Symptoms of Aspartame Poisoning
Aspartame is a sweetener that is much sweeter than sugar but has fewer calories. Aspartame can be found in diet sodas, coffee and yogurt. While aspartame products, such as NutraSweet and Equal, may appear to be a healthier alternative to sugar, there are a lot of side effects and the potential for poisoning.
Aspartame is a sweetener that is much sweeter than sugar but has fewer calories. Aspartame can be found in diet sodas, coffee and yogurt. While aspartame products, such as NutraSweet and Equal, may appear to be a healthier alternative to sugar, there are a lot of side effects and the potential for poisoning. The symptoms of aspartame poisoning can impact your psychological and physiological functioning and may even lead to death.
Psychological
Aspartame poisoning can cause symptoms that affect you psychologically. Psychological symptoms impact your mental well-being and how your moods are regulated; while these symptoms may not seem dangerous they can lead to poor decision-making and impaired judgment. According to Sweetpoison.com, a website created by nutritionist Janet Hull to voice her opposition to the sweetener, aspartame poisoning can cause depression, aggression, anxiety, irritability, phobias, severe depression and personality changes. Other psychological symptoms may include memory loss and mood disturbances.
Neurological
Neurological symptoms of aspartame poisoning impact the control center for your body, your brain. With aspartame poisoning impacting your brain's normal functioning, you may experience symptoms that impair your motor skills and your most very basic level of functioning. Among these symptoms are dizziness, numbness in the limbs, severe tremors, facial pain, seizures, headaches or migraines, confusion, fatigue, slurred speech and hyperactivity.
Physical
Aspartame poisoning can impair your senses and cause physical symptoms. Physical symptoms can interfere with every portion of your body and cause a great deal of pain if left untreated. According to author Karen Hanrahan, a wellness educator and nutrition consultant, aspartame poisoning may cause nausea, vertigo, skin lesions, ringing in the ears, loss of taste, muscular and joint pain, irregular menstrual cycle, heart attack symptoms and menstrual cramps. Physically you may also experience diarrhea, abdominal pain, painful swallowing, asthma-like symptoms, thinning hair, hair loss, burning during urination, excessive thirst, fluid retention, high blood pressure, allergic reactions in the mouth, weight gain or loss, leg swelling and bloating.
Critical
If you experience any of the critical symptoms you should seek immediate medical attention. While all of the symptoms of aspartame poisoning can feel critical and should be treated in a timely manner, the critical symptoms can lead to permanent and extremely painful medical problems. According to Hull, aspartame poisoning can cause dangerous symptoms and may even cause death. Among the most critical of all the symptoms are peptic ulcers, brain damage, suicidal thoughts, aspartame addiction and birth defects, which can lead to mental retardation.