Remember all those diet foods that are marketed to be good for you and help you lose weight? Well, sorry to say but there’s an ingredient in those products that could be killing you. Perhaps ‘diet’ foods aren’t so great after all?
Aspartame, a non-sugar, low-calorie sweetener found in many sugar-free or “diet” foods and drinks has been linked to potential problems with memory and learning according to a study from the Florida State University (FSU) College of Medicine.
Does this mean that these products are really safe? Let’s take a closer look at the research.
Researchers studied three groups of mice over 16 weeks. The first group was given 15% of the FDA’s maximum recommended intake of daily aspartame per day which is equivalent to four 8 oz sodas. The second group received 7%, which is equivalent to two 8 oz sodas daily, while the third control group only consumed water.
The results showed that mice consuming aspartame took longer to complete tasks than those who only drank water. While there were no effects on further generations, Dr. Kelly Johnson-Arbor commented on the findings saying “the results of this study suggest that even low-level consumption of aspartame may contribute to memory and learning problems”.
This suggests that it may be necessary for the FDA to take a closer look at products containing aspartame when assessing safety standards for consumers in future regulation decisions and product labeling requirements.
In response to these findings Robert Rankin, president of the Calorie Control Council in Washington D.C., released a statement saying “not only should the results of this study not be extended to humans nor the general population, but there is also no link between low- and no-calorie sweeteners and cognitive impairments such as memory loss and learning deficiencies in humans”.
He continued by emphasizing that “the reported findings of this study are in contradiction to…global health organizations that have regarded aspartame as safe, following rigorous assessments”.
Although additional research will need to be conducted before any definitive conclusions can be drawn regarding long-term human health risks associated with artificial sweeteners like Aspartame, concerned individuals may want take caution by limiting their daily intake until more conclusive evidence is made available from future studies on both animal models and human subjects alike.
