3 ms·
On 2 and 3: aspartame metabolizes into the amino acid phenylalanine, a precursor to dopamine and epinephrine[0]. In normal people, breakdown of the upstream neu
by drankula3 8y ago
On 2 and 3: aspartame metabolizes into the amino acid phenylalanine, a precursor to dopamine and epinephrine[0]. In normal people, breakdown of the upstream neurotransmitters increase when phenylalanine increases, meaning there are no negative effects from it's consumption. It does not store in the liver.
There are some diseases that involve a malfunction in phenylalanine processing, like phenylketonuria[1] and hyperphenylalaninemia[2]. It would not surprise me a bit if people with subclinical forms of hyperphenylalaninemia self-medicate with diet soda to feel better, particularly energy drinks that come with other things that aid in dopamine synthesis. Disfunction in dopamine synthesis often affects other things like NO synthesis, affecting blood pressure and inflammation.
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspartame?wprov=sfla1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspartame?wprov=sfla1
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenylketonuria?wprov=sfla1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenylketonuria?wprov=sfla1
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperphenylalaninemia?wprov=sfla1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperphenylalaninemia?wprov=sf...
Edit: changed serotonin to epinephrine, as phenylalanine is not a precursor to serotonin.
- ticviking 8y agoThis may well be the most interesting hypothesis for why I rely so heavily on these I've ever seen. Are you aware of any research on this idea?
- drankula3 8y agoI am not aware of any research, I've only connected the dots from my experience. I was super pale growing up, had orthostatic hypotension, dry skin, sweated insanely during puberty, and felt like I got progressively stupider as I got into my early 20s. I developed hypertension, and I drank lots of diet energy drinks from 16-20 and felt better when I did. At some point, I got genetic testing done through 23andme, ran that info through software that revealed health info, and it showed I had a genoset that heavily affects phenylalanine processing. I started taking a stimulant and tyrosine, and I've felt better ever since. My genetic oddity also affects NO synthesis, and will probably lead to my death through heart attack or stroke. It's gs224 if you're interested in the specifics.
- ticviking 8y agoDamn... my wife and I are doing our 23 and me for the holiday today, I'll have to check it out. I've been investigating a ton of stuff related to my Tourette's (hence the ticviking handle) and now I'm curious how that dopamine path and my tics might be related...
- cagenut 8y agothank you! as someone who replaced ~100g/day of hfcs with ~450mg of aspartame by switching from coke to dietcoke I'm alway interested in what I should be specifically watching for as the downside of this tradeoff. thanks to your links i now know an answer to that is "phe >120 <360, 600+ is a real problem". by any chance is that number a standard part of a yearly blood test, or do you have to ask for it?
- aesclepius 8y agoPhenylalanine is not part of your yearly blood test (Complete Blood Count, Complete Metabolic Panel) and generally isn't tested unless you specifically ask for it, or if a pediatric concern for phenylketonuria is manifested. At least, this is in general N. American, adult primary practice. (I'm interested if any other providers regularly test, as i've not done it at all)