I used to drink a lot of diet soft drinks, but not much recently mainly to avoid the caffeine. But after reading this study, I'm never going back. (Of course, it's mice, not humans, but the soda isn't something that I have to have).
It's about the same dose as 32oz of soda for a person.
Sometimes when I was having anxiety problems, I'd take a drink of diet soda on an empty stomach and get a weird dysautonomia feeling, which in itself was anxiety provoking - fainting and flushing. Which is a good enough reason to not drink it again anyway.
Anyone else have a reaction like that? When I'm sensitive, I'm VERY sensitive.
From the study:
"Exposure of mice to aspartame, an artificial sweetener found in nearly 5,000 diet foods and drinks, at doses equivalent to below 15% of the FDA recommended maximum daily intake for humans, produces anxiety-like behavior.
The anxiety is alleviated by diazepam, a drug used in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder. The aspartame exposure produces changes in the expression of genes regulating excitation-inhibition balance in the amygdala, a brain region that regulates anxiety and fear.
The anxiety, its response to diazepam and the changes in amygdala gene expression are not limited to the aspartame-exposed individuals but also appear in up to two generations descending from the aspartame-exposed males"
I actually think aspartame, E additives, in fact all man made additives which are put into the food chain, even the chemicals to control weeds, make crops grow are killing us off slowly.
The next generations will suffer in the future for our error's of today. While all these things make money for the greedy, we will continue to suffer. A lot of the conditions we see nowadays were non-existent prior to WW2
I'm buying organic especially if it's something I eat often. Bananas (here $0.89 vs $0.69) and heaven knows what kind of spray they put on that! Peanut butter, eggs, etc.
Hi Icarus_Flight, Glad to hear you are doing your bit to help yourself. I am of the opinion we all need to take more responsibility for ourselves. There are so many products in our stores now, that we don't need, especially those you Americans call soda's. Meaning of course, coca-cola, pepsi, root beer, mountain dew, tango, plus all the other types are all nice to drink, but very addictive, and can make us feel like crap. Even the 'Free' drinks i.e. 7 Up Free - is riddled with additives. I think it is us who make the wrong decisions, and because we actually like something - we don't see the harm - but the money makers see the profits. I don't eat biscuits very often (that is what you guys call 'cookies') whenever I have ONE - there is a compulsion to finish the packet. I am sure the additives in all these things are as dangerous for us as a bottle of Scotch every day - if not more so. There is an ingredient specifically to hook us.
The other side of your comment has awoken my memory buds. In 1987 I went to Kenya to be God Mother to a Kikuyu baby, who had been named after me by her dad, a Lay Minister in the Episcopal church in Mount Kenya South. I'm going into detail because I have fond memories of the people, they had nothing, but gave everything. Toilet was a hole in the ground some 25 metres from the corrugated iron building, stank like hell, rats and snakes lurking --- Just before I left to return home, one of the young boys of the village climbed up high into a banana tree and chopped off a huge branch of these fruits for me to bring home to UK. They were the nicest tasting, sweetest, yellow(ist) bananas I have ever seen or eaten - No sprays used out in the bush. I understand from Mary the Kikuyu baby who is now 35 years old - even the Kenyan bush people are suffering badly from mental health issues. They too are being fed westernised foodstuffs - many of which are still very much a novelty, but an addictive novelty. Very sad. I would very much like to see the Chair-people/owners of these conglomerates the world over, taken to the cleaners and made to pay for the damage they have done, still do and will continue to put on the people.
Thank you for your reply and especially your story about the Kenyan people. I think you’re on to something about the additives and processed food. When I showed this study to a friend, he asked, What if 100 million people a day drinking aspartame in the US is causing mental effects and causing some of the social problems we’re seeing today? Multiply that by all the other additives and it could well be.
Now add on all the other people throughout this world who are being used as scapegoats for the big conglomerates' to make more and more dosh, and we can see a huge problem looming for our future generations. Now that is scary!
be careful with conflating processed food and additives They are very different things. Not all additives are bad. Lecithin, cellulose, riboflavin are all safe. Tofu is processed but very useful for health and saving money. What I hear about is ultra processed food where there are no recognizable foods.
I think it is more important to focus on what you should eat instead of avoidance eating. It is so much easier. Think about eating Whole Foods more. Find ways to cook them that you enjoy. Soda has little appeal when you are full.
While diagnosis have gone up I don’t think a “new” mental illness has emerged even with tech which has a big effect on all aspects of our lives. Good and bad. Unfortunately I don’t think you can shut down an ingredient and expect some illness to disappear. In fact I believe most mental illness is way more complicated than we try to pretend.
Well, that study is depressing. I drank diet soda and took Benzo’s for years. Sure hope I didn’t screw things up for my kids and potential grandkids. Just another thing to worry about. 😫
But you mustn't worry about these things Kelly, we are human beings and we do things - at the time -with the best possible motives, often we are duped into believing a specific item is OKAY, it is the 'powers that be' that are the culprits. At the beginning of the last century - the 1900's - plastic was a new invention, a derivative of oil, a sort of saviour for mankind. Look at what has come from plastic throughout that 100 years. Now we discover it has been slowly poisoning not only us, but nature itself, fish, birds, rivers even seas are polluted with the stuff. It has even been found deep in the arctic and ant-arctic circles, causing untold damage. Even now the manufacturers are re-inventing plastic and making clothing from recycled plastic waste which is far worse because the fibres of these items must not be washed because the plastic's come out of the fabric too readily, and go straight into the water chain. We are told - in the small print - to wash such items in cold water - but not often - how many people today read every single wash instruction, these microfibres of plastic will continue to desecrate the once perfect world, until we force the money men into submission - which is virtually impossible!
For this reason we must not take on the worry on ourselves. We have enough to cope with day by day. We must hope the young people of today will take steps to ensure the planet survives for the next generations. We must also ensure and pray that the new 'cancel culture' that is taking the world by storm - will not have plastic and its derivatives removed from the history books. What has happened did happen, is truth, and we all must learn from it.
The generational thing in the study is only in mice, and only from the paternal line. It remains to be seen if it's applicable to humans. I drank enough diet soda to float a battleship, but no more. And that's just one thing I can do that might help me be healthier. I trust that our kids and grandkids will rise to any challenges, just like we do, and all the generations before us.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Tell me d one step you took in last few days which made you feel positive again 
I have suffered with anxiety for the past 2 and 1/2 years
No holidays in 47 years due to Depression, Anxiety, Insomnia, Social fear, etc then 2 in one year !
ODed, Bipolar with anxiety and depression, 2 special needs sons, abusive husband divorcing me
