Is it true that aspartame in soft drinks makes it difficult to get pregnant?

Mostly drinking soft drinks is linked to certain health problems, such as stroke, hypertension, obesity, kidney problems, and cancer. Well, several studies suggest that the aspartame content in soda can make women less fertile. Why is that?

What is aspartame?

Aspartame is an artificial sugar made from aspartic acid and phenylalanine. It tastes 200 times as sweet as regular sugar, but is lower in calories. Even though it tastes very sweet, aspartame does not affect blood sugar conditions. That's why aspartame is often used as a substitute for sugar for people with diabetes.

Is aspartame safe for consumption?

Aspartame has been approved by the FDA as an artificial sweetener that is safe for consumption since 1981 ago. BPOM also allows the use of aspartame as an artificial sweetener, but in limited quantities.

The BPOM states that the permissible intake of aspartame is as much as 40 mg / kg body weight per day. Even so, in fact, the amount of aspartame you consume daily is only 10 percent of the recommended limit. This is because the taste of aspartame is very sweet, so using it in small amounts can give a very sweet taste.

Aspartame in soft drinks does not cause infertility

Until now there has been no accurate scientific research that has proven that aspartame can cause infertility or infertility.

The same thing was found by research published in the Journal of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapeutics. In the study, it was stated that aspartame did not cause reproductive problems in a person. The results of this study have been tested on mice, hamsters and rabbits. They were given aspartame intake of 1,600 mg / kg of aspartame body weight per day for rabbits and 4,000 mg / kg of aspartame body weight per day for rodents such as rats and hamsters.

Whereas for human clinical research, a dose of 75 mg / kg body weight per day was given. This study lasted for 24 weeks or 6 months. As a result, aspartame has absolutely no effect on a person's reproductive problems and does not cause infertility.

Aspartame is safe for consumption, but you still have to limit sugary foods and drinks so as not to trigger various health risks later in life, especially obesity and diabetes. Even so, remember that obesity is the root of many chronic diseases. Obesity and diabetes have long been linked to long-term fertility problems.

Instead of consuming sugary foods and drinks, you are encouraged to increase your intake of healthy foods from fruits and vegetables to increase fertility.

Various risk factors can cause a person to be infertile

As explained above, aspartame in soft drinks does not cause a person to be infertile. Actually, there are many other risk factors that cause someone to be infertile. Some of the most common risk factors include:

Disease, such as diabetes and hypothyroidism can reduce your fertility.
Use of drugs. The use of insulin, antidepressants, chemotherapy drugs, and some hypertension drugs can also be a factor in infertility, including problems with sperm production or the ability of sperm to fertilize an egg.
Smoking and drinking alcohol. In women, smoking causes problems with fertilization. Meanwhile, consuming excessive drinks can cause infertility, both for men and women.
Early menopause. Infertility in women can also occur due to premature menopause, in which the ovaries do not release eggs again before the age of 40.
Weight problems. Too thin or too fat can cause infertility problems. In addition, excessive dietary habits or too much exercise can also bring problems for fertility.