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Aspartame, a common artificial sweetener found in sugar-free sodas, protein bars and even chewing gum, is touted to be a “healthy” alternative to regular sugar, thus helping people satisfy their cravings for sweets without risking their health. While this is a popularly held belief among consumers, research shows that aspartame does the opposite — it actually endangers your health to a greater degree than sugar.

Aspartame Alters Insulin Response

A study published in Nutrients1 examined how artificial sweeteners, including aspartame, affect metabolic processes and gut microbiota composition. Researchers aimed to determine whether these sugar substitutes actually help regulate blood sugar or if they disrupt natural metabolic function.

Glucose intolerance occurs — Contrary to industry claims that artificial sweeteners are healthy, the study revealed the opposite — aspartame interferes with insulin signaling and contributes to glucose intolerance, making them hidden risk factors for metabolic disorders.2
Aspartame triggers unnatural insulin responses — Artificial sweeteners have long been marketed as a way to reduce sugar intake without affecting blood sugar levels. However, the study found that aspartame and similar sweeteners still stimulate an insulin response. This happens because the body detects sweetness and assumes sugar is coming, prompting the pancreas to release insulin even when no actual glucose is present.3
Increased risk of insulin resistance — The insulin spikes seem harmless at first, but over time, it leads to insulin resistance. When your body constantly releases insulin in response to non-caloric sweeteners, cells become less responsive to the hormone. This sets the stage for metabolic dysfunction, increasing your risk of obesity, Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.4

Gut Microbiota Composition Is Altered by Artificial Sweeteners

Beyond insulin, the study also found that aspartame disrupts the delicate balance of your gut bacteria, which consists of trillions of bacteria that regulate digestion, immune function and metabolism.

Increases glucose intolerance — Researchers discovered that aspartame consumption shifts this balance. In one published study that the researchers reviewed, “Mouse recipients of the saccharine-associated microbiome became glucose intolerant … In humans, saccharin (upper limit of the accepted daily intake) also promoted glucose intolerance and gut microbiome alterations.”5
Alterations increase weight gain — Gut bacteria play a direct role in regulating how the body processes the food you eat. A disrupted microbiome leads to improper digestion, increased fat storage and reduced energy efficiency. As noted in one of the reviewed studies by the researchers, “In Sprague-Dawley rats (7-week-old males), the ingestion of 0.05% aspartame significantly increased body weight and fat mass.”6

Aspartame’s Effects on Gut Function

Beyond insulin, aspartame also interferes with other hormonal systems that regulate metabolism.

Reduced GLP-1 function — The study noted aspartame causes changes in GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) secretion, a hormone that controls satiety and blood sugar balance. Reduced GLP-1 means that people who consume artificial sweeteners feel hungrier sooner, leading to increased food intake and weight gain over time.7
Compromised lipid metabolism — According to the researchers, an increased intake of aspartame or other artificial sweeteners “induced the loss of antioxidant capacity as well as increased atherogenic effects” of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), which is often referred as the “good” cholesterol.8

The study highlights an important point people need to know about artificial sweeteners — they do not function as proper sugar substitutes. They actively disrupt normal metabolic and hormonal processes, making it harder for your body to regulate blood sugar and maintain a healthy weight. While they look like an easy way to cut calories, their long-term effects create more significant health risks than the sugar they replace.9

Aspartame Fuels Inflammation and Artery Damage, Raising Heart Disease Risk

In a different study, published in Cell Metabolism,10 researchers investigated how aspartame consumption influences insulin levels and vascular inflammation.

Aspartame fuels artery damage — Researchers found that aspartame stimulates insulin release through your vagus nerve, leading to chronic inflammation in blood vessels. This inflammatory response directly worsens atherosclerosis, a condition in which arteries become narrowed and hardened due to plaque buildup.11
Inflammatory proteins are activated — Aspartame-induced insulin spikes are not just a metabolic issue — they drive damage inside your arteries. When insulin levels surge unnaturally, your body increases production of a specific inflammatory protein called CX3CL1. This protein acts as a signal that attracts immune cells to the blood vessel walls, leading to chronic inflammation and an increased risk of heart disease.12
Plaque buildup — In the reviewed animal models, aspartame consumption led to larger, more unstable plaques in the arteries compared to control groups. These plaques were more likely to rupture, which is a major cause of heart attacks and strokes. Even small doses of aspartame were enough to accelerate this process, making it clear that this artificial sweetener isn’t just an innocent sugar substitute — it’s actively harming your cardiovascular health.13

Aspartame Alters the Vagus Nerve’s Role in Insulin Regulation

Another shocking revelation from the study is that aspartame influences insulin levels in a completely different way than sugar. In addition, it changes the function of the vagus nerve, which acts as the information highway connecting your gut and brain.

Vagus nerve dysfunction — Instead of raising insulin through a natural glucose response, aspartame stimulates the vagus nerve, which then signals the pancreas to release insulin unnecessarily.14
Insulin sensitivity issues arise — By tricking your body into thinking sugar is present, aspartame creates a hormonal response that your body isn’t designed to handle. Over time, this disrupts insulin sensitivity and leads to metabolic dysfunction, contributing to insulin resistance and increased fat storage.15

Aspartame’s Breakdown Products Exacerbate Health Issues

Beyond its immediate effects on insulin and inflammation, aspartame also breaks down into smaller compounds that contribute to metabolic stress.

Aspartame produces methanol — Methanol, which is an industrial type of alcohol that is used to adulterate liquor,16 has been discovered to be a metabolic byproduct of aspartame digestion. According to a 2021 study, 11% of aspartame turns into pure methanol.17
The impact of methanol — When methanol is metabolized by your body, it turns into formaldehyde, which is known to impact DNA and RNA health. Specifically, formaldehyde interacts with basic proteins in the cytosols of your cells, inactivating them. According to the researchers, “such changes have been found in the brains of people suffering from autism.”18

The breakdown of aspartame contributes to long-term health issues by creating additional cellular stress. When combined with aspartame’s inflammatory effects on blood vessels, its overall impact on your body becomes even more apparent, necessitating strategies that repair your cellular health.

