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.
Intended audience: The intended audience is professionals in the field of nutrition and dieting. Since the army helped fund the research written about in this article it would not be a far stretch to believe that they were looking into feeding solders a healthy diet and wanted to see the effects of aspartame in their own controlled setting.
Writer background: Professor Glenda Lindseth teaches Nursing Science, Nutrition and Dietetics, and Psychiatry at the University of North Dakota. Sonya Coolahan MD is a physician who practices Internal Medicine at the Rapid City Regional Hospital in South Dakota. Dr. Thomas Petros is a Psychologist who teaches at the University of North Dakota. Professor Paul Lindseth teaches Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences, at the University of North Dakota.
Writer’s angle: The writers are sharing their finding in a study of 28 students’ consumption of aspartame in a controlled setting to see if there are any neurologic effects.
Part 1: The one-sentence summary
The authors of this researched peer review highlight the effects of aspartame on the brain’s cognitive abilities, depression, and headaches.
Part 2: The one-paragraph summary
In the research article, Neurobehavioral
Researchers divided the mice into two groups. Group A ate food laced with the sweetener aspartame. After three months the aspartame group had higher levels of blood sugar than the mice that ate normal food. There is also speculation that same is true of other artificial sweeteners even ones made from sugar derivates or from the Stevia genus of plants.
The experimental method would allow us to observe the firsthand effect the sugar has on young children. However, this method would require the parents to give us legal consent or if it is ethically right the give children the sugar. To set up the experiment we would separate the kids into three random groups. The singular control group will not be receiving sugar while the other two do. Of the two separate experimental groups one will receive double the amount of sugar than the other. Then we assign each group to do the same task which requires their attention. The independent variable is the amount of sugar given to each group. The dependent variable is how the sugar affects the children’s attention.
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
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.
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.
Reviewed by:Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Medical Director, MEDEX Northwest Division of Physician Assistant Studies, University of Washington, School of
Who uses the sweetener or consume diet drinks may have heard of the controversy surrounding aspartame. The product has been linked with diseases or disorders such as migraine, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer, cancer, lymphomas, and brain tumors, among others. This association is mainly caused by the fact metabolized in the human body-releasing methanol, a chemical compound that has toxic and accumulative effect on the nervous system. Despite being naturally present in small amounts in chicken in the meat, the beans and skim milk when ingested in large quantities methanol can cause blindness, among other problems. This fact has been known since the approval of aspartame in the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). However,
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
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.
It is no secret that one of America’s biggest health concerns is obesity. Sugar has been linked as one of the greatest causes of obesity. The amount of daily sugar intake has increased over the past years and with it so has it’s health risks. The food industry is now adding additional sugar to their products. Many of the big named companies are great contributors to the obesity rate in the United States. Those with the greatest impact are soda companies. These sugary drinks are a major contributor to this epidemic. Sadly, many people are unaware of the consequences that excessive sugar can cause. Therefore, soda companies should add to the beverages that contain
Energy Drinks should deny. Drinks are hazardous, and numerous purchasers do not know about the energy drink. Caffeinated drinks have murdered numerous blameless individuals. The most exceedingly bad part about it is that promotion designed for teenagers. At the point when a high scholar drinks something they couldn't care less about dealing with their body yet rather looking cool before their companions. (purplejasmine, 2011) Caffeinated drinks have sent youngsters to crisis rooms with hustling heart thumps. A few youngsters have depended on them to stay conscious for a considerable length of time at once, running just on caffeine and apprehensive vitality. These if all precluded until studies can be attempted to inquire about their security. Required for managed mental and physical movement. This implies just the vitality required not more than is required which may have awful impacts. The beverage is a fluid that can be gulped as sustenance and refreshment. Caffeinated Drink I trust falls under the word drug. There are numerous reasons that these beverages have to be banned particularly due to impacts and side effects of caffeinated beverage utilization. (BionicKofi, 2015). This essay discusses the disadvantages about the drinking energy drugs.
Scientists have demonstrated that high-aspartame diets can affect mood, induce depression and decrease cognitive function according to studies on the neurobehavioral effects of aspartame consumption.
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