good.
Impaired dopamine production is involved in brain disorders such as Parkinson’s disease.
Serotonin is a feel-good brain neurotransmitter that reduces pain and the likelihood of
experiencing depression.8 Low levels of serotonin have been linked with aggressive
behavior.9
6. Mold inhibitors added to diet soda cause severe cell damage, according to research by Peter
Piper, professor of molecular biology and biotechnology at the University of Sheffield in the
United Kingdom. This cell damage likely includes brain and nerve cells.10
7. Diet soda as a mix for alcoholic beverages worsens hangovers. According to research at the
Royal Adelaide Hospital in Australia, diet soda increases the rate at which alcohol enters the
bloodstream and causes hangovers to occur sooner than they otherwise would, as well as
making them more intense.11 The increased rate of alcohol entering the bloodstream can also
increase the rate at which brain cells are destroyed.
How to Benefit
If you absolutely must have soda, choose a stevia-sweetened one instead of the many aspartameladen
sodas on the market. One good choice is Zevia. Most “diet” foods and products contain
aspartame or other types of artificial sweeteners, so they are best left at the store. Choose
unsweetened foods and beverages, and add a few drops of the naturally sweet herbal extract
stevia.
Super Health Bonus
It’s ironic, considering its name and reputation as a “diet” drink, that diet soda is more likely to
make a person fat. It is linked to a 34 percent increase in metabolic syndrome, along with its
symptoms of high cholesterol and abdominal obesity.12 Just drinking two cans of diet soda daily
has been linked to a 500 percent increase in waist size.13 By skipping aspartame, you’re likely to
lose weight if you’re overweight. And since a Harvard University study found that drinking diet
soda daily doubles a person’s risk of kidney disease, you’ll have a reduced incidence of kidney
disease, as well.14 You’ll even maintain stronger teeth, since diet soda is extremely acidic and
has been linked to dental enamel erosion