Eliminate Aspartame from Your Life to Protect Your Health

As I’ve mentioned in previous articles, aspartame, as well as other artificial sweeteners, will do no good for anyone’s health. It disrupts insulin function, fuels inflammation and even accelerates artery damage. To bring your health back on the right track, the first step is eliminating aspartame while also supporting your metabolism and vascular health. Here are my recommendations:

1. Remove artificial sweeteners from your diet immediately — Aspartame isn’t just in diet sodas. It hides in protein powders, flavored yogurts, sugar-free candies and even some medications. Read labels carefully — if you see products with the words “aspartame,” “acesulfame potassium” or “sucralose,” it’s time to throw them away. Familiarize yourself with other artificial sweeteners as well, such as neotame and sucralose.

Instead of artificial sweeteners, choose natural alternatives like raw Manuka honey, maple syrup or coconut sugar in moderation. If you’re trying to transition off sweeteners entirely, fresh fruit is an excellent way to satisfy your cravings while keeping your blood sugar balanced.

2. Heal your insulin sensitivity with targeted carbohydrate intake — If aspartame has already affected your insulin function, the best way to restore balance is to fuel your body with healthy carbohydrates in the right amounts. Aiming for 250 to 300 grams of quality carbs per day — more if you’re physically active — helps prevent the insulin spikes caused by aspartame.

Prioritize whole food sources like potatoes, white rice, ripe bananas, and well-cooked vegetables. If your gut health is compromised, start with simple, easily digestible carbs like white rice and whole fruit before introducing more complex starches.

3. Support your gut microbiome for better blood sugar control — Aspartame damages beneficial gut bacteria, which play a direct role in regulating insulin and metabolism. Restoring balance starts with removing harmful foods (vegetable oils, processed meats and artificial additives) and introducing gut-healing food.

Fermented foods like sauerkraut, kefir and kimchi provide natural probiotics that help rebalance your microbiome. Collagen-rich bone broth supports the gut lining, and dietary fiber from well-tolerated fruits helps feed beneficial bacteria. As noted in one study, fermented foods helped improve the metabolic health of the participants, including insulin sensitivity and glucose control.19

4. Reduce hidden sources of inflammation — Inflammation is the link between aspartame, insulin resistance and vascular disease. Cutting artificial sweeteners is just the beginning — you also need to eliminate the biggest dietary sources of inflammation, namely vegetable oils, as they’re high in linoleic acid (LA), an omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid.

LA drives oxidative stress and worsen insulin resistance. To minimize your intake, I recommend cooking your own food with tallow, grass fed butter and ghee.

5. Improve cellular energy production with sunlight — Artificial sweeteners disrupt cellular metabolism, but there are still other ways to restore energy production naturally, namely sun exposure. It stimulates mitochondrial function, helping your cells generate ATP (adenosine triphosphate) — the fuel your body runs on.

Aim for daily morning and midday sunlight, avoiding harsh UV exposure until you’ve been off vegetable oils for at least six months. That’s because when sunlight hits your skin, the LA embedded in it metabolizes, contributing to inflammation and DNA damage. For a more in-depth explanation on this topic, read my article “Vitamin D Deficiency Complicates Autoimmune Disease.”

Frequently Asked Questions About the Impact of Aspartame on Human Health

Q: How does aspartame affect metabolism if it has no calories?
A: Aspartame stimulates the vagus nerve, tricking your body into releasing insulin as if sugar were present. Over time, these unnecessary insulin surges lead to insulin resistance, making it harder for your body to regulate blood sugar and increasing the risk of metabolic dysfunction.

Q: Can aspartame cause inflammation in blood vessels?
A: Yes, research shows that aspartame-driven insulin spikes trigger the release of CX3CL1, an inflammatory protein that attracts immune cells to blood vessel walls. This leads to chronic inflammation, artery damage and an increased risk of atherosclerosis.

Q: What are some common foods and drinks that contain aspartame?
A: Aspartame is found in diet sodas, sugar-free gum, flavored yogurts, protein powders, sugar-free candies and even some over-the-counter medications. Checking ingredient labels for “aspartame,” “acesulfame potassium,” or “sucralose” is key to avoiding it. Beyond aspartame, be sure to avoid other products containing other artificial sweeteners.

Q: If I stop consuming aspartame, how long does it take for my metabolism to recover?
A: Your metabolism starts improving as soon as you remove artificial sweeteners, but full recovery depends on individual factors like the current state of your gut health and the diet you’re eating. Restoring insulin function with targeted carbohydrate intake and healing the gut microbiome with fermented foods will jumpstart the healing process.

Q: What is the best way to naturally regulate blood sugar without artificial sweeteners?
A: Focus on whole-food carbohydrates like potatoes, ripe fruit and white rice to provide steady energy without insulin spikes. Supporting gut health with bone broth and probiotic-rich foods also improves blood sugar control and overall metabolic health.

Editor’s Note: This article is a reprint. It was originally published December 6, 2016.

The allure of artificial sweeteners — zero calories and a sweet taste — is a strong one, such that up to 141.18 million Americans use them routinely.1 There have been concerns from the beginning, however, that consuming synthetic compounds with hyper-sweetness (200 times that of sugar in the case of aspartame) has some serious drawbacks.

One of the most appalling, especially to those consuming artificially sweetened, sugar-free and diet products in the hopes of losing weight, is their propensity to fuel weight gain. Researchers wrote in the Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine:2

“Intuitively, people choose non-caloric artificial sweeteners over sugar to lose or maintain weight …

Whether due to a successful marketing effort on the part of the diet beverage industry or not, the weight conscious public often consider artificial sweeteners ‘health food.” But do artificial sweeteners actually help reduce weight?

