Aspartame is one of the most popular artificial sweeteners on the market. In fact, it is possible that you or someone close to you has consumed a diet drink containing aspartame in the last 24 hours.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one-fifth of Americans consumed one diet drink per day.
While this sweetener is still popular, it has also received controversy in recent years. Many opponents have claimed that aspartame is actually harmful to health. There are also claims about the long-term consequences of aspartame use.
While there has been extensive testing of aspartame, there is no consensus on whether aspartame is “bad” for you.
What is Aspartame?
Aspartame is sold under the NutraSweet and Equal brands. It is also widely used in packaged products, especially those labeled “diet” foods.
The compounds of aspartame are aspartic acid and phenylalanine. Both are natural amino acids. Aspartic acid is produced by your body and phenylalanine is an essential amino acid that you get from food.
When your body processes aspartame, some of it breaks down into methanol. Consumption of fruits, juices, fermented beverages and some vegetables also contain methanol or lead to methanol production.
As of 2014, aspartame was the largest source of methanol in the American diet. Methanol is toxic in large amounts, but lower amounts may also be a concern in combination with free methanol due to increased adsorption. However, the Food Standards Agency in the United Kingdom states that even in children who consume large amounts of aspartame, the amount of methanol intake does not exceed the standard.
They also say that since eating fruits and vegetables is known to be beneficial for good health, consuming methanol through these sources is not a dangerous thing and is not a high priority for research.
Aspartame Approvals
A number of regulatory agencies and health-related organizations have taken a positive view of aspartame and labeled it positively. Some of these organizations include the following:
- US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
- The World Health Organization
- American Heart Association
- American Diet Association
In 2013, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) completed a review of more than 600 datasets of aspartame studies and found no rationale for removing aspartame from the market. The study did not report any concerns about natural or increased intake of this nutrient.
At the same time, artificial sweeteners have a long history of controversy. Aspartame was produced at a time when the FDA had banned the artificial sweeteners cyclamate (Sucaryl) and saccharin (Sweet’N Low).
Laboratory experiments have shown that “very high” doses of these two compounds can cause cancer and other disorders in laboratory animals.
While aspartame is actually FDA-approved, the Consumer Protection Agency of the Center for Public Interest Science has cited several studies that show problems with sweeteners, including a study by Harvard School of Public Health.
Products containing aspartame
Whenever a product is labeled “sugar-free”, it usually means that it contains an artificial sweetener instead of sugar. It is true that not all sugar-free products contain aspartame, but aspartame is still one of the most popular sweeteners. This substance is widely present in some packaged goods.
Some examples of products containing aspartame are:
- Diet drinks
- Ice cream without sugar
- Low calorie juices
- Chewing gum
- Yogurt
- Sugar-free candy
Side effects of aspartame
According to the American Cancer Society, aspartame is about 200 times sweeter than sugar. So only a very small amount of food and drink is needed for the sweet taste. Acceptable Daily Consumption Recommendations (ADI) FDA and EFSA include:
– According to the FDA: 50 mg per kilogram of body weight
– According to EFSA: 40 mg per kilogram of body weight
One can of diet soda contains about 185 mg of aspartame. A 150-pound (68 kg) person should drink more than 18 cans of soda a day to exceed the FDA’s daily intake. Alternatively, they need about 15 cans to exceed the amount recommended by EFSA.
However, people with a condition called phenylketonuria (PKU) should not take aspartame. People taking schizophrenia medications should also avoid aspartame. The following is a description of these two diseases:
Phenylketonuria
People with PKU have too much phenylalanine in their blood. Phenylalanine is an essential amino acid found in protein sources such as meat, fish, eggs and dairy products. People with this disease can not process phenylalanine properly. If you have this disease, aspartame is very dangerous for you.
Late dyskinesia
Tardive dyskinesia (TD) is thought to be a side effect of some schizophrenia medications. The phenylalanine in aspartame may accelerate uncontrolled TD muscle movements.
Other cases :
Anti-aspartame activists claim that there is a link between aspartame and many diseases, including:
- Weight Gain
- Cancer
- Convulsions
- Headache
- Depression
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Vertigo
Conclusion
Research is ongoing to confirm or disprove the link between these diseases and aspartame, but there are still conflicting results in studies. Some research reports a reliable source of increased risk, symptoms, or acceleration of the disease, while others report no adverse effects with aspartame.
But what is clear is that many reputable organizations have introduced aspartame as a safe food product, as long as there is no convincing evidence to support the negative effects of aspartame on humans, this substance will be used as a safe food all over the world.
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