Energy drink Excitotoxins
Excitotoxins in energy drinks may sound exciting, but they’re not. They are one of the most insidious dangers that are not getting the attention they deserve.
Don’t get me wrong: I’m a big fan of some energy drink brands that are cleverly designed to produce more mental and physical energy, with few downsides.
The problems begin when unsuspecting consumers buy diet energy drinks without studying the ingredient label. They assume that just because energy drink ingredients must be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, they must be safe.
Big mistake!
It’s really sad that you practically need a Ph.D. in chemistry to stay on top of all the dangerous food additives showing up in our food and beverage supplies.
While I don’t have a Ph.D., I am sensitive enough to know when I’ve been given a dose of an excitotoxin like MSG or aspartame. Over the years, I have made an effort to learn the names and aliases of these artificial flavors, so that I can avoid them altogether.
The most common excitotoxin in energy drinks is aspartame, which may also be known as NutraSweet. Sounds harmless enough, doesn’t it?
The problem is that in laboratory tests of aspartame in mice, doses comparable to those consumed daily by many humans produced tumors, diet-resistant obesity, learning disabilities, and reproductive difficulties.
Judging by the damaged areas in the brains of laboratory research subjects, it is plausible that aspartame may also contribute to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, ADD, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Note that humans are about fifteen times more sensitive to excitotoxins than mice. Children, with their nervous systems still developing, are at particular risk.
Of course, it will be years, or even decades, before a cancer can be diagnosed in those who may be frequent users of excitotoxin-laced energy drinks, so the company that makes them will be off the hook when there is blame. Faint.
You may be wondering how an artificial sweetener manufacturer could obtain a license to add such a toxic product to our food and beverages. It’s a fascinating story that speaks volumes about how corporations have taken over our government from the inside with the intention of making more money.
To find out how aspartame bypassed the FDA regulatory process (after being rejected once), Google “Donald Rumsfeld, aspartame.”
One more fact to convey to those who work in extremely hot places like Iraq and Arizona: Aspartame breaks down into formaldehyde, methanol, DKP, and formic acid, all of which are toxic and/or suspected carcinogens, when stored. at high temperatures
Of course, the safest thing you can do about excitotoxins in energy drinks is to avoid them and tell all your friends about it.