Surprisingly, epidemiologic data suggest the contrary. Several large-scale prospective cohort studies found positive correlation between artificial sweetener use and weight gain.”

Although their reputation as a weight-loss aid has held strong since the beginning, it’s been known for years that they seem to have the opposite effect. A team of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators even revealed a potential reason why artificial sweeteners like aspartame prevent, rather than promote, weight loss.3

Aspartame Promotes Obesity by Blocking Gut Enzyme Activity

A study on mice revealed that animals fed aspartame-laced drinking water gained weight and developed symptoms of metabolic syndrome, while mice not fed the artificial sweetener did not. Further, the researchers revealed that phenylalanine, an aspartame breakdown product, blocks the activity of a gut enzyme called alkaline phosphatase (IAP).

In a previous study, IAP was found to prevent the development of metabolic syndrome (and reduce symptoms in those with the condition) when fed to mice.4 Study author Dr. Richard Hodin, of the MGH Department of Surgery, said in a press release:5

“We found that aspartame blocks a gut enzyme called intestinal alkaline phosphatase (IAP) that we previously showed can prevent obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome; so we think that aspartame might not work because, even as it is substituting for sugar, it blocks the beneficial aspects of IAP.”

Mice in the study were fed either plain water or water infused with the equivalent amount of aspartame found in two to three and a half cans of soda, along with a normal diet or a high-fat diet. Mice in the high-fat group that drank aspartame-infused water gained more weight than those eating the same diet without aspartame in their water.

Further, all the mice fed aspartame had higher blood sugar levels — an indicator of glucose intolerance — and higher levels of inflammatory protein TNF-alpha, which is suggestive of systemic inflammation. Given aspartame’s inhibition of IAP, the researchers suggested its use is counterproductive.

Artificial Sweeteners Linked to Weight Gain Since the 1980s

Artificial sweeteners are still viewed as a weight-loss aid in 2016 even though their hindrances to weight loss have been documented since at least the 1980s. Then, the San Antonio Heart Study, which involved nearly 4,000 adults, found drinkers of artificially sweetened beverages consistently had higher BMIs (body mass index) than non-drinkers.6

Again, in the early 1980s, a study of nearly 78,700 women found artificial sweetener usage increased with relative weight, and users were significantly more likely to gain weight compared to those who did not use artificial sweeteners.7

Such associations have only continued to grow over the passing decades. Artificially sweetened beverages, including diet soda, are among the key culprits, with intake associated with “striking” increases in waist circumference among older adults, according to one study.8

Research published in PLOS One also found regularly consuming artificially sweetened soft drinks is associated with several disorders of metabolic syndrome, including:9

Abdominal obesity
Insulin resistance
Impaired glucose intolerance
Abnormally elevated fats in the blood
High blood pressure

The study found drinking aspartame-sweetened diet soda daily increased the risk of Type 2 diabetes by 67% (regardless of whether they gained weight or not) and the risk of metabolic syndrome 36%.

One way artificial sweeteners increase your risk of weight gain, obesity and other related problems like Type 2 diabetes is by inducing “metabolic derangements,” according to a report published in the journal Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism:10

“… [A]ccumulating evidence suggests that frequent consumers of these sugar substitutes may also be at increased risk of excessive weight gain, metabolic syndrome, Type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

… [C]onsuming sweet-tasting but noncaloric or reduced-calorie food and beverages interferes with learned responses that normally contribute to glucose and energy homeostasis.

Because of this interference, frequent consumption of high-intensity sweeteners may have the counterintuitive effect of inducing metabolic derangements.”

Soda Industry Pledges to Cut Calories Off to Slow Start

The soda industry has pledged to cut the number of calories Americans consume via beverages by 20% over a decade, but they’re off to a slow start.11 In 2015, this caloric intake dropped by just 0.2%, according to a beverage industry report.

In addition to introducing smaller package sizes and reformulating products, a key strategy toward this goal is the promotion of artificially sweetened diet drinks, but the consumption of low- and no-calorie soda fell by nearly 6% last year.

Americans are growing increasingly wary of artificial sweeteners, and the soda industry is becoming increasingly desperate to hold on to its once-loyal customers. One of their ongoing strategies to appear like they care about your health is to promote their diet beverages as a healthy alternative.

In 2013, they rolled out an ad campaign encouraging people to unite in the fight against obesity, and then swiftly launched another campaign touting aspartame in its diet sodas.

According to the ad, aspartame is a “safe, high-quality alternative to sugar.” Clearly they’ve not reviewed the hundreds of studies on this artificial sweetener demonstrating its harmful effects or the risks of consuming diet sodas in general.

In one study, people who drank diet soda had a 70% greater increase in waist size in a 10-year period compared to non-diet soda drinkers. Those who drank two or more diet sodas a day had a 500% greater increase in waist size.

Research published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics also revealed that people who drink diet beverages end up compensating for their “saved” calories by eating more foods high in sugar, sodium and unhealthy fats.12

Obese adults had the highest incremental daily calorie intake from unhealthy foods associated with diet beverages. Researcher Ruopeng An, Ph.D., a former kinesiology and community health professor at the University of Illinois, noted:13

“It may be that people who consume diet beverages feel justified in eating more, so they reach for a muffin or a bag of chips … Or perhaps, in order to feel satisfied, they feel compelled to eat more of these high-calorie foods.”

For more on the detrimental effects of diet sodas, including in relation to aspartame and weight gain, check out our infographic below.

> > > > > Click Here

I’ve been sounding the alarm on artificial sweeteners — particularly aspartame — for many years, as I believe it is one of the most pernicious products ever to make its way into our food supply. Many people have been led to believe that swapping sugar for aspartame means they’re doing their health a favor. But on the contrary, this toxic sweetener is one of the worst food additives you can consume.

