Just Say No to Aspartame

Step away from the aspartame and say no to all artificial sweeteners! 

If you thought added sugar was the only added sweetener that was bad for your body, you'd unfortunately be wrong. Despite some claims that aspartame is anti-inflammatory, the Arthritis Foundation states that aspartame and other artificial sweeteners are not good for autoimmune arthritis. Aspartame and other artificial sweeteners are neurotoxins. This means that they affect your brain. Your immune system will see this in your body and react to the artificial sweetener as a "foreign substance." Because of this, your body's immune system will attack the chemical and this will cause inflammation. 

Not only does aspartame cause inflammation, but it adds to a load of other problems that will make your autoimmune arthritis worse. Because aspartame is known by your body as a "foreign substance," you body does not know how to react to it and thus stores these "sugars" as fat. As we know, weight is a huge factor when it comes to arthritis pain. Minimizing your weight can reduce pain. A study by The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio found that those who regularly drank diet sodas with aspartame in them were 70% more likely to have a wider waist than those who did not regularly include artificial sweeteners in their diet. 

So, stop ordering diet sodas. Drink water instead. Your body will thank you later!