Alarming Side Effects of Artificial Sweeteners Essay

Phenylalanine can pass through the blood brain barrier and significantly change the production of neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are the chemicals that send signals from one neuron to another. By bonding to a, “…neutral amino acid transporter (NAAT)...” (Humphries, Pretorius, Naudé, 2008, para. 7) phenylalanine is able to pass through the blood brain barrier. The body also further breaks down phenylalanine to tyrosine when it is processed through the liver. If tyrosine is additionally broken down to dihydroxyphenylalanine and reaches the brain the production of dopamine will be compromised leading to depression like symptoms after the consumption of aspartame. Further cellular breakdowns are additionally explained throughout the article. The two most shocking assertions are the long-term effects with consuming high levels of aspartame with increasing the chemical glutamate on the NMDA receptors leading to a decrease in stimulation and neurodegeneration, possibly causing or mimicking the symptoms of the disease Alzheimer 's. The second alarming claim made on the effect of long-term ingestion of aspartame is when aspartame 's temperature exceeds 86 degrees Fahrenheit. As the authors observed, “…the wood alcohol in aspartame is converted into formaldehyde and then to formic acid, which in turn causes metabolic acidosis.” (Humphries, Pretorius, Naudé, 2008). Metabolic acidosis causes methanol toxicity, which has been associated with mimicking the symptoms of multiple

In addition to the scientific, non-lethal hydrolyzed metabolites of aspartame, series of tests have been done over two decades on humans and animals to investigate the safety of aspartame. Over 23 years, the FDA has tested and affirmed the safety of aspartame throughout 200 studies . Furthermore, the product is used in more than 100 countries and 100 million people around the world . In addition to the FDA studies, the American Dietetic Association, the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) of the World Health Organization and Food and Agriculture Organization, the Scientific Committee on Food and the European Union (SCF), and other regulatory agencies worldwide have reviewed and approved the safety of aspartame . The most recent

To first formulate the major arguments that about Aspartame, we first must understand what Aspartame is, and how it is digested in our bodies.Aspartame is an artificial sweetener often used as a substitute for sugar in beverages,foods,gums, and other uses, it is often denoted as E951.It was approved for use in 1980. Shown right is the chemical structure of aspartame (wikipedia). Aspartames is a dipeptide which is a protein made of two amino acids, phenylalanine and aspartic acid, what makes it sweet is a hydro carbon that is attached to the phenylalanine (authoritynutrition).

Aspartame is found in over 6000 products that are on our supermarket shelves, it goes by the brand names of Equal, and Nutra Sweet. First one would have to look at why aspartame came to be in over 6000 products world wide. In today 's society everybody is looking for that short cut, that way eating anything they want and staying thin and healthy. So instead of skipping the cookies we now reach for "sugar-free" cookies, and Diet soda so we can still eat what we want without all the calories. In a society where obesity is on the rise, there is a huge market for products like aspartame. Aspartame gives you all the sweetness you want without all the calories you don’t want. So if it says "sugar-free" or a diet product chances are aspartame is in it. This paper intends to look into how aspartame was discovered, the steps the company took to seek the approved to use in dry goods and eventually in soft drinks, and the controversy surrounding its approval, as well as the side effects of using aspartame along with how consumers are being affected by it and what companies are doing as a result of how consumers are reacting to it.

The Federal Drug Administration approved aspartame, an artificial sweetener surrounded by controversy, for widespread consumption in 1983. Its brand name, NutraSweet, is a division of Monsanto, a major drug company who acquired G.D. Searle, the original drug company affiliated with aspartame. Aspartame is used in everything from diet food to sugarless gum, but its major use is in diet drinks. There have been studies done to determine what dosage of aspartame and it's by products, aspartic acid, methyl alcohol or methanol, and phenylalanine, is safe to consume or if the amount is unlimited. Dr. Mark Gold (1995), a researcher involved with aspartame for over twenty years, found that seventy-five percent of

Aspartic acid significantly raises the blood plasma shortly after ingesting aspartame which leads to a high level of those neurotransmitters in certain areas of the brain. Too much of the toxin will stimulate the brain cells to death. Many people are not aware of the many issues and problems surrounding aspartame because they are not reported in the newspapers or on the news. This is because the incidents happen one at a time across the U.S. and mainly because people do not associate their symptoms with the long-term use of aspartame.

Aspartame is an artificial sweetener used in diet drink like Coke. It is a sweetener having 200 times sweetness as compared to sugar. This sweetener is usually sold in the name of NutraSweet and Equal. Since the approval of aspartame in soda by the Food and Drug Administration authority of United States, issues arise that it may cause serious health risk like cancer and premature birth. Artificial sweetener aspartame in soda has been a concern for safety to the consumers.