A recently published review1 investigates the long history of aspartame and the dozens of health problems associated with it. I guarantee that after reading the report, you’ll likely toss out all aspartame-containing products from your pantry.

Aspartame Has Been Wrecking People’s Health for Decades

Touted to be 200 times sweeter than sugar, aspartame is a low-calorie artificial sweetener primarily made up of aspartic acid and phenylalanine. It was first approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be used in foods and beverages in 1981.2

Today, it’s added to almost 6,000 consumer products.3 Many diet beverages, sugar-free gum and candy, condiments such as ketchup and dressings, and even children’s medicines and vitamins contain aspartame. Aspartame’s claim to fame is it provides the same sweet flavor without added calories, hence making it ideal for those looking to shed excess weight.

But aspartame’s existence has been rife with controversy, as it appears that the risks outweigh the benefits. A review4 published by the nonprofit organization U.S. Right to Know enumerates multiple independent studies conducted over the past few decades since aspartame’s approval, associating this artificial sweetener with a long list of health problems. According to the featured review:

“Dozens of studies have linked the popular artificial sweetener aspartame to serious health problems, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease, seizures, stroke and dementia, as well as negative effects such as intestinal dysbiosis, mood disorders, headaches and migraines.

Evidence also links aspartame to weight gain, increased appetite and obesity-related diseases … This evidence raises questions about the legality of marketing aspartame-containing products, such as Diet Coke, as ‘diet’ drinks or weight-loss products.”5

What Makes Aspartame So Toxic to Your Health?

To understand how aspartame wreaks havoc in your body, it’s important to understand its composition. As mentioned, aspartame is primarily composed of aspartic acid and phenylalanine. To provide its sweetness, the phenylalanine has been modified to carry a methyl group. However, this bond, called a methyl ester, is very weak. It easily breaks off and forms methanol.

It’s true that methanol naturally occurs in fruits and vegetables, however, in these foods, it’s firmly bonded to pectin, allowing it to be safely passed through your digestive tract. The methanol in aspartame is different — it’s not bonded to anything that can help remove it from your body.

Instead, methanol acts like a Trojan horse and is carried into susceptible tissues throughout your body, including your brain and bone marrow. Here, the alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) enzyme converts methanol into formaldehyde — this is what wreaks havoc on sensitive proteins and DNA.

What’s more, formaldehyde is a known carcinogen,6 which brings us to one of the most warned-about dangers of aspartame. Since formaldehyde is carcinogenic, then it makes sense that aspartame might be, too.

Aspartame Has Been Linked to an Increased Risk of Cancer

The U.S. Right to Know article7 highlights several studies linking aspartame to an increased risk of cancer. The most recent one is the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer’s (IARC) monograph8 on aspartame, published earlier this year.

“As announced in January, IARC found aspartame is possibly carcinogenic. The monograph notes that a minority of the working group supported classifying aspartame as ‘probably carcinogenic to humans,’ based on ‘a combination of limited evidence for cancer in humans and sufficient evidence for cancer in experimental animals, supported by the limited mechanistic evidence …’” U.S. Right to Know reports.

A 2022 PLOS study9 also found a link between aspartame and acesulfame-K, another artificial sweetener, and a higher risk of breast and obesity-related cancers. The study authors note, “These findings provide important and novel insights for the ongoing re-evaluation of food additive sweeteners by the European Food Safety Authority and other health agencies globally.”

The featured article further lists several more studies that point to aspartame’s carcinogenic potential, such as:

A 2006 lifespan rat study10 published in Environmental Health Perspectives notes that aspartame “is a multipotential carcinogenic agent, even at a daily dose of … much less than the current acceptable daily intake.”
A 2010 study11 published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine confirms that this artificial sweetener is “a carcinogenic agent in multiple sites in rodents, and that this effect is induced in two species, rats (males and females) and mice (males).”
A 2012 Harvard paper12 published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found a positive link between aspartame intake and Non-Hodgkin lymphoma and multiple myeloma (among males), and leukemia (in both males and females).

Early animal studies on aspartame dating to the 1970s have already shown evidence of causing brain tumors, yet no follow-up studies were conducted on this matter.13 What’s more, further attempts to shed light on this potential hazard were either dismissed or swept under the rug. An article published in Vice magazine notes:14

“In 1996, John Olney, a professor of pathology and immunology at Washington University Medical School, claimed to have found epidemiological evidence15 that the introduction of aspartame in the U.S. was connected to an increase in an aggressive form of brain tumor called glioblastomas. But this was criticized for just being a correlation and dismissed by the FDA.”

Aspartame Harms Your Brain

Aspartame’s unnatural structure causes it to produce amino acids that, instead of being used by your body, harm you. These amino acids attack your cells and even cross your blood-brain barrier, leading to a toxic cellular overstimulation known as excitotoxicity.

In addition, aspartic acid can lead to neural damage. While aspartate is used as a neurotransmitter, having too much of it in your brain can kill neurons as it allows too much calcium in the cells. This influx triggers excessive amounts of free radicals, which kill the cells. Hence, it isn’t surprising that aspartame has been linked to a wide array of brain-related health issues. The featured article notes:16

“Aspartame side effects may also include behavioral and cognitive problems such as learning deficits, headache, seizure, migraines, irritable moods, anxiety, depression, and insomnia, according to the researchers of a 2017 study in Nutritional Neuroscience.17 ‘Aspartame consumption needs to be approached with caution due to the possible effects on neurobehavioral health.’”

Alzheimer’s disease, a severe form of dementia, is now a leading cause of death. According to a 2024 report18 by the Alzheimer’s Association, an estimated 6.9 million Americans are living with this illness. Unfortunately, aspartame intake may play a factor because of the methanol in it.

