Description
Aspartame is a sugar substitute widely used in sugar-free drinks, candies and desserts and in tabletop sweeteners. It is made of two amino acids - aspartic acid and phenylalanine - and breaks down into these two components and methanol upon digestion.
Aspartame has been, and remains, controversial since its approval as a food additive by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1981. The FDA maintains that aspartame is one of the most thoroughly studied food additives the agency has ever approved and is safe. However, some consumers have reported symptoms ranging from headaches to gastrointestinal problems from aspartame.
Aspartame is marketed under the names Equal® and Nutrasweet®. Some children’s sugar-free snacks and beverages may contain aspartame.
Health Effects
Immediate Health Effects
- If SWALLOWED, aspartame is Slightly Toxic
- If ABSORBED THROUGH SKIN, aspartame is Not Available
- If INHALED (SNIFFED OR BREATHED IN), aspartame is Not Available
Longterm or Delayed Health Effects
- This chemical is considered an Unclassifiable Carcinogen by the World Health Organization, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, or another agency.
Other
- Most scientific studies have found no symptoms consistently linked to aspartame exposure, and no cause-and-effect relationship between aspartame ingestion and any single health effect has been scientifically established. However, a range of adverse effects, including headaches, dizziness, depression or mood changes, gastrointestinal problems, alterations in menstrual patterns, and allergic skin rashes, have been reported by some consumers.
- One study found that people suffering from depression or other mood disorders may be especially sensitive to aspartame, which caused their symptoms to become more severe.
- An amino acid component of aspartame - phenylalanine - can cause neurotoxic effects and brain damage in people with the genetic disease phenylketonuria (PKU), with advanced liver disease, and pregnant women with hyperphenylalanine (high levels of phenylalanine in blood), who cannot effectively metabolize phenylalanine. All products containing aspartame must include a warning to phenylketonurics that the sweetener contains phenylalanine. About 1 in every 16,000 people has PKU. All newborn babies are tested for it, and those with the disease are put on a special diet without phenylalanine.
How Exposures Occur
Artifically Sweetened Beverages and Foods
- Children may ingest aspartame in artificially sweetened (labeled as low-calorie, diet or sugar-free) soft drinks, teas, powdered drink mixes, hot cocoa mixes, frozen desserts, puddings, yogurts, gelatins, chewing gum, breath mints and chewable vitamins.
Significant Statistics
More than 5,000 products worldwide contain Nutrasweet® (aspartame) sweetener.
The Nutrasweet Company.http://www.nutrasweet.com
According to a 1998 survey by the Calorie Control Council, 144 million American adults regularly consume low-calorie, sugar-free products such as artificially sweetened sodas and desserts.
Henkel, John. “Sugar Substitutes: Americans Opt for Sweetness and Lite,” FDA Consumer Magazine (November-December 1999).
http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/1999/699_sugar.html
Solutions
How to detect aspartame
- Read labels on sweetened processed foods, drinks, drink mixes, yogurts, candies, gum, and tabletop sweeteners. Aspartame (or Nutrasweet) is most likely to appear in products that are labeled as diet, sugar-free, or low-calorie. Products containing aspartame are also required to carry a label to warn people with phenylketonuria (PKU) that the product contains phenylalanine.
How to minimize exposure to aspartame
- Do not allow infants and children to consume products containing aspartame. According to the NutraSweet company, the primary manufacturer or aspartame, “aspartame is not intended for use by infants and very young children” because they need ample calories for rapid growth.
- If you experience headaches, nausea, dizziness, depression or any other adverse reactions after ingesting aspartame-containing foods or drinks, avoid them. If your symptoms consistently coincide with aspartame ingestion,and you feel certain there is a connection, you may want to report your symptoms to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. You can do this by contacting your regional consumer complaint coordinator.
- Because aspartame contains phenylalanine, anyone with the rare disease phenylketonuria (PKU), with advanced liver disease, and pregnant women with hyperphenylalanine (high levels of phenylalanine in blood) should avoid aspartame to minimize the risk of brain damage.
Alternatives
- Naturally sweet fruits and fruit juices provide essential vitamins and minerals. For dieters attempting to control body weight, these are a much more nutritious, less risky sugar substitute than artificial sweeteners.
- Honey and sugar have been used safely for centuries, although they promote tooth decay and provide empty calories that can contribute to obesity if consumed in excess. Ingest in moderation and exercise regularly to prevent weight gain and the longterm health problems associated with it.
For More information
Books, articles, factsheets and reports
Chemical Cuisine: CSPI's Guide to Food Additives. Center for Science in the Public Interest.
http://www.cspinet.org/reports/chemcuisine.htm
Other government agencies
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
5100 Paint Branch Parkway
College Park, MD 20740-3835
1-888-INFO-FDA (1-888-463-6332)
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov
Nonprofit organizations
Center for Science in the Public Interest
1875 Connecticut Ave. NW
Suite 300
Washington DC 20009
202-332-9110
http://www.cspinet.org
Aspartame Consumer Safety Network
P.O. Box 780634
Dallas, TX 75378
214-352-4268
http://www.aspartamesafety.com/
Other websites
The Aspartame Information Center
http://www.aspartame.org
Other
A 1996 article by John W. Olney that suggested a link between rising brain cancer rates and the introduction of aspartame gained significant public attention. However, this conclusion was refuted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the National Cancer Institute, who claim that brain cancer rates started rising eight years before aspartame reached the market. Olney also pointed to a study in laboratory rats that found a high incidence of brain tumors in exposed rats compared to unexposed (control) rats. Although an independent board of scientists said that “aspartame, at least when administered in the huge quantities employed in these studies, may contribute to the development of brain tumors” and urged that the study be repeated, FDA disagreed, arguing that the apparent increase was due to an unexpectedly low number of tumors in the untreated rats (controls), citing evidence from other untreated rats. A study on a different strain of rat did not find any evidence of brain tumors.
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ped/content/ped_1_3x_aspartame.asp
