Diet Pepsi & MS Symptoms

Diet Pepsi is a low-calorie soft drink that contains aspartame, an artificial sweetener used in many foods. Many people state that aspartame is not safe for consumption and that its use in Diet Pepsi causes MS. Studies conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Nutrition have proven there is no link between the aspartame in Diet Pepsi and MS.

The Claim

• Many people have come across websites or received chain emails that claim that Diet Pepsi drinkers are at greater risk for developing Multiple Sclerosis or MS-like symptoms. The aspartame in Diet Pepsi and other foods is rumored to be the cause. According to these websites, the wood alcohol in aspartame changes to formaldehyde, then to formic acid, which causes metabolic acidosis. The result is supposed to be a high level of methanol in the body, enough to cause these MS symptoms. What's more, these websites provide anecdotal evidence that Diet Pepsi drinkers diagnosed with MS saw their symptoms disappear when they stopped drinking Diet Pepsi.

Misconceptions

• Websites that claim Diet Pepsi causes MS attribute a number of symptoms to the aspartame in the drink. Among them are spasms, shooting pains, leg numbness, cramps, vertigo, dizziness, headaches, joint pain, depression, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, blurred vision and memory loss. However, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) studied 500 reports and concluded that these symptoms attributed to aspartame ingestion "are mild and are symptoms that are common in the general populace." When searching for information on these symptoms, it is wise to consult credible, scientific studies rather than anecdotal evidence.

The Facts

• In a 1999 article, David Squillacote, MD, Senior Medical Advisor to the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation, writes that in all of the citations in medical literature on aspartame up to that time, "there is no information whatsoever about deleterious effects of aspartame on MS. . . . There is no evidence that aspartame in any way causes, provokes, mimics or worsens MS" ("Alarm Over Aspartame"). Finally, the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Nutrition released a statement in January 1999 which notes that "there is no credible evidence that suggests that aspartame elicits MS."

Considerations

• While Diet Pepsi does not cause MS, the soft drink should not be consumed by people with a health condition known as phenylketonuria. Phenylketonurics cannot handle phenylalanine, an ingredient in aspartame. This is the only proven health risk Diet Pepsi poses.

Warning

• Anecdotal evidence that Diet Pepsi causes MS are just that---anecdotal. Health agencies, which are accountable to the public, are in a better position to determine the safety of aspartame using controlled studies than individuals, who don't have the resources to properly investigate the issue. If you experience the MS symptoms many ascribe to aspartame ingestion, consult a doctor.