According to a two-part animal study19,20 published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease in 2014, chronic exposure to methanol may lead to memory loss and Alzheimer’s disease symptoms. A separate study21 published in 2017 also found that people who consume diet soda on a daily basis had a three times higher risk of developing dementia and stroke as opposed to those who consumed it weekly or less. According to the study authors:

“Artificially sweetened beverages are typically sweetened with non-nutritive sweeteners, such as saccharin, acesulfame, aspartame, neotame or sucralose … Collectively, these synthetic substances are much more potent than sucrose, with only trace amounts needed to generate the sensation of sweetness.

Because our study was observational, we are unable to determine whether artificially sweetened soft drink intake increased the risk of incident dementia through diabetes mellitus or whether people with diabetes mellitus were simply more likely to consume diet beverages. Some studies have provided evidence for the former.”22

Aspartame Doesn’t Help With Weight Loss — It Actually Makes You Fat

Aspartame-containing products are usually marketed as “diet aids” that can help you achieve weight loss, but nothing could be further from the truth. The featured article also mentions this,23 and questions the legality of marketing these products as weight loss aids, when the science clearly points otherwise.

For example, a study published in the International Journal of Obesity found that ingesting aspartame and saccharin on a long-term basis can actually lead to “greater volumes of visceral, intermuscular, and subcutaneous adipose tissue.”24 A separate animal study, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, also found that test subjects that were given aspartame for seven weeks experienced increased body weight, fat accumulation and reduced insulin sensitivity.25

In May 2023, the WHO released a report advising against the use of “nonsugar sweeteners (NSS)” to manage body weight or minimize the risk of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). The report also highlights that health problems may arise from these products, including Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and even increased risk of mortality.26 According to Francesco Branca, WHO director for nutrition and food safety:

“Replacing free sugars with NSS does not help with weight control in the long term. People need to consider other ways to reduce free sugars intake, such as consuming food with naturally occurring sugars, like fruit, or unsweetened food and beverages. NSS are not essential dietary factors and have no nutritional value. People should reduce the sweetness of the diet altogether, starting early in life, to improve their health.”27

The List of Health Problems Associated With Aspartame Is Extensive

The featured article mentions that many scientists have questioned aspartame’s approval, believing it was based on “suspect data and should be reconsidered.”28 I wholeheartedly agree with this, and no doubt you will too, once you see just how extensive the list of associated health problems is:

Cancer29
Brain tumors30
Anxiety31 and learning deficits32

Cardiovascular disease33
Stroke, dementia34 and Alzheimer’s disease35
Seizures36

Headaches and migraines37
Parkinson’s disease38
Autism39

Weight gain and obesity40
Increased appetite41
Diabetes and metabolic dysfunction42

Pregnancy complications (ex: preterm birth)43
Early menstruation44
Sperm damage45

Liver46 and kidney47 damage
Behavioral problems48 (irritability and depression)
Insomnia49

I encourage you to read the U.S. Right to Know article as it efficiently summarizes aspartame’s toxicity. It also provides links to investigative reports about the various health concerns, background information on how industry-funded research led to its approval, and the sordid ties between the FDA and the food industry that allowed this product to infiltrate our food supply.

Ditch Artificial Sweeteners and Control Your Sweet Cravings

Eliminating artificial sweeteners from your diet may be a challenge especially if you frequently crave sweet foods, but the good news is there are strategies to help you ditch them.

One strategy is to consume sour foods like fermented vegetables or water with lemon juice whenever you’re craving something sweet. You can also try drinking a glass of tea with citrus juice or eating a piece of fruit. Most fruits are naturally sweet and can be a great substitute for sweet cravings.

Being a smart shopper is also crucial — be vigilant about checking the ingredient lists on the packaging of foods and beverages. Take note that aspartame and other artificial sweeteners aren’t found in just “diet” products and other sugar-free products, but also in foods you might not expect like condiments, breakfast cereals and yogurt. Focus on consuming fresh, whole foods instead.

Finally, you can also try the Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) whenever you crave something sweet. This psychological acupressure tool will help you overcome the urge to consume unhealthy foods, and only involves tapping and voicing affirmations. The video above shows you how to do EFT to get rid of cravings.

Research1 published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology found an association between drinking sweetened beverages and atrial fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation, also called AFib, is an abnormal and often rapid heartbeat that occurs when the upper chambers in the heart (atria) beat out of sync with the lower chambers (ventricles).2

It’s a common symptom in people with heart failure or heart disease and one of the most common arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats) that affects more than 2 million U.S. adults. AFib can sometimes go away on its own, but it also can become more frequent with longer-lasting episodes that can lead to serious complications like stroke and heart failure.

The symptoms of AFib can look like other health problems, which is why it is crucial to understand the condition and receive the correct diagnosis. For example, the declining ability to pump blood to the lungs and elsewhere in the body can lead to lightheadedness, dizziness and fatigue, which are symptoms that can be attributed to several other health conditions.

AFib may make you feel like your heart has skipped a beat or is fluttering or pounding. Your risk increases with age, but lifestyle and dietary factors can also increase your risk, which is exactly what researchers found when they sought to determine if there was an association between drinking sweetened beverages and AFib.

Diet and Regular Soda Raises Heart Risk

The researchers acknowledged3 that a past association between sweetened beverages and cardiometabolic disease has been reported, but an association with atrial fibrillation was unclear. The study enrolled 201,856 participants who did not have AFib at the time the study began, had completed a 24-hour diet questionnaire and had genetic data available.

Research has found a genetic component to AFib. Genome-wide studies identified 140 genetic loci that are linked to the development of AFib.4 However, while genetic implications put an individual at higher risk of developing the condition, it is not a guarantee that the condition will develop.

