Aspartame is a non-nutritive chemical sweetener sold for consumer use under brand names such as NutraSweet and Equal. It is also used in leading diet soft drinks and other sugar-free foods. Aspartame was discovered by a chemist at G.D. Searle company in the 1960s, and received U.S. government approval in 1981. Aspartame remains controversial as of 2011, with some consumer groups and doctors claiming it is poisonous, while the manufacturer and government agencies proclaim its safety.
Phenylketonuria
Aspartame is poisonous to people with phenylketonuria--PKU--a genetic disorder which precludes the ability to break down the amino acid phenylalanine, according to the Health Services at Columbia University, which advises that people with PKU should avoid aspartame. Columbia University Health Services notes that all packaged foods containing aspartame are clearly labeled; exercise caution and ask questions when eating non-labeled foods such as at a restaurant or in someone's home. The dangers of phenylalanine in aspartame are not universally agreed upon, however. Osteopathic physician Joseph Mercola, who has written extensively in criticism of aspartame, claims that even a single use of aspartame can raise phenylalanine levels, which decreases seratonin levels and leads to depression and mood swings among other negative health impacts even in those not suffering from PKU. A safety review by staff chemists at the NutraSweet company and originally published in the journal "Regulation of Toxicological Pharmacology" professes that aspartame has been proven safe, even for people with PKU.
Obesity
Something poisonous is something that is harmful or destructive to life. Aspartame, as with other non-caloric artificial sweeteners, may well be harmful to human health by encouraging overeating, leading to a stronger likelihood of obesity and its related negative health effects, according to the Health Services at Columbia University. Researchers at Purdue University published a 2004 article in the "International Journal of Obesity" concluding that once the clues that humans have evolutionarily relied on to indicate a high-caloric food--sweetness and viscosity--have been cut by developments in food technology like high-calorie beverages and low-calorie puddings, the natural triggers to stop eating also evaporate. The Purdue researchers posited that inability to rely on the taste and sensory indicators of caloric content which have guided humans for thousands of years has contributed to the overeating that underlies the rapid increase in American obesity in the last 20 years.
Carcinogenic
Since aspartame was first presented to the U.S. Food and Drug Adminstration for review, consumer organizations and several physicians have questioned the association of aspartame with cancer formation. The concern regarding carcinogenicity probably arose due to the FDA's ban on the prior leading non-caloric sweetener, saccharin, based on a Canadian study linking saccharin to cancerous brain tumor formation in laboratory rats. Dr. Joseph Mercola claims that the chemical diketopiperazine, associated with brain tumor formation, forms in aspartame-containing liquids during long storage. The FDA, however, refuted the largest study to date on the question of whether aspartame is carcinogenic. In a statement issued April 20, 2007, the FDA stated that the conclusion of a long-term study by the European Ramazzini Foundation of Bologna, Italy, that aspartame is a carcinogen, was not supported by the study data. The National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health likewise concluded, after research review and field testing, that aspartame is not linked to cancer.
Side Effects
The FDA has set limits for the recommended maximum daily consumption of aspartame, reports the Health Services at Columbia University, and also noted aspartame side effects for some individuals including headaches, dizziness, stomach disorders and mood swings. Dr. Joseph Mercola reports that 75 percent of the food additive complaints filed with the FDA are in regards to aspartame consumption, and include a wide range of serious negative health effects including headaches, seizures, heart palpitations and anxiety attacks. Dr. Mercola attributes many of these side effects to the products which occur when aspartame is broken down either in digestion or in storage, including methanol, which is created when aspartame is heated about 86 degree Fahrenheit--the foundation for the FDA restriction on aspartame approval limiting its use to non-cooked items. Methanol is poisonous to humans. The safety review conducted by the NutraSweet staff scientists in 2002 concluded that research conducted since aspartame's approval by the FDA proved aspartame to be safe, and that concerns regarding theoretical toxicity of aspartame's components were unfounded.
References
- Mercola.com; Aspartame: What You Don't Know Can Hurt You; Joseph Mercola, DO
- Harvard Law School Legal Document Archive; The History of Aspartame; Ashley Nill
- Health Services at Columbia University; Go Ask Alice--Risks of Aspartame?; 1995
- "International Journal of Obesity"; A Pavlovian Approach to the Problem of Obesity; T.L. Davidson et al.; 27 April 2004
- National Cancer Institute; Aspartame and Cancer; September 12, 2006
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration; FDA Statement on European Aspartame Study; April 20, 2007
