Sweeteners such as fructose and aspartame can help control blood glucose levels and reduce calorie consumption. Diabetics use either fructose or aspartame to provide better control of blood glucose levels, and dieters often choose beverages made with zero-calorie aspartame to limit calorie intake. Both fructose and aspartame have benefits and side effects.
Fructose
Fruits, corn syrup and honey contain the natural sugar fructose, also called levulose. Table sugar, or sucrose, is a disaccharide--a double sugar made up of one molecule of fructose and one molecule of glucose. The liver metabolizes fructose into glucose to provide energy to the body or to store it for later use in the form of glycogen. Fructose can be purchased in granulated or liquid forms (often known as high-fructose corn syrup) for baking, cooking and table use. Fructose acts as an indirect appetite suppressant by reducing hunger, but it adds empty calories, meaning the calories have no nutritional value except providing energy.
Fructose Side Effects
Fructose is not completely absorbed from the intestines; the remaining sugar in the intestines draws more water into the intestines, which results in discomfort, abdominal pain, bloating, gas and diarrhea. Bacteria in the mouth causes tooth decay by feeding on sugars, including fructose, and then producing an acid to dissolve dental enamel. Drinking too many fructose-sweetened drinks adds empty calories and may result in weight gain. Taking in too much processed sugar, including fructose, in either foods or beverages can lead to obesity and insulin resistance, two factors that can lead to type 2 diabetes.
Diabetics
Fructose does not require insulin to be used by cells, and diabetics may have better control of blood glucose by substituting fructose. However, fructose may cause or speed up development of related health complications involving the kidneys, eyes, nerves and blood circulation because amino acid sugars form when fructose joins with amino acids released from the digestion of protein. These amino acid sugars become an abnormal part of the structure of DNA and collagen, forming weaker structures. These complications may not make fructose a good choice for long-term use. Aspartame works as a no-calorie sweetener that does not affect glucose control; however, the side effects must be considered. The best option is a healthy diet and limiting the amount of sweets made from sugars or sugar substitutes.
Aspartame
Aspartame is a no-calorie artificial sweetener that cannot be used for baking or cooking because it is unstable and changes flavor during cooking, but it can be added to hot foods. Aspartame contains three chemicals: phenylalanine, aspartic acid and methanol. The digestive tract absorbs aspartame into the blood where it is carried to the liver for processing into its three separate components. Phenylalanine becomes an amino acid building block for nervous system signaling chemicals produced in the brain. Aspartic acid stimulates the central nervous system. Methanol breaks down into toxic substances, one of which is known to cause cancer in rats. The Food and Drug Administration approved aspartame for use in medications and as a food additive. Aspartame can be found under its generic name, or the brand names Equal and NutraSweet.
Aspartame Caution
Aspartame packaging contains a cautionary label required by the Food and Drug Administration: "Phenylketonurics: Contains Phenylalanine." A genetic mutation causes phenylketonuria, also called PKU. Even though the brain needs some phenylalanine to produce neurotransmitters, this mutation means that the liver is unable to process phenylalanine into another amino acid, tyrosine. PKU results in increased levels of phenylalanine in the brain, with the potential for causing brain damage and reduced learning and memory abilities. Newborn infants receive standard testing for phenylalanine in the blood. Eating a low-protein diet and avoiding using products like aspartame that contain phenylalanine can prevent brain damage in PKU patients.
Aspartame Side effects
Aspartame increases carbohydrate cravings, leading to potential weight gain. Aspartame also disturbs amino acid metabolism and in turn affects neuron functioning or causes nerve cell damage. The brain needs amino acids to produce neurotransmitters, but the brain limits how many amino acids pass from the blood into the brain through a carrier. Phenylalanine can displace other amino acids, including tryptophan, on this carrier. The brain uses tryptophan to make dopamine, the chemical controlling mood and behavior, sleep, temperature and appetite. When phenylalanine competes for space on the carrier, less dopamine is produced. People with Parkinson's, for example, need dopamine for motor control, and with reduced dopamine will experience an increase in muscle tremors.
References
- "International Journal of Obesity"; The effect of ... sweetened drinks; Lavin, French and Read; January 1997
- "Alternative Medicine Review"; Adverse Effects of Dietary Fructose; Gaby, Alan, M.D.; December 2005
- "European Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Direct and indirect effects...aspartame; Humphries, et al.; April 2008
- National Institutes of Health: Phenylketonuria
- "Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary"; 2001
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