There was a median follow-up of 9.9 years, during which 9,362 incidents of AFib were documented.5 The researchers evaluated the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB), artificially sweetened beverages (ASB) and pure fruit juice. The data showed that people who drank greater than 2 liters per week of sugar-sweetened or artificially sweetened beverages increased their risk of AFib, with those who drank artificially sweetened beverages experiencing a higher risk.

The highest risk was observed in people who had a genetic risk and consumed more than 2 liters of artificially sweetened beverages, while the lowest risk was observed in those who had a low genetic risk and consumed less than 1 liter of pure juice per week.

The association between sweetened beverages and AFib persisted even after adjustments were made for genetic susceptibility to the heart condition. “This study does not demonstrate that consumption of SSB and ASB alters AF risk but rather that the consumption of SSB and ASB may predict AF risk beyond traditional risk factors,” the researchers concluded.6

Many people reach for an artificially sweetened beverage advertising zero calories and sugar because they know other sodas and juices contain an alarming amount of both. Drinking a beverage advertised with zero calories and sugar can feel like you’re making better choices but as these researchers have demonstrated, artificial sweeteners may cause more harm than good.

While the data from the current study demonstrates a higher risk of consuming ASB, a press release from the American Heart Association about the study also noted that people who drink 2 liters of SSB each week increase their risk of AFib by 10%.7 Kris-Etherton, an emeritus professor of nutritional sciences at Penn State University, commented on the results of the study from China, saying:

“This is the first study to report an association between no- and low-calorie sweeteners and also sugar-sweetened beverages and increased risk of atrial fibrillation.

While there is robust evidence about the adverse effects of sugar-sweetened beverages and cardiovascular disease risk, there is less evidence about adverse health consequences of artificial sweeteners. In the meantime, water is the best choice, and, based on this study, no- and low-calorie sweetened beverages should be limited or avoided.”

Sweeteners in Diet Soda Can Destroy Your Gut Microbiome

While refined sugar feeds harmful, disease-causing bacteria in the gut,8 artificial sweeteners cause DNA damage in, and interfere with, the normal activity in gut bacteria. The artificial sweeteners reviewed in one study9 included aspartame, sucralose, saccharin, neotame, advantame and acesulfame potassium-k.

The animal study was published in the journal Molecules, and as noted by Business Insider,10 all the sweeteners “had a toxic, stressing effect, making it difficult for gut microbes to grow and reproduce.” According to the researchers, this effect can in turn affect your body’s ability to process carbohydrates.

While, overall, all six artificial sweeteners were found to have toxic effects on gut bacteria, there were individual differences in the type and amount of damage they produced.

Saccharin caused the greatest, most widespread damage, exhibiting both cytotoxic and genotoxic effects, meaning it is toxic to cells and damages genetic information in the cell (which can cause mutations).
Neotame was found to cause metabolic disruption in mice, and raised concentrations of several fatty acids, lipids and cholesterol. Several gut genes were also decreased by this sweetener.
Aspartame and acesulfame potassium-k — The latter of which is commonly found in sports supplements — were both found to cause DNA damage.

In a carefully crafted message, Ariel Kushmaro, Ph.D., professor of microbial biotechnology at Ben-Gurion University and lead author, told Business Insider, “We are not claiming that it’s toxic to human beings. We’re claiming that it might be toxic to the gut bacteria, and by that, will influence us.”11

These data support previous research published in 2013,12 which concluded that sucralose reduces the number, and alters the composition of, gut bacteria. Animal research13 in 2008 showed sucralose could kill gut bacteria and appeared to target beneficial microorganisms to a greater extent than pathologic bacteria.

This is crucial since anytime you destroy healthy intestinal bacteria, it opens the door to increased growth of unfriendly microorganisms that can cause health problems. A 2021 study14 found three of the six commonly used artificial sweeteners impair your gut bacteria’s ability to communicate and the “effect of these artificial sweeteners on numerous molecular events that are at the core of intestinal microbial function, and by extension on the host metabolism.”

Artificial Sweetener Tricks Your Body into Storing Fat

Since the 1960s, researchers have known that your body metabolizes different types of carbohydrates in different ways, which causes hormonal and physiological responses that influence fat accumulation and metabolism.15

While the sugar industry wants you to believe that all calories are the same, you can’t undo the effects of soda by cutting back on calories in your diet since refined sugar itself wreaks havoc on your gut microbiome and your metabolism.

In late 2021,16 research showed women who consumed foods with artificial sweeteners felt hungrier and ate more food than those who simply drank a sugar-sweetened beverage. Contrary to industry claims, research shows that artificial sweeteners stimulate your appetite, increase cravings for carbohydrates and produce a variety of metabolic dysfunctions that promote fat storage and weight gain.

For a list of research supporting dysfunction in fat storage and weight gain associated with consuming artificial sweeteners see “Reconfirmed: Artificial Sweeteners Make You Sick.” There is also a mounting number of studies that have shown artificial sweeteners raise your risk of obesity and Type 2 diabetes, perhaps to an even greater degree than sugar.

One animal study17 presented at the annual Experimental Biology conference in San Diego confirmed these results while exploring how different sweeteners affect the way food is used and stored, including the effect on vascular function. The researchers concluded:18

“Overall, results of this study suggest that exposure to high glucose and artificial sweetener administration lead to unique mechanisms of vascular impairment and homeostatic alterations that may be important during the onset and progression of diabetes and obesity.”

Diet Soda Linked to Depression, Gout and More

A damaged gut microbiome, fat storage and an increased risk of obesity may help explain how diet soda is linked to so many health conditions. A 2024 study19 showed sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) and artificially sweetened beverages (ASB) increase your risk of cardiovascular disease as an adult regardless of your activity level.

