Posted by Racer on June 22, 2004, at 15:12:37
In reply to equal nutrasweet and depression - any connection?, posted by tampagirl70 on June 21, 2004, at 11:38:43
You'll have to google it, because I'm not up to finding the study right now, but here's what I remember of the study I found:
They found that aspartame was associated with such high rates of depression in such moderate to low amounts that the study was discontinued early. I believe they were testing it on people already being treated for depression, so it might have been partially that the subjects knew what the study was about, but since it was a double-blind, placebo controlled study -- well, google it and draw your own conclusions.
Personally, although I still consume way too much diet soda, after reading that I cut way back. I wish I could say that I'd stopped it entirely, but I can say that I have cut WAY back and keep careful track of how much I drink, as well as my moods. If I ever get around to graphing the effects, I'll try to remember to let you know. If I were offering advice, I'd say "almost anything in moderation, but moderation is a relative term -- in the case of aspartame, limiting consumption pretty radically for anyone who has suffered a depressive episode is probably wise." But you didn't ask for advice, so I won't give it ;-D
I'm sorry I can't post the link for you, but it was very easy to find -- maybe NIMH? NIH? Dunno, but you shouldn't have trouble finding it.
poster:Racer
thread:358598
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040621/msgs/359125.html