Splenda & Aspartame: The End Is Near– Dr. Nick Norwitz Explains

I was one of those skinny people that thought they could pound regular sodas without any issues because I wasn't gaining weight. What I finally realized is that it was still destroying my liver, making me pre-diabetic, and worsening all my autoimmune issues and neuroinflammation.

To anyone interested in Sweetner effects on the Gut Microbiome/Metabolic Health they should read the study: “Intense Sweeteners, Taste Receptors and the Gut Microbiome: A Metabolic Health Perspective“

I have used aspartame for over 30 years and never a problem

I went on a diet to drop down from 250 to 180 over about 1 year. Plateaued around 200 for several weeks & started substituting things for allulose containg "keto" products. Initially it worked, I started losing weight again. Around 195 I started feeling a bit off, brain fog, joint stiffness. I figured it would pass & kept going. It came and went for about a month until I was down to 190 and I woke up extremely stiff in my back, like painful to the point of barely being able to roll out of bed. I figured it must be something I was eating so I cut everything questionable & went down to just vegetables, a bit of chicken, & some fish. Recovered somewhat but was still experiencing significant stiffness & joint pain in my hips, back, & shoulders. When I woke up my finger joints would often be stiff. None of this had ever happened to me before, certainly no where near this severe. Later I went to get a general battery of health marker tests, everything was in normal ranges except elevated c reactive protein. Got a gut biome stool test... came back with massive overgrowth of two "good" bacteria and one "bad" bacterium. I've since mostly recovered from this gut dysbiosis. Not 100% it was the allulose, but it is my main suspect. I've returned to eating practically everything else I eliminated with no noticeable negative effects, but I stay far away from allulose & sweeteners in general. I consider concentrated sugar to be just as artificial as the others since it is hyperconcentrated & divorced from the water, fiber, & other nutrients in natural sugar cane or whatever fruit/veg they're concentrating it from into a syrup or crystal. Only place I consume it is in ice cream occasionally.

I love that you brought this dude on. He’s effing brilliant.

Considering what sugar does to my body, I'll stick with the artificial sweetener. Not everyone is the same either- it doesnt give me sugar cravings.

Maltodextrin is higher on the glycemic index than sugar Dr. Nick.

I drink two diet sodas a day. Strength train, hyptrophy train, do HIIT and light cardio depending on how my body feels. I eat carbs and plenty of meals a day and am in great shape at 40. Stop overthinking these things. Eat lots of protein early in the day to stay satiated and help with muscle repair. Tweak calories slightly if trying to gain, lose or maintain weight.

The effects on the GI microbiome is probably the most important. Some of the sweeteners cause GI agitation. The change in epicgenetics is tricky because all sweeteners need to be checked.

Aspartame makes me nauseous if I drink too much, but I still drink it 🥴 I gotta stop 😅