The study evaluated 13,269 cardiovascular disease events and compared the results to those who never or rarely consume sweetened beverages against those who consumed two or more each day. They found a dose-dependent response, concluding:20

“Higher SSB intake was associated with CVD risk regardless of physical activity levels. These results support current recommendations to limit the intake of SSBs even for physically active individuals.”

Data have also linked sugar and artificially sweetened beverages with an increased risk of depression. Research21 showed that drinking four servings of soda a day increased the risk of depression by 30% compared to those who did not drink sweetened beverages of any kind.

People who drank primarily diet soda had a 31% increased risk of suffering depression, regular soda was associated with a 22% increased risk and those who drank diet fruit drinks had a 51% higher risk of depression. Regular fruit drinks were associated with a more modest 8% increased risk.

For a discussion of the potential pathways sugar impacts mental health, see “How Dietary Intervention Lifts Depression.” Soda and other SSBs are a leading source of added sugar, with 6 in 10 youths and 5 in 10 adults drinking at least one beverage on any given day.22 Even the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states:23

“Frequently drinking sugar-sweetened beverages is associated with weight gain/obesity, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, kidney diseases, nonalcoholic liver disease, tooth decay and cavities and gout, a type of arthritis.”

However, the CDC only suggests that “limiting the amount of SSB intake can help individuals maintain a healthy weight and have a healthy diet,” stopping far short of advising Americans to ditch these unhealthy drinks to avoid chronic disease.

Aspartame Has Been Linked to Many Health Problems

Aspartame is another powerful artificial sweetener that has been linked to a significant number of health conditions. A 2022 animal study24 found that at doses equivalent to 15% below the FDA-recommended maximum daily intake for humans, aspartame produced anxiety-type behavior and changes in genetic expression in areas of the brain that regulate anxiety and fear.

These changes in the amygdala occurred in the aspartame-exposed animals and in up to two generations that descended from aspartame-exposed males. The artificial sweetener is found in a long list of processed foods and beverages. In 2023, the World Health Organization’s International Research Agency on Cancer announced that aspartame is a possible carcinogen.25

Try Swapping Your Soda for Clean Water or Hibiscus Tea

If you’re drinking artificially sweetened, zero-calorie beverages it’s important to understand that they do not help if you’re overweight or have insulin resistance. Instead, they probably will make matters worse. I firmly believe ditching soda and other sweetened beverages is one of the most important steps you can take to improve your weight and your overall health.

Remember, pure water is zero calories, and you can easily add flavor by squeezing in fresh lemon or lime or a piece of frozen fruit. If you’re looking for something that’s more than water, consider swapping it for tea instead.

Drinking tea is flavorful and adds a healthy boost to your diet. Hibiscus tea has a pleasantly sharp flavor that’s like the tartness of cranberries and you can find it in liquid extract form, which allows you to add it to your glass of water. Hibiscus tea is rich in polyphenols and has other health benefits including protecting your liver and preventing metabolic syndrome.26

Editor’s Note: This article is a reprint. It was originally published November 25, 2017.

I am so pleased to post this video and I hope it gives you as much joy as it did me when I first viewed it on 60 Minutes. It is beyond extraordinary to have a glimpse into someone as exceptionally talented as 12-year-old Alma. My only regret is that there is no way to post this without exposing you to a minutelong drug commercial, which I’m sure you realize I don’t endorse. For some of you, it may be the only time you see these commercials so let them entertain you.

Most of us are gifted with some degree of natural talent — something we do better, or with greater ease, than the average person. And then, there’s the true prodigies; people with seemingly unnatural talent. Their gift is so profound, and comes from God-only-knows-where. Alma Deutscher, from Basingstoke, England, is a perfect example of the latter.1

There are a number of musical prodigies out there, but Alma has most of them beat. She was able to name notes on the piano at age 2 and began playing piano and violin at the tender age of 3. Within a year of tutoring, she was playing Handel sonatas on the violin.

She’s now considered a virtuoso of both instruments. By the age of 4, she’d already begun composing her own melodies, and by 6 she’d written her first piano sonata. This was followed by a violin and orchestra concerto at 9.

In December last year, her full-length opera, “Cinderella,” premiered at the Casino Baumgarten Theatre in Vienna,2 the city of music, performed by the Viennese opera group, Oh!pera — an unattainable dream even for many adult composers who’ve spent a lifetime perfecting their craft. Alma, who wrote the score for every single instrument, and the lyrics, was 11 years old. The 2.5-hour long opera, with a musical score running 237 pages, received standing ovations.

Cinderella Reinvented by 11-Year-Old Prodigy

Many were also wowed by her creative reinvention of the classical tale of Cinderella. Rather than being matched with her true love by the way of a lost glass slipper of a particularly minute size — an idea Alma found to be “quite silly” — Cinderella is a talented composer and the pining prince is a poet. The tale is set in an opera production company run by the evil stepmother. The two stepsisters are divas with little talent and much vile.

Cinderella, with a natural talent for composing, is not allowed to perform. Meanwhile, the prince writes a love poem that ends up in Cinderella’s hands. Not knowing the identity of the poet, she falls in love with the words and sets them to music. After having her composition stolen by her evil stepsisters, who do their best to sing it at the ball, Cinderella finally gets her chance to perform for the prince.

The prince is enthralled by the enchanting melody, and sets out to discover who wrote the music to his poem. As in the classical story, he travels the land searching for his soulmate, but instead of looking for the foot that fits into the slipper, he sings a portion of the melody, knowing only the true composer can properly finish the song.

So, the prince falls in love with Cinderella not because of her physical beauty or tiny feet, but because of her talent, and because “he understands her,” to use Alma’s explanation. In other words, he recognizes his soulmate as a talented equal.

“I didn’t want Cinderella just to be pretty. I wanted her to have her own mind and her own spirit. And to be a little bit like me. So, I decided that she would be a composer,” Alma explains.3 “Cinderella” made its American sold-out debut December 16 at the Opera San Jose.4

Where Does the Music Come From?

