Abstract
Aspartame is a worldwide used artificial sweetener and is consumed by millions of adults and children as part of their diet. The connection between aspartame ingestion and depression has been studied with contradictory results. We hypothesized that this correlation might be explained by high levels of oxidative stress. We wanted to examine the biochemical effects of consuming higher or lower doses of aspartame on the antioxidant enzyme- glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and on the depression-like behaviors of rats in the forced swim test model. 40 lab rats were divided into 4 groups; two groups were treated by gavage with either 75 mg/kg/day of aspartame or 125 mg/kg/day of aspartame. The control group received a gavage with vehicle (water). The naive group received no experimental intervention. Our statistical analysis revealed that the rats from the control group and the naive group presented a significantly lower level of GPX compared to the groups that received 75mg/kg/day or the group that received the maximum dosage of 125mg/kg/day aspartame. Furthermore, a shorter duration of the immobility was reported in the control and the naive groups when compared to the groups which received any of the two dosages of aspartame. Therefore, the results presented by our study suggest that aspartame consumption (in both high and low dosages) increases both the oxidative stress and the depression-like symptoms in the forced swim model. In addition, an aspartame dose-response was not found for either of our two variables: oxidative stress or depression. In conclusion, the daily consumption of aspartame for 4 weeks, in both high dosage and low dosage, had a negative impact on both oxidative stress level and the frequency of depression- like behaviors of the animals in the forced swim test. These results suggest that the correlation between aspartame ingestion and depression might be explained by oxidative stress levels.
Highlights
Aspartame is a worldwide used artificial sweetener and is found in numerous food products
Significant differences were found between the naïve group and the group which received the gavage 125 mg/kg of aspartame (p < 0.001), the control group and the group which received the gavage 75 mg/kg/day of aspartame (p
In our sample of rats, the daily consumption of aspartame for 4 weeks, in both high dosage and low dosage, had a negative impact on the level of oxidative stress that was measured in their brain
Summary
Aspartame is a worldwide used artificial sweetener and is found in numerous food products. Extensive surveys show that a high percent of adults and children consume aspartame as part of their daily diets [1-3]. The history of this artificial sweetener shows that aspartame was first approved in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration in 1981; this approval was for limited use only. It was approved as a general sweetener later on in 1996. The US FDA considers a dosage of aspartame at 50 mg/kg bodyweight/day as safe. Specialists recommend that individuals with phenylketonuria should not consume aspartame at all considering that phenylalanine is a known metabolite
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