O aspartame pode prejudicar o desenvolvimento cognitivo e causar alterações metabólicas significativas em ratos jovens.

Authors

  • Patricia Gomes Wessler
  • Gustavo Antunes Mastella
  • Amanda Kunz Godoi
  • Isabela Hubbe
  • Louyse Sulzbach Damázio UNESC http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0710-2320
  • Julia Fernandes
  • Yuri Aleksander Ivanov
  • João Quevedo
  • Alexandra Ioppi Zugno

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18616/inova.v15i5.8360

Abstract

Over the past decades, a significant increase in the consumption of artificial sweeteners such as aspartame has been detected in the world population. In this study, we hypothesized that the chronic use of aspartame could lead to metabolism disorders in the brain. Eighty Wistar rats were used from weaning up to 60 days of age. These animals were divided into four groups: control (water), ASP35 (35mg/kg aspartame), ASP80 (80mg/kg aspartame), and ASP160 (160mg/kg aspartame), and received these administrations once a day by oral gavage for 40 days. On the last day, the animals underwent inhibitory avoidance after being sacrificed, and their blood was collected. Also, the blood sugar level of all animals was measured on the first and last day of the experiment. The animals were weighed throughout the investigation, and their food intake was monitored. Results showed that aspartame, especially at 160mg/kg, but also at lower doses, induced cognitive impairment and metabolic changes such as weight gain, an increase in blood glucose and triglyceride levels at the end of the treatment. The data suggest that chronic administration of aspartame can lead to metabolic and brain damage and stresses the need for revisions regarding its acceptable daily intake and intended use.

 

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Published

2025-10-21