Quote · On Purpose with Jay Shetty
Dr. Chris Palmer: Your Diet Could Be Causing Anxiety, Depression & Brain Fog (6 Simple Changes to Make Today)
Where this was said
The Worst Chemicals For Brain Health
At 1:18:17 · chapter starts 1:18:03
Jay Shetty asks which chemicals are most convincingly linked to brain harm, and Palmer navigates carefully between scientific honesty and the political reality that food companies fund scientists to cast doubt on such findings. He anchors his answer in the most striking animal data available: mice given normal doses of aspartame — equivalent to a few Diet Cokes a day — developed anxiety-like behaviours confirmed by amygdala hyperactivation. Crucially, those behaviours persisted in their pups and grandpups, none of whom were exposed to aspartame. [1] — Dr. Chris Palmer "Aspartame anxiety persisted for 2 generations in mice: In mouse studies, aspartame-induced anxiety-like behaviors persisted for two generat…" 1:18:40 [2] — Dr. Chris Palmer "Mouse studies show aspartame induces anxiety-like behavior, confirmed by amygdala hyperactivation. More alarming: those anxiety-like behavi…" 1:16:30 The mechanism is epigenetic change transmitted across generations. Large epidemiological studies in humans show an association between high artificial sweetener consumption and anxiety, depression, and broader mental health conditions. Palmer is careful with language — this is probabilistic, not deterministic — but his practical recommendation is clear: if you want to protect your brain, eat real food, not food containing chemicals that were never real food. His closing advice is the throughline of the entire episode.
In mouse studies, aspartame-induced anxiety-like behaviors persisted for two generations in offspring who were never directly exposed to aspartame, suggesting epigenetic transmission.