Most interviews with Alma include the same question: Where does her music come from? In a “60 Minutes” interview, Scott Pelley received the following answer:5

“I don’t really know, but it’s really very normal to me to … walk around and having melodies popping into my head. It’s the most normal thing in the world. For me, it’s strange to walk around and not to have melodies popping into my head. So, if I was interviewing you, I would say, ‘Well, tell me Scott, how does it feel not having melodies popping into your head?'”

Oftentimes, the music comes when she’s most relaxed, either playing outdoors with her younger sister, or skipping rope. Her father, Guy Deutscher, a linguistics professor and amateur musician, taught her to read musical notes, but questions the influence of his role in her immense ability to create music, including scores for instruments she does not play.

He tells Pelley, “I thought it was me [that taught her to read music]. I hardly had to say [any]thing — and, you know, her piano teacher once said ‘it’s a bit difficult with Alma; it’s difficult to teach her because one always has the sense she’d ‘been there’ before.'” Alma also says she has “lots of composers” inside her mind, in a special “country” she created in her imagination.

These imaginary friends provide her with the emotional juices her tender youth lacks. Each one has their own emotional style of composing. One of them, Antonin Yellowsink, helped her compose a “dark and dramatic” violin concerto. “[S]ometimes when I’m stuck with something, when I’m composing, I go to them and ask them for advice. And quite often, they come up with very interesting things,” she says.

Would Rather Be Original Alma Than Second Mozart

Many compare Alma to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791),6 one of the few childhood prodigies that can even compare to Alma’s talent. However, while flattered, Alma insists she would rather “prefer to be the first Alma than the second Mozart.” That said, she has a great affinity for the famed composer and musician, and “would have loved” to have him as a teacher.

The question is whether Alma wouldn’t have ended up teaching Mozart a thing or two. In a concerto in Israel, Alma performed one of Mozart’s piano concertos with a cadenza — a musical interlude where the orchestra goes silent, allowing the soloist to perform his or her own music. But in this case, Alma didn’t just perform Mozart’s solo. She created her own.

“It’s something that I composed because, you see, it’s a very early concerto of Mozart and the cadenza was very simple. It didn’t go to any different keys,” she tells Pelley. “And I composed quite a long one going to lots and lots of different keys doing lots of things in Mozart’s motifs,” Alma says. “So, you improved the cadenza of Mozart?” Pelley asks, to which she replies, “Well, yes.”

Robert Gjerdingen, a professor of music at Northwestern in Chicago who has acted as a “consultant to Alma’s education,” had the following to say about his star protégé:

“It’s kind of a comet that goes by and everybody looks up and just goes, ‘Wow.’ I sent her some assignments when she was six, seven, where I expected her to crash and burn, because they were very difficult.

It came back, it was like listening to a mid-18th century composer. She was a native speaker … It’s her first language — she speaks the Mozart-style. She speaks the style of Mendelssohn … She’s batting in the big leagues. And if you win the pennant, there’s immortality.”

The Many Benefits of Music

As for why she composes, Alma says her inspiration is to “make the world a better place,” and she believes beautiful music can do that. She is undoubtedly correct. Music is a form of emotional communication, an emotional protolanguage of sorts, and like emotions it can have a tremendous influence on psychological and even physical health. For example, music has been found to:

Help you exercise harder, while making it feel easier

Help Alzheimer’s patients reconnect with people around them, remember past life events and reduce agitation associated with dementia

Allow patients with Parkinson’s disease move more freely.7 The music appears to provide an external rhythm that bypasses the malfunctioning signals in the brain

Improve your mood; calm nerves; reduce stress and/or invigorate and energize

Facilitate connection and unification between people. Despite individual differences in musical preferences, classical music has been shown to elicit a very consistent pattern of brain activity in virtually all listeners. Areas activated include those involved in movement, planning, memory and attention. This brain activation creates a sort of unifying force that synchronizes and unifies people together8

What Happens in Your Brain When You Hear Music?

When you listen to music, much more is happening in your body than simple auditory processing. Research shows that music triggers activity in the nucleus accumbens, a part of your brain that releases the feel-good chemical dopamine and is involved in forming expectations. At the same time, the amygdala, which is involved in processing emotion, and the prefrontal cortex, which makes possible abstract decision-making, are also activated.9

Based on the brain activity in certain regions, especially the nucleus accumbens, captured by an fMRI imager while participants listened to music, the researchers could predict how much money the listeners were willing to spend on previously unheard music. As you might suspect, songs that triggered activity in the emotional and intellectual areas of the brain demanded a higher price.

Interestingly, the study’s lead author noted that your brain learns how to predict how different pieces of music will unfold using pattern recognition and prediction, skills that may have been key to our evolutionary progress. As reported by Time:10

“These predictions are culture-dependent and based on experience: someone raised on rock or Western classical music won’t be able to predict the course of an Indian raga, for example, and vice versa. But if a piece develops in a way that’s both slightly novel and still in line with our brain’s prediction, we tend to like it a lot. And that, says [lead researcher] Salimpoor, ‘is because we’ve made a kind of intellectual conquest.’

Music may, in other words, tap into a brain mechanism that was key to our evolutionary progress. The ability to recognize patterns and generalize from experience, to predict what’s likely to happen in the future — in short, the ability to imagine — is something humans do far better than any other animals. It’s what allowed us (aided by the far less glamorous opposable thumb) to take over the world.”

Alma’s future passion project is to write a book, turn it into a film and write the musical score. I hope you’ll take the time to view the featured 25-minute documentary about Alma Deutscher, and revel in her musical talent. You will not regret it. Then, if you’re eager for more, you can listen to some of the “Cinderella” performances in the 1.5-hour-long recording above. May she inspire you to help make the world a better place, every day.