Is aspartame good or bad for you?
What exactly is aspartame? Aspartame is one of the most common artificial sweeteners on the market these days. It was actually accidentally created by chemist, James Schlatter in 1965. Aspartame is formed by joining together the amino acids aspartic acid and phenylalanine. Aspartame first entered the market in the 1980’s. It was first sold under the name NutraSweet and is said to be two hundred times sweeter than regular sugar, because of this you can use a lot less of it to sweeten things, which means there will be less calories per serving. Aspartame is now used in several table top sweeteners, as well in prepared low sugar content foods, diet sodas, and sometimes they use it to alter the flavor of medicines.
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The experts seem to be spilt down the middle as to whether or not aspartame is healthy or unhealthy for you. One of the most argued things about aspartame is what happens to it after it enters your body. It is said that aspartame accounts for more than seventy-five percent of adverse reactions to food additives. These reactions range from mild to severe, things like rashes, fatigue, and dizziness have been linked to aspartame. People have also reported having heart palpitations and even death. Scientist and physicians also believe that some chronic illnesses can be triggered or worsened when you ingest aspartame. When it is metabolized in the body the methyl part of the aspartame will for a short time turn into methyl alcohol or methanol, which is a potentially toxic compound. The methanol is further broken down into formaldehyde and then even further into carbon dioxide. High amounts of either of these chemicals can have severe adverse side
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
With the availability of energy drinks today, I wanted to warn everyone about the negative effects of it. As everyone should know, energy drinks do give you energy to stay awake throughout the day. It can also be harmful to you in many ways. Some of those ways are inducing anxiety, sleep deprivation, and if you’re pregnant, there is a higher risk of a miscarriage. If you are drinking energy drinks or any type of caffeine any of these could happen.
Numerous neurological and behavioral side effects have been linked with consuming aspartame at well below the approved safe limits set by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Aspartame is an artificial sweetener that has been ingested in the United States for over three decades. Even though there are several studies showing the harmful effects of its consumption. When aspartame is digested several toxic chemicals are produced, most notability formic acid & glutamate. Both of these chemicals cause the body to mimic the side effects of multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer. Even the passing of aspartame to be allowed in food was controversial. Just as the studies on it, continue to be today.
There is a lot of High Fructose Corn Syrup, the sugar of choice, in regular sodas. People started finding out about how bad sugar is for them and how much sugar was really in their favorite every day drink. Everyone started turning against all of the soda companies and they had no choice but to come up with an alternative. So, instead of using natural sugar or High Fructose Corn Syrup in sodas, scientists invented artificial sweeteners, a way to keep the soda sweet yet contain no sugar. Artificial sweeteners like Aspartame that are added to diet soda are actually worse for us than the sugar that is in regular soda. This was proven by an Osteopathic Physician from the American Colledge of Nutrition who states, "While many of the artificial sweeteners have reportedly similar side effects, aspartame accounts for over 75 percent of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the FDA" (Mercola).
A. Not only can these sweeteners make you gain weight, but over time they could potentially hurt your body. Here is a list of the popular sugar substitutes and the potential harm they produce: Acesulfame potassium also known as "SweetOne" is 200 times sweeter than sugar, this is often paired with aspartame or sucralose. Known to cause breast tumors in rats. Saccharin also known as Sweet’NLow, is the oldest of the artificial sweeteners and is 300 –700 times sweeter than sugar, The National Cancer Institute found evidence of increased bladder cancer in people who heavily consumed saccharin. The label below is found on toothpaste, gum, and many other products that contain saccharin "USE OF THIS PRODUCT MAY BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH. THIS PRODUCT CONTAINS SACCHARIN WHICH HAS BEEN DETERMINED TO CAUSE CANCER IN LABORATORY
The use of artificial sweeteners in beverages and food has been on a steady rise since 1969, the year it was authorized in the United States of America. The popularity of artificial sweeteners has been on a rise because of the benefit that it is a zero calorie sweetener .Even though artificial sweeteners have some great benefits many scientists believe that it causes adverse effects such as cancer, weight gain and depression. I strongly believe that consumers are not aware of the side effects of artificial sweeteners hence the increase in consumption since 1969.
