Sweeteners like aspartame are marketed to those who are trying to live a sugar-free life. However, artificial sweeteners may cause your body to react with an inflammatory response to this ingredient. Avoid diet sodas and other sugar-free products that could trigger inflammation and lead to more painful joints.
Aspartame (α-aspartyl-l-phenylalanine-o-methyl ester), an artificial sweetener, has been linked to behavioral and cognitive problems. Possible neurophysiological symptoms include learning problems, headache, seizure, migraines, irritable moods, anxiety, depression, and insomnia.
Because our bodies are not designed to process (digest) artificial ingredients, artificial sweeteners like aspartame can trigger an immune response causing inflammation, which can cause allergy. Sucralose has been shown to alter the gut microbiota, which plays a key role in digestion and overall health.
Sugar-free drinks and foods
Even the beverages you consume can make your RA flare. Aspartame is an artificial sweetener that's used in sodas, drinks, and some desserts, but may worsen RA symptoms.
It has been shown that ingredients such as aspartame and MSG contain chemicals that are potentially toxic to the nervous system, however it is also seen throughout reports that these chemicals also increase inflammation and bouts of pain in people with conditions like rheumatoid arthritis.
Taking pain relievers, getting good rest, and staying hydrated with water can help to take the edge off while you rid your body of aspartame.
So, for most people, natural sugars are a far better alternative to either artificial sweeteners or regular table sugar. For people living with diabetes or prediabetes, though, you still need to go easy on some natural sugars.
In the European Union, because they are a source of phenylalanine, all products containing aspartame must be labelled “Contains a source of phenylalanine”.
Aspartame-induced fibromyalgia, an unusual but curable cause of chronic pain. Clin Exp Rheumatol. 2010;28(6 Suppl 63):S131-3. One study suggested that both aspartame and the flavor-enhancer MSG, which also promotes inflammation, may contribute to fibromyalgia and irritable bowel symptoms in people with both conditions.
Additives & Artificial Sweeteners
Your body cannot process artificial ingredients well, so substances such as aspartame and mono-sodium glutamate may trigger an immune response. Aspartame is a neurotoxin that the body frequently “attacks” therefore causing inflammation.
Additional studies have found that when you eat or drink products containing aspartame it increases cortisol levels and alters the activity of the microbes responsible for the breakdown of food in your digestive tract.
Sweeteners like aspartame are marketed to those who are trying to live a sugar-free life. However, artificial sweeteners may cause your body to react with an inflammatory response to this ingredient. Avoid diet sodas and other sugar-free products that could trigger inflammation and lead to more painful joints.
The FDA has established an acceptable daily intake (ADI) for aspartame of 50 milligrams per kilogram of body weight (mg/kg) per day. The EFSA has established a slightly lower ADI of 40 mg/kg per day.
Aspartame was subjected to safety testing for many years, and was finally approved for use in foods and beverages in Europe and the United States in the 1980s. It is also approved for use in a wide range of foods in Australia and New Zealand, where it is most commonly sold under the brand names Nutrasweet or Equal.
If people have a condition called phenylketonuria (PKU), high levels of aspartame may be toxic for them. This is because aspartame contains an amino acid called phenylalanine. People with phenylketonuria have a rare genetic disorder that means they cannot break down phenylalanine properly.
While both Coca-Cola Zero and Diet Coke contain the same sweeteners (a blend of aspartame and acesulfame-potassium or Ace-K) and contain zero calories, Coca-Cola Zero uses a different flavour base and delivers the great taste of Coca-Cola with zero sugar.
Aspartame is fully broken down in our gut to aspartic acid and phenylalanine, which are absorbed and enter our body. In addition, the methyl group from the modified phenylalanine is released in the gut to form methanol.
A few of the 90 different documented symptoms listed in an FDA report as being caused by aspartame include: headaches, migraines, dizziness, seizures, nausea, numbness, muscle spasms, weight gain, rashes, depression, fatigue, irritability, tachycardia, insomnia, vision problems, hearing loss, heart palpitations, ...
You may also suffer headaches if you are sensitive to one or more artificial sweeteners in your food. Glutamate is one of the byproducts of aspartame, which can trigger severe headaches in some people.
Past research has already connected drinking soda every day with higher risk for obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. Now a new study finds that it may be linked to higher risk for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) as well.
7: Aspartame
The artificial sweetener found in many diet drinks and sugar-free products is part of a chemical group excitotoxins. These activate neurons that are known to increase your body's sensitivity to pain. Remember that pain is your body's way of trying to tell you something isn't quite right.