Okay, I searched on Google first, and found so many conflicting opinions that I’m more confused than when I started. Then, I searched through the threads here on the SDMB, but couldn’t find any info on aspartame *and * epilepsy, so… I have a question!
I don’t believe this is pressing enough to consult my doctor, because I can just not drink diet soda until my next visit, but I would like to get some info.
I started a diet (ahem… New Year’s Resolution ), and I’m curious as to whether the artificial sweetener in diet sodas will affect my epilepsy in any way. I’ve read the FDA and National Epilepsy Association reports. I’ve looked at the Monsanto reports and all of the rebuttals to it, and I am so utterly confused that I’m just sitting here staring at my Diet Mountain Dew trying to decide whether to drink it or chuck it in the garbage. :mad:
I have epilepsy and I’ve consumed diet sodas with aspartame for years. I don’t think it’s made much of a difference one way or the other. My seizures have been pretty well controlled, although I’ve had my medication tweaked a bit.
My neuro has never mentioned aspartame as an issue. He does suggest that I get more sleep.
Opinions about aspartame on the Web are just that – opinions, often deeply emotional ones, posted because someone feels that aspartame causes a certain ill effect. A Medline search indicates that while there have been some reports that suggest that aspartame can precipitate or exacerbate epilepsy, but that most reports suggest there is no correlation. It is mentioned that phenylalanine, one of the metabolites of aspartame and an amino acid present in many foods, was thought to “[interfere] with brain transport of neurotransmitter precursors and [alter] the synthesis of monoamine neurotransmitters such as norepinephrine, dopamine and/or serotonin.” (Epilepsy Res. 1991 Mar;8(2):122-33; verb tenses changed.) However, most research done in humans and animals (including the study just quoted, which was done in rats) does not find a correlation between aspartame and seizures. A few reports, however, do find a link.
Interestingly, relatively little research has been done on this topic and most of it was done some time ago. My search for ‘epilepsy aspartame’ found only one English-language article published within the last ten years: a review published in 2002 by a group of scientists working for The Nutrasweet Company which summarizes the existing research on the safety of the company’s product. (I’ve encountered this review in other searches for aspartame-related issues.) Most of the research was done some time ago, which suggests that the emotional appeals found all over the Internet (at least those involving epilepsy) may not be based on up-to-date research. Still, if you want to be absolutely cautious until newer research is available, you can always avoid aspartame or avoid artificial sweeteners altogether.
Oh, and the other thing is that there are a multitude of forms of epilepsy with a variety of causes, so it would take a pretty dedicated scientist to determine that any one particular chemical could affect a seizure disorder in any one person.
Thanks I guess I can just wait until my appt. to ask my neurologist. I don’t really care for diet soda, but I need my caffeine somehow! Looks like I’m investing in tea bags…
Speaking just from the experience of my girlfriend, she has been seizure free after giving up diet cokes and this is in spite of the fact that she had just started law school at a top and notoriosly difficult school, where as before, when her life was pretty relaxed, she was having them at least twice a month.
You get three things from the initial stages of aspartame metabolism (after being cleaved by digestive enzymes like chymotrypsin): aspartate, phenylalanine, and methanol. The first two are found in copious amounts in any proteinacious food, like skim milk, for instance. The last, while not exactly nutritious, is essentially harmless until broken down. Alcohol dehydrogenase converts the MeOH to formaldehyde (quite nasty on its own in sufficient amounts), which is subsequently converted to formate by aldehyde dehydrogenase. The latter causes metabolic acidosis and is a potent neurotoxin, and is responsible for blindness in those who consume “bathtub gin”. Acute consumption of large amounts of methanol can cause death through these nasty metabolites, with mininal lethal dose of around 100ml. Some folks have consumed much more with no sequellae, but that’s not at all recommended.
Now, this may sound scary, but it must be understood that methanol is a natural product of fermentation, as well as a by-product of the cleavage of methyl esters found in many dietary constituents, especially in certain fruits. The body can and does cope well with small amounts of it all the time, perhaps around 10mg/day on average. However, consuming just a can of diet cola, assuming 10% of asperame is “methanol” by weight, and is metabolized completely, and that the can of cola has about 200mg of aspartame in it, gives 20mg. Is this dangerous? All available data tells us almost certainly not, but does chronic exposure represent a problem? No one knows for certain. Alcoholics consume much more than this amount per day (as small amounts of MeOH can be found in all wines and spirits), but the EtOH inhibits the metabolism of MeOH, which is actually a good thing, as it allows clearance before lots of those nasty metabolites can build up. Nobody (so far as I’m aware) has done controlled experiments by dosing humans with MeOH, and, unfortunately, animal models aren’t so relevant, as humans are much more sensitive to MeOH intoxication (as we lack a couple key enzymes to break down the toxins).
I’ve read up on this a bit more the past couple months, and whenever studies on humans subjects has been done, aspartame appears to be safe in even very high doses. Animal models where truly insane doses were given showed no ill effects. The MeOH issue is something to keep in mind, but for now, there’s simply no good data to suggest aspartame is a threat. The latest peer-reviewed word on the subject (with the disclaimer that the author is an empoyee of the producer) is here:
), and I’m curious as to whether the artificial sweetener in diet sodas will affect my epilepsy in any way. I’ve read the FDA and National Epilepsy Association reports. I’ve looked at the Monsanto reports and all of the rebuttals to it, and I am so utterly confused that I’m just sitting here staring at my Diet Mountain Dew trying to decide whether to drink it or chuck it in the garbage. 
:mad:
I guess I can just wait until my appt. to ask my neurologist. I don’t really care for diet soda, but I need my caffeine somehow! Looks like I’m investing in tea bags…