However, even though many consider it impactful on human health and even life threatening under certain circumstances, that isn’t nearly enough to stop it from being on the market. All facts considered, the product does have a right in today’s foods as it does solve a very large consumer problem being a calorie free and sugar free sweetener. What should be stated however are the numerous problems that are associated with aspartame, rather then the big cover up that is in place now. If those facts were explained to more consumers of aspartame, they could be far more educated on the product as to what side effects are associated with it. And maybe, my dad wouldn’t have ended up being barked at by my mom when he purchased the product for my sister and I to

Did you know that aspartame, the technical name for low calorie sweetener with popular brands such as Equal, NutraSweet, and Spoonful, could cause illnesses and toxic reactions to the human body? Sickness linking to brain function abnormality, depression, birth defects, and Alzheimer’s are somehow related to taking this sugar alternative. This has been a well guarder secret since the 80’s. James Sclatter, a chemist, accidentally discovered this sugar substitute when he was testing an anti-ulcer drug in 1965. Nowadays, aspartame is used in different types of food. It is now normally found in “sugar

The debate between naturally derived sugars and low-calorie artificial sweeteners has been going on for years now. As our population’s obesity rate grows every year and health concerns related to weight-control grows along with it, natural sugar is scrutinized and we are told to keep away from it as it is our enemy. Over the last couple of decades, we have been introduced to more and more varieties of artificial sweeteners promising to deliver the same sweetness or even more sweetness than natural sugar (some offer as much as 200 times more sweetness than sugar) but with a much lower calorie content, or some even no calories at all. Artificial sweeteners such as Splenda, Sweet n’ Low, NutraSweet, and Equal have become popular as “better alternatives” to table sugar, promising to help battle weight gain and actually assist in losing weight. However, does this make it the healthier option? As with all things, both natural sugar and artificial sugar have their pros and cons, but in order to find the best option in regards to our health and futures, it’s important to weigh them according to scientific findings and research.

1) Aspartame is an organic chemical created by combining aspartic acid with phenylalanine. Under the brand names of Equal, NutraSweet, and Spoonful, the chemical is used as an artificial sweetener in numerous food products and beverages. The advantage of ingesting aspartame is that it avoids the weight gain. It is approximately 200 times sweeter than regular sugar; therefore, the less amount of aspartame can be used to give the same level of sweetness compared to the amount of sugar. This, in turns, lowers the calories in food and beverage. It is also an option for those with diabetes to enjoy sweet taste with less carbohydrates. On the other hand, the disadvantages of consuming aspartame includes increased hunger and possible side effects.

Aspartame, popularly known as NutraSweet, is a sugar substitute found in many no-calorie, no-sugar sodas, including Coke

In the argument, the author summarizes that people trying to lose weights which are better off consuming sugar than the artificial sweetener aspartame. The author thinks that artificial sweetener aspartame unlikely achieve the goal which is one the diet is not convincing. Here are some following reasons.

“The Toxic Truth About Sugar”, written by Lustig et al. varies in their usage of rhetorical strategies to try to have their readers better understand that sugar, as common as it is, can be very dangerous when a big amount is consumed in one day. The numbers in our world don’t lie: A shocking statistic is that there are currently thirty percent more people who are obese than there are healthy. This discussion arose from the staggering facts that obesity is becoming more of an epidemic than ever before. The United States has a choice to make: Take the steps necessary to slow obesity or do nothing at all, like it feels we are currently doing. This can be a good or bad rush, depending on how you assess the situation.

The studies on this ingredient have been numerous, but conflict with each other in almost every aspect. This artificial sweetener has been torn apart by every “health organization,” health fanatic, and doctor trying to prove their data holds water. Looking at a doctor’s informational website a wide variety of side effects could emerge from the consumption of aspartame, “A few of the 90 different documented symptoms listed in the report as part of aspartame dangers are: headaches/migraines, dizziness, seizures, nausea, numbness, muscle spasms, weight gain, rashes, depression, fatigue, irritability, tachycardia, insomnia, vision problems, hearing loss, heart palpitations, breathing difficulties, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, loss of taste, tinnitus, vertigo, memory loss, and joint pain, ” (Mercola.com). From this study it would appear that aspartame was developed by the hands of satan. While this information may be true, a journal article from a study performed by over seven doctors begs to differ, “Controlled and thorough scientific studies confirm aspartame’s safety and find no credible link between consumption of aspartame at levels found in the human diet and conditions related to the nervous system and behaviour, nor any other symptom or illness,” (Magnusun, pg. 702). A seemingly extensive study shows the absolute safety of this sweetener, but