With the World Health Organization grappling with the health risks associated with artificial sweeteners — specifically linking them to cancer in a new report Florida State University Professor Pradeep Bhide is available to provide expert comment to reporters working on this story.
Bhide leads a research team that is investigating the effects of aspartame — the artificial sweetener found in many diet foods and drinks. A recent study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, revealed a link between the sweetener and anxiety, which they found was not limited to aspartame-consuming individuals but was also transmitted to future generations.
“The increased risk for metabolic diseases and cancer is very concerning,” Bhide said. “However, the potential for adverse neuro-behavioral effects is just as serious. Even more striking is the potential for transmission of the risk from one generation to the next due to the effects of artificial sweeteners on germ cells. Now is the time for the FDA to begin evaluating the effects of artificial sweeteners on germ cell epigenomes and heritability of traits as part of the due diligence to protect our current and future generations.”
Bhide is the Jim and Betty Ann Rodgers Eminent Scholar Chair of Developmental Neuroscience and the director of the Center for Brain Repair at the Florida State University College of Medicine. Part of his research portfolio includes the effect of non-nutritive sweeteners on the development of the brain and behavior.
