Your Brain on Diet Soda: Aspartame Effects on the Brain

Recent headlines read, “Michael J Fox will never find a cure.” The actor, long suffering from Parkinson’s disease, was a former advertiser and consumer of diet drinks since a young age, which contain the chemical sweetener aspartame. A seven year time lapse between his diagnosis and informing the media, left many people missing the link between his diet drink consumption and the disease.

The Elusive Cure

Although aspartame is a known trigger of Parkinson’s disease, the Michael J. Fox Foundation is still seeking the elusive cause and cure. Many people have sent legitimate research studies to the foundation pointing to aspartame as a trigger of Parkinson’s, but have been largely ignored. It’s easier, of course, to keep looking for a cause instead of blaming a billion dollar industry with so much profit at stake.

Aspartame Effects on the Brain: The Problem with Aspartame

What exactly is so wrong with aspartame? Studies have shown the sweetener directly affects our NMDA receptors, the glutamate-gated ion channels that control our synaptic plasticity and neuronal communication, thereby influencing our learning and memory. The receptors are involved in many neurological disorders, including Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and epilepsy. Aspartame damages NMDA receptors by causing nerves to fire excessively. Basically, it stimulates the neural cells to death, and is the reason why aspartame is called an excitotoxin (others include flavor enhancers like MSG and artificial flavorings). Excitotoxins excite our taste buds, as the name suggests, making them very appealing for the food industry to use to enhance flavor. Aspartame is particularly harmful because high doses can cause severe damage to the nervous system and brain.

Therefore, aspartame begets excitotoxins, which creates a brain inflammation cycle that plays a critical role in the onset of Parkinson’s and other diseases of the brain. For further information on this topic, I highly recommend the work of brilliant biochemist Dr. Martin Pall (click here for his website).

Many of my clients suffering from neurological disorders and memory loss have a history of consuming diet products; the link between aspartame and neurologic dysfunction is undeniable to me, and I’m observing a growing number of these cases. Moreover, researchers utilize aspartame to produce cancer and tumors in lab rats and, ironically, it’s been shown to promote obesity. Sorry dieters, but your diet soda is not only causing brain dysfunction, it is making you gain weight. How much more evidence do we need to ban this poison?

Why is Aspartame Legal?

If the studies indicate that aspartame is a major public health concern, why does it remain on store shelves? One word: money. In 1980, when Donald Rumsfeld (former president of Searle, creator of aspartame) was hired to help transition President Regan into office, he made his old friend Dr. Arthur Hayes head of the FDA. Rumsfeld and Hayes had close links to the president of Pepsico, and Hayes soon approved aspartame for use in foods and sodas. To top it off, Rumsfeld got a $12 million dollar bonus for his role in the scheme. I like to believe that Rumsfeld didn’t realize the massively negative impact that aspartame would inflict on society, as most folks at the time believed it to be safe.  But today we know that it is in no way safe, and is in fact driving neurodegenerative diseases.

The Link to Heavy Metals

In addition to aspartame, Parkinson’s disease is also linked with heavy metal exposure, a topic near to my heart as I battled for years with debilitating mercury toxicity caused by amalgam fillings (read my personal story here). When watching old Michael J. Fox films you can observe a mouthful of fillings when he laughs. The “perfect storm” of aspartame consumption and mercury fillings likely gave rise to his disease. Research has shown that abnormal or excessive exposure to heavy metals is associated with various neurologic and movement disorders, since the metals encourage free radical formation.

The Key to Restoring Brain Health

So what do we do? As I always say, an illness will never heal until the origin or source is removed. Once the offending source, or sources, of illness are eliminated, the body can begin to heal itself as God designed. Stop consuming aspartame immediately, and tell everyone you know and care about to do the same. Also, share this article and video with others who need to hear the truth. I hope and pray that Mr. Fox recognizes the reality of the true cause of his disease, and uses his fame to expose the truth of the deleterious effects of aspartame to the world.

Fight back: Brain-Changing Solutions

What else can you do to impact your brain health and safeguard your memory? I took part in developing these “brain-changer” products, which have made remarkable impacts on many of my clients suffering from neurological decline and disease:

EPIC: A powerful intra-cellular antioxidant which 1) helps to down-regulate the brain inflammation cycle, 2) enhances the cells ability to generate glutathione and Superoxide Dismutase in response to oxidative stress, 3) acts against superoxide and peroxynitrate (ONOO) free radicals.

VISTA 1 and 2: A distinctive two part system taken as capsules and liquid oil, composed of the correct ratio of Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids to target and support regeneration of the cellular membrane, where all life begins. The formula contains cardiolipin, critical to the cell’s ability to produce energy, which supports body-wide cellular function.

In addition, consuming an un-processed, whole foods diet rich in good fats can make a massive impact on brain function. My favorite healthy fats include: coconut oil, MCT oil, raw olive oil, hemp oil, and eating high quality, grass-fed animal protein like beef, poultry, eggs, wild game, whey, and raw, cultured dairy products, all included on my Cellular Healing Diet.

Additional Resources:

• To read more about my 5R’s of True Cellular Healing, click here.
• For more information on how heavy metals negatively impact the body and how to properly remove them and detox, read my three part article series here: part 1, part 2, part 3.
• Click here to watch the video I shot with my son Simon on healthy cooking and the importance of removing toxins from your life.
• To get a copy of my brain-changing Cellular Healing Diet book, click here.