ACCORDING TO A NEW STUDY OF MICE, the common artificial sweetener, aspartame, may be fueling anxiety. Today we explore artificial sweeteners and anxiety.

I experience occasional anxiety, but it is a normal part of life. On the other hand, some individuals with anxiety disorders report persistent and excessive worry about everyday situations. Some have panic attacks or repeated episodes of intense anxiety and fear that quickly peak within minutes.

Anxiety disorder examples include social anxiety disorder (social phobia), generalized anxiety disorder, specific phobias, and separation anxiety disorder. A person can have more than one anxiety disorder.

The Mayo Clinic (USA) explains that anxiety symptoms may include the following:

Common anxiety signs and symptoms include:

• Feeling nervous, restless, or tense
• An increased heart rate
• A sense of impending danger or doom
• Breathing rapidly (hyperventilation)
• Trembling
• Sweating
• General fatigue or weakness
• Trouble sleeping
• Difficulty concentrating or thinking about anything besides the present worry
• Having gastrointestinal symptoms
• Having challenges regulating worry
• Having the urge to avoid anxiety-triggering things

Today, a new preclinical study suggests that an artificial sweetener may fuel anxiety.

“If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath.”
― Amit Ray, Om Chanting and Meditation

Aspartame, an artificial sweetener

Let’s look at an example of an aspartame-containing beverage. Coke Zero, recently rebranded as Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, is allegedly more healthy than the original sugar-sweetened drink, Coca-Cola Classic.

Coke zero sounds good, sporting no calories or sugar while offering the popular Coca-Cola flavor. No wonder many turn to it for a delicious beverage that drops sugar intake and might help with weight control.

On the other hand, Coke Zero has no meaningful nutritional value. Here is what one 12-ounce (354-ml) can offers:

• Calories: Zero
• Fat: Zero grams
• Protein: Zero grams
• Sugar: Zero grams
• Sodium: Two percent of the Daily Value (DV)
• Potassium: Two percent of the DV

The Coca-Cola company uses artificial sweeteners (including aspartame) to sweeten Coke Zero without adding calories. But does this practice turn it into a healthy drink?

The evidence is inconsistent, but some studies demonstrate artificial sweetener use is associated with a higher chance of obesity and metabolic syndrome. The latter is a constellation of conditions that increase disease risk.

The artificial sweetener aspartame and anxiety

A 2017 study discovered that approximately 41 percent of adults reported eating or drinking a food or beverage containing a non-nutritive substance (including, but not limited to, aspartame).

A new mouse study hints that aspartame may raise the risk for anxiety. Researchers discovered that mice consuming aspartame-containing water showed pronounced anxiety-like behavior as they navigated mazes. Here is the conclusion of the investigators:

Exposure of mice to aspartame at doses equivalent to below 15 percent of the [US Food and Drug Administration ]recommended maximum daily intake for humans produces anxiety-like behavior.

Diazepam (Valium), a drug for generalized anxiety disorder, alleviated anxiety.

The researchers also showed that aspartame exposure produces changes in gene expression regulating excitation-inhibition balance in the amygdala (a brain region that regulates anxiety and fear). The anxiety phenomena (including response to diazepam and amygdala gene expression) also appeared in up to two generations descending from the aspartame-exposed male mice.

Do the research findings have any implications for humans? The researchers note that the aspartame doses in the mice fell below the FDA-recommended maximum daily intake for humans. We will need human studies to see if artificial sweeteners such as aspartame are associated with anxiety.

Is your artificial sweetener fueling anxiety? Some final thoughts

Scientists have exhaustively studied aspartame. Numerous regulatory agencies offer that the substance and its byproducts are safe:

• FDATrusted Source
• EFSA
• Food Standards Australia New Zealand
• Food Standards Agency United Kingdom
• Health Canada
• United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, World Health Organization, and Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives

On the other hand, other health-related organizations remind us that aspartame has not been conclusively linked to any adverse side effects:

• Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
• American Diabetes Association
• American Heart AssociationTrusted Source
• American Cancer Society
• National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of HealthTrusted Source

Some final thoughts

Let’s revisit diet sodas such as Coke Zero. The beverages are associated with a higher probability of tooth erosion. Soda has acidic substances, including phosphoric and carbonic acids. The associated acid environment in the mouth can put your teeth at risk of decay.

The acid in soda sounds bad enough, but combining it with sugar creates even greater potential harm. Acid plus sugar yields digestible energy for bad bacteria.

Some individuals should avoid aspartame products due to potential side effects. People taking medicines for schizophrenia should also avoid aspartame. Tardive dyskinesia can be a side effect of some schizophrenia medications; the phenylalanine in aspartame may bring on the uncontrolled muscle movements of tardive dyskinesia.

Please see your doctor or a mental health specialist if:

• You feel like you are worrying too much, with the anxiety interfering with your work, relationships, or other parts of your life.
• Your fear, anxiety, or worry upsets you and is difficult to control.
• You feel depressed, have trouble with drugs or alcohol, or have other mental health concerns.
• You believe your anxiety might be associated with a physical health problem.
• You have suicidal thoughts or behaviors — if this is the case, please seek emergency treatment immediately.

I hope you have a joy-filled day.

The information I provided in this blog is for educational purposes only and does not substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult a medical professional or healthcare provider if you seek medical advice, diagnoses, or treatment. I am not liable for risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information in this blog.

Thank you for joining me in this brief look at artificial sweeteners and anxiety.