Aspartame, an artificial sweetener, has the same nutritional value as protein and carbohydrate, 4 calories per gram. Like other artificial sweeteners, aspartame is much sweeter than sugar, so you need very little to sweeten foods. The calories in foods containing aspartame come from other ingredients used to make the food. Aspartame, one of the few artificial sweeteners approved for use in the United States, still comes under considerable fire from critics for what they consider its potentially harmful effects.
Components
Aspartame contains two amino acids, the building blocks of protein-- phenylalanine, one of the essential amino acids and aspartic acid. Aspartame, unlike sugar, contains no carbohydrate. Digesting foods containing aspartame also produces methanol, a type of alcohol. Both amino acids occur naturally in other proteins, while methanol occurs naturally in fruits and vegetables. People with an inherited disorder called phenylketonuria, or PKU, which affects around one in 15,000 people in the United States, according to the Maryland Cooperative Extension, can't break down phenylalanine and should avoid aspartame and other foods that contain phenylalanine.
Amounts
All proteins, like all carbohydrates, contain 4 calories per gram. Aspartame is 180- to 200-times sweeter than sugar, so you can use less than 1 percent of the amount of sugar to get the same level of sweetness, according to the Elmhurst College Virtual Chembook. This considerably cuts the calorie count of foods sweetened by aspartame. If you used the same amount of aspartame as sugar in foods, the calorie count would be the same. Although a packet of sugar and a packet of aspartame appear the same size, the aspartame packet contains much less active ingredient.
Nutritional Value of Foods Containing Aspartame
Manufacturers use aspartame primarily in low-calorie foods. some, such as diet drinks, contain no other ingredients that supply calories, since they consist primarily of carbonated water and flavorings. These have no nutritional value. Other foods sweetened with aspartame, such as low-sugar yogurt or desserts such as pudding, contain other carbohydrates, fats and protein. These foods will contain calories and have some nutritional value. Just because a food contains aspartame does not mean it has no calories or no nutritional value.
Concerns
Artificial sweeteners, including aspartame, have undergone a great deal of clinical testing. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration considers their use safe in amounts up to 50 mg per kg -- around 2.2 lbs. -- of body weight, the Maryland Cooperative Extension states. This translates to around 20 diet colas per day or 97 packets of aspartame for an average-sized adult. Most Americans consume around 3 mg per kg of aspartame per day, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology reported in 1998. While the nutritional value of aspartame itself is negligible, you must read food labels to determine the calorie count of foods containing aspartame if you're restricting calories.
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