Aspartame effects (diet cola)

Fat storage:

• https://explore.globalhealing.com/aspartame-makes-you-gain-weight/#references
  • Aspartame contains the chemicals phenylalanine and aspartate. Both of these substances increase fat storage. They interfere with insulin and leptin, which control how fat is handled, whether it’s stored, how it’s stored, where it’s stored, and how it’s used.
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23088901/
  • Results showed that addition of either saccharin or aspartame to yogurt resulted in increased weight gain compared to addition of sucrose, however total caloric intake was similar among groups. In conclusion, greater weight gain was promoted by the use of saccharin or aspartame, compared with sucrose, and this weight gain was unrelated to caloric intake.
• https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/abs/10.1139/apnm-2016-0346#.WDSzT-ErKT8:
  • Aspartame (ASP) commonly substitutes sugar and one of its breakdown products is phenylalanine (PHE), a known inhibitor of intestinal alkaline phosphatase (IAP), a gut enzyme shown to prevent metabolic syndrome in mice.
  • In conclusion, endogenous IAP’s protective effects in regard to the metabolic syndrome may be inhibited by PHE, a metabolite of ASP, perhaps explaining the lack of expected weight loss and metabolic improvements associated with diet drinks.

Neuronal effects:

• https://www.nature.com/articles/1602866:
  • It was seen that aspartame disturbs amino acid metabolism, protein structure and metabolism, integrity of nucleic acids, neuronal function, endocrine balances and changes in the brain concentrations of catecholamines.
  • It was also reported that aspartame and its breakdown products cause nerves to fire excessively, which indirectly causes a very high rate of neuron depolarization.

Addictivity:

• Aspartame is ~200x sweeter than sugar, and sweetness is addictive
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17668074/
  • “When rats were allowed to choose mutually-exclusively between water sweetened with saccharin-an intense calorie-free sweetener-and intravenous cocaine-a highly addictive and harmful substance-the large majority of animals (94%) preferred the sweet taste of saccharin. The preference for saccharin was not attributable to its unnatural ability to induce sweetness without calories because the same preference was also observed with sucrose, a natural sugar. Finally, the preference for saccharin was not surmountable by increasing doses of cocaine and was observed despite either cocaine intoxication, sensitization or intake escalation-the latter being a hallmark of drug addiction. Our findings clearly demonstrate that intense sweetness can surpass cocaine reward, even in drug-sensitized and -addicted individuals.”