Imitation sweeteners might be linked to anxiety.

A connotation between the artificial sweetener aspartame and anxiety-like behavior in rats was discovered by researchers at Florida State University College of Medicine in a recent study.

The peer-reviewed study exposed that even aspartame that complies with FDA limits can trigger anxiety. It was published before this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The scientists discovered that aspartame, when consumed, degrades into aspartic acid, phenylalanine, and methanol. These three ingredients can all have significant effects on the central nervous system.

The aspartame concentration in the mice’s drinking water during the trial, which was overseen by Ph.D. Candidate Sara Jones was around 15% of the FDA-approved daily maximum for humans.

For comparison, the dosage is equivalent to eight-ounce cans of diet Coke used daily by humans. The trial ran for 12 weeks over a period of four years.

The scientists discovered rising levels of anxiousness in the mice over time. Additionally, they observed alterations in the mice’s gene cells. After receiving aspartame, the mice’s amygdala, a region of the brain that regulates emotions and fear reactions, activated more frequently than usual. The mice’s greater anxiousness may be explained by this fact.

“It was such a robust anxiety-like trait that I don’t think any of us were anticipating we would see,” Health News quoted Jones as saying. “It was completely unexpected. Usually, you see subtle changes.”

What was perhaps more shocking was that the male offspring who had been exposed to aspartame had higher anxiety levels. 

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