Is it possible that the sweetened food and drinks people consume lead to anxiety? According to Science Alert, a recent study focused on the impacts of aspartame, an artificial sweetener, and its findings suggest that the possibility may be worth looking into.
Artificial Sweetener Aspartame
Aspartame was approved by the US FDA or Food and Drug Administration in 1981. Artificial sweetener is primarily included in food and drinks with minimal calories. In the present day, it can be sighted in almost 5,000 products that children and adults consume.
ALSO READ: Regular Exercise Can Reverse Brain Damage and Reduce Anxiety
Mice Exhibited Anxious Behavior After Taking Water Dosed With Aspartame
In a recent study published in PNAS, a mouse sample was given access to water with aspartame. The dosage corresponded to 15% of humans' recommended daily ceiling intake. When these mice were given the sample, they generally exhibited heightened anxiety in their behavior in specially developed mood tests.
More surprising than these initial findings was that the impacts were also observed in the offspring of the family. They were observed in two other generations.
Study author and neuroscientist Pradeep Bhide expressed how the study reveals the need to look into environmental factors. This is because what is observed today did not just happen but also happened two generations back or beyond.
Neuroscience News notes that when aspartame is consumed; it turns into aspartic acid, methanol, and phenylalanine. All of these potently affect the CNS or central nervous system.
The researchers also conducted RNA sequencing on the nervous system to see how the genes of the tissues got expressed. In doing so, they discovered significant alterations within the amygdala responsible for regulating anxiety.
Mice Stopped Exhibiting Behavior After Being Given Anxiolytic Dosage
When the same mice were also granted diazepam, which is an anxiolytic drug that used to be marketed as Valium, these anxious behaviors halted across every generation. This medication helped in regulating the same brain pathways that changed because of the aspartame.
Though monitoring these anxious behaviors in mice can only be an approximate account of what could happen in humans, the scientists noted stark changes in the behavior of these animals. They connected these observations to gene activity changes.
According to Neuroscience News, this study occurred partially because of previous research efforts that studied the nicotine impacts on mice in a transgenerational scope. This study reported observed epigenetic or temporary changes in the sperm cells of the mice. In contrast to genetic mutations, epigenetic alterations can be reversed and do not affect the sequence of DNA. However, they are capable of affecting how the body reads the sequence.
Going back, SciTechDaily notes how something could be taking place. The direct consumers of the sweetener are not the only ones at risk; even their children and grandchildren are. The reason behind this phenomenon is not fully comprehended, but it aligns with growing evidence that epigenetic markings may stay throughout multiple generations.
While this link has been considered by scientists before, SciTechDaily reports that other studies on animals reported no anxious behavior changes. This suggests that it is necessary to dig deeper to understand the phenomenon fully.
Nevertheless, given these findings, the researchers urge people to be cautious. Though they still need to be replicated in human trials, observing anxiety in mice is a sound reason to investigate deeper.
RELATED ARTICLE: Loneliness and Social Anxiety Have the Same Symptoms: How Do They Differ in Neural Basis?
Check out more news and information on Mental Health in Science Times.
