Has anyone heard of Aspartame being addictive? I haven’t, but suspect that this might be the case. I seem to recall seeing a post on this list about phenylalanine alleviating pain by causing elevated levels of endorphin. Is this true?
More questions: how does Aspartame lower serotonin levels in the brain? Are there any studies documenting mood changes due to the use of Aspartame? Also, are there any natural substitutes for sugar that are not harmful (and also won’t pile on the pounds?)
Another interesting thing. Aren’t dry mouth/eyes one of the side effects of Aspartame? i guess that would be really good for the soft drink manufacturers. The ideal product!! One that first quenches and then causes thirst!
I am finding this vein of posts very interesting. I recently sent mail to the list regarding my own problems (which led to responses from many of you, urging me to be tested for lupus). Thankfully, a battery of tests revealed nothing ‘wrong’ in the autoimmune spectrum. But I am left with the same problems as I have had for years. I am a huge consumer of Aspartame, and now am wondering if this might be the cause of my problems. It is scary, but despite the numerous posts (most, i believe, from Claire Gilbert) regarding Aspartame, I am still using it (I actually prefer it to sugar, and crave it if I haven’t eaten any for a while), and cannot seem to kick the habit.