Aspartame is composed of aspartic acid (40%), phenylalanine (50%) and methanol (10%), the substance is present in sweetening but is also used by the food industry because of the lack of calories (recommended to persons who are dieting) and the fact of not being sugar, sweeten but 200 times more (recommended for diabetics). In the opinion of the director of Abran (2005), "considering that table sugar is caries (tooth decay), unlike aspartame, and that obesity is a worldwide epidemic, sweeteners can help combat excess calories in the diet." according to ANVISA, only people who are born with the problem of difficulty to metabolize phenylalanine (a condition called PKU) should avoid aspartame and foods containing phenylalanine (fish, chicken, beans, milk, etc). If industrial products, such as soft drinks, there is usually a warning on the label or packaging on the presence of phenylalanine.
ban", ("Tufts University Health",2015). The food and drug administration is a federal part of the United states human and health services and they continuously promote the use of aspartame and have stated that there is “no new credible scientific evidence to change the agency’s position that the zero-calorie sweetener is safe for the general population", ("Tufts University Health",2015). Even a study stated in the article by the American cancer society “found no link between intake of diet sodas (most commonly sweetened by aspartame)
My belief is that aspartame is not safe to use. The reason I believe aspartame is not safe is because it accounts for over 75 percent of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the FDA. Many of these reactions are very serious, including seizures and death. Another reason I think the use of aspartame is unsafe is that diabetes, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, and brain tumors are a few chronic illnesses that can be triggered or worsened by ingesting of aspartame. This hits home for me because my son is a diabetic. Everyone knows the less sugar you include in your diet, the better. But replacing sugar with aspartame is not the solution, and in fact is likely to be even worse for your health. I believe regardless
Aspartame has now been on the market for many years and most people seemingly haven’t had adverse reactions. Or have they? Russell L. Blaylock, M.D. warns that many people don’t notice of the serious symptoms because “they’re more resistant to the obvious toxic effects, but they’re still getting very subtle toxic effects that over many years is going to produce obvious disease in those persons.” However, some people have had more direct, severe reactions. For example, FDA officials have estimated that only 1% of toxic reactions are likely to get reported and the agency received reports of 7,000 toxic reactions with aspartame from 1982 until 1995. In fact, there were likely more official reports of toxicity, but we can’t be sure to the extent. After all, Congress found out in 1987 that the FDA had been transferring aspartame toxicity calls to the AIDS Hotline.
As of 2012, “One third of all women and one quarter of all men in the US are on a diet.” (Colorado University, as cited in Colquhoun et al., 2012), according to Colorado University. However, according to the University of California, Los Angeles, “Up to two thirds of those on a diet regain more weight than when they started.” (University of California, Los Angeles, as cited in Colquhoun et al., 2012). This shows a low success rate in a growing industry and proves that diets don’t work, a key point in Hungry for Change. “Fit for Life” author, Harvey Diamond, states “Diets don’t work because they are temporary. What they are doing is taking one of the food categories you need to live like protein, fat, carbohydrates and one of those is eliminated and if you do that some weight will be lost temporarily.” (Diamond, as cited in Colquhoun et al., 2012). So, in order for a “diet” to be successful, it must be a permanent lifestyle transformation, not a temporary diet change. Also, though many people believe diet foods to be healthier, this is absolutely not the case. A key ingredient in many diet products is aspartame, a risky sugar substitute. Aspartame is common in artificial sweeteners and diet drinks, yet it has been linked to a plethora of medical problems, including cancer, formaldehyde build up in the brain, epilepsy, and even
Title: Neurobehavioral Effects of Aspartame Consumption. This title did not give the readers any clues as to whether the authors believe aspartame causes neurobehavioral side effects. However, it does let the audience know the effects will be reviewed in this article.
Aspartame was created by accident. In 1965, James Schlatter was trying to test an anti-ulcer drug. Schlatter testing his experiment spilt APM on himself. He decided that he wasn’t going to waste his time researching if it was toxic or not. So, Schlatter continued his experiment. When he was ready to lift weighing paper, he licked his fingers and found that the substance on them tasted sweet. This lead to multiple tests trying to reach the same taste. Although after multiple tests, they found the verdict that no other substances could achieve the same taste as the original. The original substance had a sweeter taste, excellent stability, and low toxic levels than any other possible mixtures.
NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, and Equal-Measure are all brand names for aspartame, a low calorie sugar substitute used in more than 90 countries to sweeten foods and beverages. Aspartame is a synthetic chemical that is created through the combination of the amino acids phenylalanine and aspartic acid, and a small amount of methanol. Aspartame can be found in several products, such as soft drinks, over-the counter drugs, vitamin and herb supplements, instant breakfasts, candy, breath mints, cereals, sugar-free chewing gum, coffee, juice, and tea beverages, tabletop sweeteners, and gelatin desserts. This product may have seemed like a dream come true when it was first invented in 1981
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.