I've come across a lot of really good nutrition research recently that is worth sharing because of its direct application to what we put in our mouth every day.
I'm still baffled by the number of people who continue to ingest artificial sweeteners on a daily basis, considering that the research has been loud and clear on the adverse health impact for so many years. I know we all have bad habits to kick as some foods are our comfort or survival go to, but I still run into a lot of people who are fully convinced that there is no scientific evidence for the harm of some of these food additives, and they see the benefit from the decreased caloric intake. (Although data has also found to be false over time as artificial sugars keep increasing our brain's desire for more sweetness across the board).
This piece of research pertains in particular to the sweetener aspartame, which is found in a lot of diet sodas. Aspartame is an excitotoxins that can easily cross the blood brain barrier and have widespread repercussions in the central nervous system. It also is known to have adverse effect on lymphoid tissue with some correlation noted over time with blood cancers. This particular piece of research more clearly establishes the direct biochemical link between aspartame and the insulin cascade leading to vascular lining inflammation and increased risk of plaquing. This is especially important when you consider that a lot of people are trying to manage the complications of metabolic syndrome, including diabetes and atherosclerosis, by switching from regular sugar to artificial sweeteners. As always, best to cut out those chemicals, and whenever possible stick to the least amount of naturally occurring sugars in your diet.
https://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/pdfExtended/S1550-4131(25)00006-3?utm_source=klaviyo&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=%28Email%20-%20Chris%20Kresser%20General%20News%29%20Chris%27s%20Friday%20Favorites&utm_term=disturbing%20new%20study&utm_content=disturbing%20new%20study&_kx=ZpXBDTeEF9QJhwDqQXXrImrT_HpFsBz1ZlYMbsx_Vq0.my75y6