Aspartame: Friend or Foe?

Aspartame is an artificial sweetener sold under the brand name Nutrasweet® and Equal®.

It’s commonly found in diet foods, including diet soda, reduced calorie beverages, low sugar yogurts, sugar free gum and mints. When aspartame breaks down in the body, it breaks into methanol. This can be very toxic for your body. As the methanol builds up, symptoms start to appear.

Side effects may include: headaches, depression, ADHD, dizziness, weight gain, tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and joint pain. Connections have been found that link the sweetener to Lupus, Alzheimer’s, and Multiple Sclerosis.

There are many healthier natural alternatives available such as honey, maple syrup, agave nectar, fruit juice, and black strap molasses.

Maria F. visited The Holistic Center at Bristol Square complaining of ringing in her ears and headaches. She mentioned that she had been diagnosed with Lupus and was on medication for it. She saw her primary care physician about the tinnitus, but received no positive results. She decided to give The Holistic Center and holistic health a try.

During the consultation, Maria mentioned that she was having a hard time losing weight and that she is always dieting with little to no results. She said that she drank diet soda and chewed sugar free gum to suppress her appetite.

Both of these contain aspartame. It was determined that aspartame was a contributing factor to her symptoms. She underwent a detox program to rid her body of the aspartame and was treated for her symptoms. She no longer consumes aspartame and happily remains symptom free.

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