Ask Anne...

Question: Is it safe to drink diet soda while I’m breasteeding? I am currently breastfeeding my one month old daughter. Everything is going wonderfully.  My question is this: Is it safe to drink diet soda sweetened with Nutrasweet while nursing?  My daughter's pediatrician said it is fine but I find a lot of contradicting information on the internet.  Your help would be appreciated.

Answer:

Drinking diet sodas sweetened with Nutrasweet (aspartame) should not be problem when you are nursing. Dr. Thomas Hale (Medications and Mother's Milk 2000) says that in doses 3 to 4 times higher than what would  typically be ingested, "the milk levels are too low to produce significant side effects in normal infants".

The exception to this would be in a situation where a baby had PKU (Phenylketonuria). Aspartame contains an amino acid called phenylalanine, and babies born with the inherited metabolic disorder PKU are unable to metabolize this particular amino acid. Anyone diagnosed with PKU should avoid all foods which contain phenylalanine, including aspartame. State laws require that all newborns be screened for PKU, so your baby should have been tested soon after birth. As long as neither you or your baby have PKU, then drinking diet soda should not present any problems. Since they have no nutritive value, it's a good idea to drink them in moderation, but I see no reason to avoid them completely just because you are breastfeeding.

View Past "Ask Anne" Columns

Anne Smith is an IBCLC – International Board Certified Lactation Consultant and La Leche Leader since 1978. More importantly, she is a mother to 6 breast fed kids with twenty plus years experience of counseling nursing mothers. Her site, BreastfeedingBasics.com , provides expert advice and solutions to breast-feeding problems and gives basic information on how to breast feed. Anne also features her recommended breast feeding products and breast pumps.