POTUS is a big fan of Aspartame-sweetened Diet Coke. I've always worried about that, although his health and cognition remain awesome.
. . . Aspartame – found Diet Coke, Pepsi Max and Sprite, as well as products like Extra chewing gum – has long been linked to health concerns including cancer, high blood pressure and stroke.
Now, Spanish researchers say consuming high levels of the additive may also age the brain and stiffen the heart.
In a study on mice, higher aspartame intake – roughly equivalent to three servings every fortnight – was linked to around a 20 per cent increased risk of mild cardiac hypertrophy, a condition in which the heart muscle becomes thickened, as well as accelerated cognitive decline.
The researchers also found that body fat dropped by around a fifth in the animals.
Writing in the journal Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy, the researchers at the Centre for Cooperative Research in Biomaterials in San Sebastián, urged officials to review current aspartame consumption guidelines.
They said: 'Aspartame does indeed reduce fat deposits by 20 per cent in mice, but it does so at the cost of mild cardiac hypertrophy and decreased cognitive performance.
'Although this sweetener may help achieve weight loss in mice, it is accompanied by pathophysiological changes in the heart and, possibly, in the brain.
In the study, mice were given a dose of 7mg of aspartame per kilogram of body weight. This was administered over three consecutive days every two weeks.
By comparison, the World Health Organization, the European Medicines Agency and the US Food and Drug Administration advise that people should consume no more than 50mg per kilogram of body weight per day. [Yes, that's more than SEVEN times the amount-per-body-weight used in the study -- and millions of people use or exceed that amount daily for DECADES]
Over a year-long follow-up, mice exposed to aspartame showed a reduction in heart output in both ventricles – falling by 26 per cent in the left ventricle and 20 per cent in the right.
The researchers also found septal curvature – the thick muscular wall separating the heart's right and left ventricles – was reduced by 25 per cent.
The mice showed 'signs of altered neurobehavior' and 'possible pathophysiological changes in the brain', the study said.
(more)
The narrative presented about aspartame contains some elements of truth regarding its accidental discovery, but most of the specific dramatic claims are false and largely originate from long-running urban legends and conspiracy theories.
Elements of Truth
Accidental Discovery: Aspartame was indeed discovered by accident in 1965 by chemist James Schlatter while working for G.D. Searle & Company on an anti-ulcer drug.
Tasting, not Testing: Schlatter discovered its extreme sweetness when he absentmindedly licked his finger to pick up a piece of paper, a major breach of lab safety regulations. He had unknowingly contaminated his finger with the newly synthesized compound.
Commercial Potential: G.D. Searle quickly recognized the commercial potential of this intensely sweet, low-calorie substance.
False Claims & Myths Invented as an insecticide: This is false. Aspartame was developed as a potential anti-ulcer drug. The idea that it was an insecticide is a common hoax claim not supported by scientific evidence. A similar but separate urban legend exists for another sweetener, sucralose (Splenda).
"Told to test it" vs. "told to taste it": Schlatter was not "told" to do either. He discovered the taste accidentally and on his own volition by licking his finger, against safety rules. The "misunderstanding" part of the story is an embellishment of the actual accidental tasting.
Inventor begged the company not to sell it: There is no credible evidence that James Schlatter opposed the commercialization of aspartame as a sweetener. He and his lab partner were the ones who noted its potential, and their boss persuaded the company to pursue it.
Banned in his household: This claim is not supported by evidence and is part of the general body of misinformation surrounding the sweetener's health effects. Schlatter's family has not publicly confirmed such a ban, and the claim likely stems from the "Nancy Markle" email hoax and other conspiracy theories that circulated in the late 1990s.