A Popular Sweetener Was Linked to Increased Anxiety in Generations of Mice

pelespirit@sh.itjust.works to News@lemmy.world – 274 points –
A Popular Sweetener Was Linked to Increased Anxiety in Generations of Mice
sciencealert.com
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Mice lie, monkeys exaggurate.

This is a study on a small number of mice using a measure of anxiety which does not directly map to humans. Using mice for a study like this is fine for a pilot study but this has not clinical significance and can be safely ignored by the scientific press as well as the public. When we see a long term study which is double blinded in humans with reasonable doses, good controls, and hopefully some sort of mechanism of action then we can pay attention. Until then, aspartame has been linked to everything under the sun and yet nothing has been shown to be meaningful yet. It is one of the most well studied substances in the human diet and it seems to be at the very least mostly fine. Worry about lead in your water before you worry about this.

When we see a long term study which is double blinded in humans

For several generations like the this one this would be 60 years minimum. Basically can't be done.

I see what you are saying but I disagree. The changes that we would consider important for aspartame should happen over a reasonable period of time. If it takes 100 years to have an impact then we probably don't care because most people won't live that long. What we care about is whether it has an impact over meaningful lengths of time in a human life, say over a decade or two.

If I have tobacco every day for a year will I have cancer? Unlikely. But if I give a large number of people who are well randomised tobacco or tobacco substitute I will see changes in their outcomes in a short time, even as little as a year.

So for aspartame, we already know it is not a massive signal. If it were then people who find the taste acrid would be better off than those who do not. But is there a possible issue there? Sure, it is possible, but it will very likely be a mild issue over a long time at a high dose, not at small doses over a short time, so this study design is not fit for purpose and it should be ignored.

reasonable period of time.

That misses the entire point of studying multi generational effects.

we probably don’t care because most people won’t live that long.

Again, misses the entire point of studying multi generational effects.

meaningful lengths of time in a human life, say over a decade or two.

Again.

even as little as a year.

Again.

not a massive signal.

Again.

will very likely be a mild issue over a long time at a high dose, not at small doses over a short time,

That's the whole point of the study, to do a low dose over a super long time over generations. Not a high/med dose over a short time.

not at small doses over a short time,

Again, misses the entire point of studying multi generational effects.

so this study design is not fit for purpose and it should be ignored.

And a final: Again, misses the entire point of studying multi generational effects.

I think I'm going to say cheers since sorry to say you missed the entire point, objective, and goal of the study and you want to study something else entirely. Cheers.

I think I'll pass on the opinion of someone who can't spell "exaggerate."

Cool, fair enough, I do have a little trouble with spelling and that is fine. Of course it could be software, learning difficulties, or just a bad day, but feel free to discard all the words I spelled correctly. Also, if you are in the US including the full stop in your quotation is typical but in the rest of the world you would keep the punctuation outside the quotes unless it is what you are quoting, otherwise the sentence doesn't have its own full stop.

as someone with dyslexia, i agree, honestly if it can be understood and its in a forum then why should it matter, its not like you’ve written a medical journal or legal binding letter

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Cool, take the low hanging ad hom, instead of actually interacting with the statement. Also it's "exaggerate".

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