When you find yourself needing to use urinary incontinence pads, you might want to think about what you are eating and drinking. Many types of incontinence are exacerbated by what you eat and drink on a daily basis. Most commonly spicy foods are blamed for irritating the bladder, along with caffeinated drinks like coffee and tea, which are well documented diuretics. However, another ingredient that aggravates a lot of incontinence problems does not get the recognition that it deserves, and this ingredient is aspartame, an artificial sweetener.
This sweetener is marketed under many different brand names, including Equal, Nutrasweet, and Spoonful. There have been many reports of people having adverse reactions to this ingredient, yet it is still widely used in many products to cut their sugar and calorie content.
While irritating the bladder lining is certainly enough of a reason to suspend the use of aspartame in anyone’s diet, it has also been linked to seizures, convulsions, dizziness, migraines, tremors, memory loss, slurring of speech, chronic fatigue, depression, panic attacks, asthma, hypertension, and impotency, just to name a sampling of symptoms attributed to aspartame toxicity. This toxicity can mimic many serious diseases like arthritis, diabetes, Alzheimers, and depression just to name a few. The most worrisome part about this problem is that aspartame is found in many different foods, which span from instant breakfasts, to diet drinks, to breath mints, to yogurt. Always read product labels and stay away from using products that contain aspartame if you are experiencing problems with incontinence.
While many people are able to eat and drink products that contain aspartame with no apparent, adverse side effects, it is certainly worth cutting this ingredient form your diet if it means the difference between using urinary incontinence pads and being continent. So, at the first signs of incontinence, assess what you are eating and drinking, and make some minor adjustments cutting aspartame from your diet. You may be happily surprised by the results. However, if the problem persists, it is always a good idea to have a medical professional evaluate the situation to help pinpoint the cause, and there are many helpful incontinence products from which to choose while managing the symptoms of urinary incontinence.
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