COLOR ME UNSURPRISED: A Popular Sweetener Has Been Linked to Increased Anxiety in Generations of Mice. “Approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1981, aspartame is widely used in low-calorie foods and drinks. Today, it’s found in nearly 5,000 different products, consumed by adults and children. When a sample of mice were given free access to water dosed with aspartame equivalent to 15 percent of the FDA’s recommended maximum daily amount for humans, they generally displayed more anxious behavior in specially designed mood tests. What’s truly surprising is the effects could be seen in the animals’ offspring, for up to two generations.”